Trust is an important currency in B2B communication. Trust enables the reduction of control effort and thus complexity. And those who can reduce complexity in the right place increase their efficiency. Texts in B2B communication can be designed specifically to support the building of trust.
- All components of the communicative text designprocess influence the formation of trust
- Trust is created through competence, predictability, respect, closeness and transparency
- When designing a text, different means of building trust are available depending on the medium and objective
Why do we trust?
Trust is primarily created through positive experiences in which expectations have been fulfilled. However, positive product and service experiences are lacking, especially before the start of a business relationship. This is where communication is particularly important. Its goal is to assume positive experiences in advance. But not only the first contact, but every communicative touchpoint of the customer journey up to after-sales indonesia number data is an opportunity to build and consolidate trust.
How can trust be built at the touchpoints?
The (potential) customer’s goal is to reduce perceived risks. These can be addressed through the content of the texts, such as tutorials, testimonials or the integration of quality seals from recognized authorities. Addressing topics that interest the reader also creates trust, as the author signals that he understands the reader.
But building trust through text goes beyond text design that. The reader will gain trust when the communication meets his expectations. In addition to the content of the message, this affects all other aspects of the communicative process: from the sender of marketing must meet people where they want to be met the message to the message, the language and codes used, the use of an appropriate channel, consideration of the recipient of the message and their feedback, and consideration of the context.
Language and Codes
The language and codes used are particularly important in B2B, as the appropriate use of linguistic means is proof to the recipient that the sender knows his needs and knows how to fulfill them.
It is important to pay attention to the little things. In B2B communication, for example, the potential customer expects the error-free use of correct standard language, an appropriate level of common technical terms and, in the case of informative texts, the use of a neutral language style without promotional adjectives. This conveys competence – an important building block in building B2B trust.
Different channel, different possibilities
However, depending on the channel text design used, different linguistic means are accepted. On social media, for example, the use of certain emojis or a humorous approach to suitable content is effective in order to build a connection through b to c database approachability. For some texts, depending on the objective, storytelling is also suitable, as the reader is addressed emotionally and, for example, recognizes common motifs.
respect
Trust is also created by assuming that the other person will respect you. Respect is conveyed through genuine interest in the person being addressed, and this is how monologues become dialogues. In order to enter into dialogue, appropriate text design structures for feedback and the professional use of interactive social media platforms are set up. Personal addressing in email marketing is also an expression of respect.
But respect also means treating the recipient’s time and attention with respect. If the reader is guided well through the text and can quickly grasp the meaning thanks to a sensible structure and concise statements, this saves his resources.