What does a brand need to do to earn a consumer's trust and loyalty? Nowadays, this answer is not so easy, given such a competitive market and the amount of information we are bombarded with daily. This is a delicate construction that requires careful attention in the relationship between the parties – which, when well managed, can strengthen the client's security with the company, their retention, and a significant increase in sales.
According to the latest survey by FGV IBRE, a reference in economic monitoring and analysis in the country, the Consumer Confidence Index decreased by 2.6 points in February this year, a loss of 10.8 points in the last three months. There are several reasons that justify this concerning decline, related to negligence committed by companies that can affect their credibility and harm trust with the target audience.
One of the most common misconceptions in this regard is promising what cannot be fulfilled. Any misalignment between expectation and reality, whether in delivery time, product quality, customer support, generic communication, impersonal or inconsistent with brand values, or other aspects, is extremely detrimental to this. Another delicate point is the lack of transparency in crisis situations — silencing or trying to "cover up" mistakes, which can have a devastating effect on your reputation.
Worsening this situation even further, the fact that we live in an environment saturated with content, advertising messages, and stimuli coming from all sides, brings an inevitable overload that makes the consumer much more selective, skeptical, and often distrustful of corporate communications. Today, it is no longer enough to just appear: it is necessary to mean something.
In this scenario, being authentic as a brand requires more than a nice speech, demanding consistency between what is said, what is done, and what is delivered. This is credibility built on details: how the company responds to criticism, how it admits to a mistake, how it takes a stand on relevant causes, and, most importantly, how it interacts with people in everyday life.
Scaling communication and customer service without losing proximity is another point that deserves attention. After all, although automation and artificial intelligence have brought efficiency gains, many companies have ended up distancing themselves from the human touch. The key is to find balance: using technology as an ally to optimize processes, without neglecting empathy, active listening, and personalization.
Furthermore, today's audience values brands with a clear purpose, that position themselves responsibly and showcase their behind-the-scenes with transparency. Being authentic, in this context, means adopting a more human, vulnerable, and less polished stance. Showing who's behind it all, how decisions are made, and what truly matters to the business creates genuine connection.
Building this trust and loyalty is not something simple, which requires companies to know and put their customer at the center of all strategies, maintaining consistency in communication and across all channels, investing in creating and disseminating relevant content with maximum transparency at all times. Something that, to contribute to this success, can be supported by the robust tools available in the market, such as RCS.
With this Google messaging system, brands will be able to communicate with their consumers using much more comprehensive features that will enhance the user experience. Messages may include text, images, GIFs, videos, and a complete carousel that allows the user to navigate their journey in a single environment. All of this is secured by an authenticity seal that guarantees the trust of the sender of the content.
This and many other multichannel communication platforms enable faster service and ensure the company is present where its customer is. Combine these tools with integrated CRMs that provide each person's history in order to personalize communication, as well as track relationship metrics, identifying the effectiveness of these actions or the need for adjustments.
One of the biggest barriers to building trust with consumers is the overwhelming volume of information they are exposed to. It is by no means an easy task to achieve, but by following the highlighted precautions, the chances of your company strengthening a closer and more secure relationship will be much higher, attracting and retaining customers who will be loyal to your brand.
