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James Ashe, Managing Partner
How PR Can Help Restore Consumer Trust
A new report shows that consumer trust in UK brands declines by 3% year-on-year. How can you ensure that your business remains on the right side?
According to the report, which is based on a survey of over 2,000 customers, a lot of that trust (or lack of) comes down to the marketing channels and messages being used. Of those surveyed, 51% trust communications over email, 51% trust face-to-face discussions, 51% trust postal communication and 46% trust what they see on Instagram.
However, across all of those channels, relevance was the key factor – as long as the messages being seen were relevant to the audience, respondents were more likely to trust a brand in the long run.
While social media is great for targeting messages to specific, relevant audiences, it can also lead to a sense of inauthenticity in some cases – if your followers don’t like what you’re putting out, a simple post can quickly turn into an absolute disaster in no time flat.
For us, one of the best ways to establish trust is via a third-party endorsement, and there’s no better way of doing that than through a well-considered PR campaign. Targeting the right publications, both in print and online, with the right stories will not only give your brand presence a big boost, but it’ll also help to consolidate your reputation.
When working with Laurel Funerals, we wanted to change the perception around funeral directors, so we found any excuse to get people in the building and meet the team. This included launching the funeral industry’s first crowdfunding campaign to create a replica medal for VC recipient Henry Tandey, donating football kits to local kids’ teams, running vital foodbank campaigns and much more.
Through each of these campaigns, we generated positive press, positioning each branch as a hub within the community with a team that truly cared about local initiatives. We’re delighted to see that this approach continued long after Laurel Funerals was acquired – we still get Google Alerts about the Dawe Brothers’ annual Easter egg appeal from the local paper!
So, when you’re considering your marketing plan for the year ahead, don’t underestimate the power of PR.
Need to improve your PR prowess? Read some of our other blogs:
- Gemma Collins’ PR team make crucial error in Now interview
- Making a MasterChef of Wayne Sullivan for The Old Stocks Inn
- The future of PR in a Facebook era
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