How to build trust in your service business with video

Do potential customers trust you enough to do business with you?

For the majority of companies out there, which more than likely includes yours, it’s vital that your customers see you as trustworthy before they’re happy to get their chequebook out (hang on, do people still have chequebooks these days?!). Without trust, it can be seriously hard to drum up business, especially in this modern-day marketplace we call “the interweb”.

Building trust online is tough though. People are more sceptical than ever and with good reason. These days, it can take a relatively short amount of time to set up a website, post a blog, and add some convincing written testimonials, which let’s face it, could have been made up by anyone. Video, on the other hand, takes time and effort, feels much more real, and when done well can really get potential customers to sit up and take notice (Yes, I get the irony of blogging about video and it not being a video…yet!).

THE ATTRIBUTES OF TRUSTWORTHY PEOPLE

According to Psychology Today, there’s an achievable way to establish this trust. Taken from a study by US Army Colonel, Patrick Sweeney, you must demonstrate that you exhibit the 3 c’s of trustworthy people: Competence, Character, and Caring. Sweeney also emphasised that all 3 were required and that none alone were sufficient enough to generate trust in the same way:

Competence:

To be viewed as competent and knowledgeable of your subject.

Character:

For trust to form, your values must include attributes such as respect, selfless service, and integrity. In business, this could be shown by giving massive value or going that extra mile for people before they’ve even bought anything from you. Or it could be shown by refraining from bad-mouthing your competitors and being more inclusive.

Caring:

The author of the study said that caring doesn’t mean catering to the whims of individuals, but more a commitment to doing the right thing, showing empathy with the challenges faced by those they are communicating with.

BUILDING TRUST WITH VIDEO

Here are a few practical tips you can take and put into your own video content to help increase those trust levels further:

GET A HUMAN BEING IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA
Animation can work well for certain businesses and looks great, but when you’re business thrives on human-to-human relationships, then it makes logical sense to continue that theme with your video content. If you can’t, or don’t want to be on camera yourself, try incorporating a voiceover instead, to help keep it “human-to-human”.

BE AUTHENTIC
Don’t try and fake it, you’re audience will be able to spot it a mile away. Remember the saying, “try to appeal to everyone and you’ll appeal to no-one”? Well, it’s never truer than when speaking on camera. You are who you are; embrace that and your audience will relate to it and bring them closer to you as a result.

GET YOUR CUSTOMERS ON CAMERA
In some videos, use your customers to build trust and give viewers someone to relate to and identify with. Happy customers can be your best salesperson. Individual testimonials, case studies, and our very own Trustimonial® videos are great examples.

GO BEHIND THE SCENES

Tell your collective and individual stories and let people dive in, explore and develop a deeper understanding of what your business is all about. Build that connection.

SHARE YOUR PASSION

Explain why you do what you do. What drives you?

SMILE

If appropriate, wear a smile. This has to be genuine and not forced, as people will be able to see through a fake smile, which may work against you in the trust stakes. A great presenting tip I picked up in my broadcast days is that when you are speaking to camera, smile 3 seconds before you intend to begin. This will help welcome your viewer from the very first moment and you won’t be caught out with an unnatural and less trustworthy “light switch smile”.

KEEP EYES ON THE LENS
Keep your eyes on the lens if you’re talking to the viewer directly. Any kind of lengthy glance off-camera will come across that you aren’t all that bothered or that the viewer is missing out on something off-screen. Also, if you’re constantly looking away, it can give the impression that you’re a ‘shifty’ character. Not a good look!

Oh, and before I move on, don’t forget to blink.

CORNERSTONE VIDEO CONTENT THAT BUILDS TRUST CONSISTENTLY

Cornerstone Video Content acts at a foundation level for your business and its goal is to help create a fantastic first impression, build viewer trust, and be top of the list when viewers are ready to enquire and buy.

Examples:
About Us Video – Explain how your business began and developed, why it started, problems faced along the way, your values, mission statement and possibly even what you like to do outside of work.
Case Study Videos
Individual Video Testimonials
Trustimonial® Video
FAQ Videos

COMMENT BELOW

If there’s anything else you would like to know about this topic, or you feel is a positive contribution, please leave a comment below.

WANT QUALITY VIDEO PRODUCTION FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

If you’re considering making a great first impression with potential customers and want to find out more about adding some quality cornerstone video content in your business, please check out the following pages:

Bespoke Video Production
Trustimonial Video
Case Study Videos