Six Steps To Achieve Credibility
JAGDEEP KAPOOR is a Brand Guru and CMD of the successful Samsika Marketing Consultancy
Recently there was a credibility concern in the consumer market. Some years ago it happened for other categories. Some consumers stopped buying because of disbelief.
Consumers buy brands because they believe in them. This is true for a branded product or a branded service. When consumers don’t trust a brand they do not buy or consume it. One of the largest reasons for people buying brands again and again is the credibility the brand offers to the consumers.
In brand building, credibility is vital to the success of any brand.
There are many brands which make claims that they provide various benefits. However, a consumer does not gulp down these claims easily. He is a prospect who can be converted only if he is not suspect. He needs credibility.
With the market getting flooded with brands consumers are anxious to know about the authenticity of the claims made by companies.
Many companies have taken the consumers for a ride by making false claims or misleading them. This has led to an atmosphere of suspicion at the consumer level whether it be a corporate consumer or a kid or a housewife or a senior citizen. This makes it all the more important to have true honest and correct claims made so that people believe in the brand.
How do you build credibility in your brand? The answer is shown in a six step process recommended by me.
The first element in the six step recommendation from my side is to make sure that you have a good product and a good service which gives benefits to the consumer and is valued by the consumer. This is crucial because only a good product or a good service can become a good credible brand. If the product itself is bad, no amount of advertising can lend it credibility.
Infact things could backfire and it could land up being not only a waste of money but a waste of time.
The second step in my six step recommendation is to ensure that the product or service experience during usage by the consumer is positive. This would lead to a positive brand experience which would be recalled pleasantly and with a smile by the consumer. It is often said that real taste of the pudding is in its eating. Similarly, consumers believe its product when they have a positive experience. No amount of claims would give credibility as much as a pleasant brand experience where the consumer touches and feels and experiences the brand.
The third step in my recommended strategy is to ensure regular and consistent customer satisfaction and not just a one off good experience. Credibility is built over a period of time. People believe in your brand if they constantly get good utility and value from the brand, thus not giving regular service or performance leads to irregularity, which could lead to customers not having faith in your brands.
The fourth step in my recommended strategy is to make sure that your brand meets and delivers the promise it makes to the customers. There should not be a case of over promise even if you have a very good product or service. Over promise reduces reliability leading to discontent thereby reducing credibility.
The fifth step in my recommended strategy would be to provide evidence whether in the form of facts or statistics which make the consumer believe the benefits offered.
The final and the sixth element of my recommended strategy for credibility is generating good word of mouth publicity wherein satisfied customers speak well of you informally or formerly through testimonials. This definitely enhances credibility.
Thus to build your brand ensure credibility through my six step recommended strategy which would help increase sales, profit and goodwill.