Strategies for building credibility: the brand as a teacher

One of the ways through which brands can enhance their credibility is by attending to the information needs of their consumers. We are in the information era and consumers like to be provided with as much information as possible. This information must, however, be presented in a manner that enables quick understanding and spotting of the main highlights. As more information filters online, consumers have to process large volumes of knowledge within a short time. This has generated lower attention spans as well as a general sense of impatience as consumers want to grasp the whole essence of a message at a glance. Brands that are able to sift through the information and retrieve what is most credible and relevant to consumers tend to gain credibility. The impact of this can be explained as follows.

Firstly, the brand is able to demonstrate its understanding of the products and services it is dealing with. Consumers do not like to deal with amateurs. They want to be convinced that the persons they have given their trust to know what they are doing and are willing to share their knowledge. Having a wide knowledge about a field gives the consumer the confidence that the brand is well-suited to deal with any issues that could be arising in the course of their operations.

Secondly, it demonstrates trust in the ability of the consumer to understand and assimilate the knowledge being shared. The typical relationship between a teacher and a student is one of trust: the teacher trusts in the students’ ability to learn and assimilate the knowledge being shared. The student honours this trust by doing what is expected by the teacher.

Thirdly, information sharing creates an exciting platform for engagement between the brand and the consumers. The relationship could grow boring and eventually fizzle out in cases where the organisation and the consumer can only discuss the products being bought. At some point, such conversations become monotonous and consumers become more inclined to ignore. But when the subject of discussion is informational, engagement, questions, and presentation of competing viewpoints becomes possible. This helps to not only build credibility but also increase the bond as the understanding between the consumer and the brand is enhanced.

Some of the firms that have implemented this include United Healthcare and Cambria. The two organisations allied to create a programme dubbed ‘the big know’ where they have been creating online courses on topics related to their brands. This collaboration helps the brands educate consumers on insurance packages, risk management, and issues related to kitchen equipment and safety of use. With this approach, the consumers are supposed to gain the confidence that the brands have trust in them and wish to inform them as much as possible. Such brands become more credible. With credibility comes trust and with trust comes an emotional bond between the consumer and the brand. This in turn translates into increased value per customer and growth.