Why People Don’t Trust Digital Marketing

Do you know what’s common between a marketer and your ex? You don’t really trust either of them. In fact, a recent survey by Fournaise Group, London remarked upon how even 80% of CEOs don’t trust marketers. If CEOs of the industries cannot, then it’s not hard to understand why regular people will.

But what are the roots of this lack of trust? After long and extensive research, I have identified both the problems and their possible solutions.

What are the problems?

1. Disconnect with Consumer Needs:

 Failing to identify the need of the consumers despite identifying them is one of the biggest reasons people don’t trust marketers. Either marketers fail to offer the right solutions to the consumers, or fail to deliver them the right way. Either way, it creates disconnect.

2. Hyperbole and Showmanship:

In promising the next big thing and the shiny new toy in a market redundant with big claims of similar nature, the marketer has become the boy who cried wolf every time and the consumer have slowly evolved into the villagers who don’t believe him anymore.

3. Lack of Creativity:

Creativity is the elusive element missing in most marketing strategies and executions. One of the most important story-telling techniques, ask any professor, is ‘show, not tell’. Sadly, the marketing today has become all about telling, and if the marketers cannot give people a narrative they can connect with, they won’t trust them.

So, what’s the solution?

Personally, I believe it is honesty. With all the social media and internet available at the fingertips of every consumer, marketers need to give credit to not only the consumer’s intelligence but also their accessibility. Creativity and authenticity are tried and tested to be the best principles to inspire trust in the consumers.

To find deeper solutions, I had a look at the list of best digital marketing companies in London, simply so I could have an idea of their practices. A few stood out with their honest and creative approach – Digivate, Street73, and Bulldog Digital. While most marketing agencies have tried to adopt a feel of honesty, you can tell who means it.

Analysing these three top digital marketing agencies in London, I have narrowed down a few solutions to earn the consumers’ trust.

1. Don’t Talk About Yourself – One of the first things I noticed with these companies was their lack of ‘me, me, me’. It was about ‘you’. They talked about the consumers, what pain points they had, and how it could be solved. The only ‘me’ talk was only about how the company was well-resourced to offer solutions. Offer solutions on how as a marketer you are going to help the consumers with a specific problem. This is a big point.

2. Bring in Established Sources – If you don’t have the trust of the consumers yet, don’t fret. One of the very simple things you can do is bring in the content from established and credible experts. People already trust them and they will, eventually, trust you by proxy of association.

3. User-Generated Content – Consumers crave real stories from real people that they can relate to and connect with. If you can give them that, they’ll connect with you. Show them you aren’t afraid of letting consumers connect with each other. It is an important step in building trust.

4. Make a Community – This is so important in an age where you can pretty much get anything you want or need with the click of a button. A community can boost your business with people that give your product the social validation you need to build trust with consumers today. 

The entire point is to understand and identify exactly what the consumers want. The day of selling for the sake of selling are gone. Now, the consumer is an intelligent and resourceful entity who has a multitude of options and purchasing power. The only way to make your mark is by keeping them happy.