SOCIAL
Building Brand Trust on Social Media [#SMTLive Recap]


Recently, on #SMTLive, our weekly Twitter chat, we hosted a discussion on how brands can build trust with their audiences, and why trust is so important in the modern, evolving digital landscape.
Trust, and building effective brand relationships, is becoming a bigger focus amid shifting attitudes to key social issues, and a rising reliance on eCommerce for shopping. On the former, according to Edelman’s 2020 Trust Barometer report, less than half of people now trust that their institutions will do what’s right, with growing skepticism around financial motivations and other influential factors that can change government and regularity decisions.
On the latter, as reliance on eCommerce grows, consumers need to know that they’re going to get what they pay for online, and that comes down to brand reputation, and established relationships.
These shifting trends intertwine, and will impact on your brand and marketing approach – but how will that change your strategy, and what are other digital marketers doing in this respect?
Here’s what our #SMTLive community had to share on the subject.
Leading the Way
We started our chat by asking what brands our friends consider trustworthy and why.
I’m finding it hard to name any… but the Why is easy: they protect my information and ensure their decision making is supported by strong value statements. #SMTLive
— Erin M. Kelly (@erinmkelly) February 23, 2021
This rang true for every brand mentioned – the “Why” was deemed any brand’s most valuable asset. Brands that have a clear mission give their consumers a clear reason to engage with them and show a direct impact their purchase makes.
Many brands on the list had more commonalities: relatability and consistency.
A1: I trust brands that show integrity and transparency. Also a human, empathetic voice.@Wendys comes to mind for how relatable the roasts can be. But also @benandjerrys for their brand’s consistency on racial issues. #SMTLive
— Socially Creative Solutions (@sociallycreate) February 23, 2021
A5: Consumers want to see a brand that is not only trendy and engaging, but AUTHENTICITY is key. People buy into brands they not only trust but feel a genuine connection with. Social media serves as a vehicle with an inside scoop of brands and their values. pic.twitter.com/nLfeGEdhkL
— Arielle Burton (@poeticallyfree) February 23, 2021
Action can no longer be a one-time contribution to a noble cause with a vague connection to a brand – people expect a consistent and long-term commitment from brands to a cause that makes sense. Devoting themselves for social impact, rather than mere profit, helps brands build and maintain authenticity. Authenticity, in turn, helps brands build strong relationships with their audience and gain a softer cushion to fall on when something goes wrong. Authenticity makes brands more human and humans are allowed to make a mistake or two.
Increasing Trust
It can be a long process to build trust with consumers, especially for new brands. What if you don’t have the advantage of having been around for a while? We asked #SMTLive participants whether they’ve ever trusted a brand shortly after they discovered them on social media, and what contributed to the sense of trustworthiness.
Yes absolutely.
For me These have tended to be ethically brands who are not afraid to be honest & transparent. Showing authentic values, clear aims, and a strong personality.But all have also had great eye-catching imagery.
— Jules PR (@JulesCSmee) February 23, 2021
Q2. Innocent. They are one of many smoothie/ juice providers who won me over with their transparancy and plain speaking #SMTLive
— Tiff Lomas ???? (@UK_Booklover) February 23, 2021
@MasterClass Their socials are so well done and effective. Love their tone of ‘here’s what you can learn’ vs ‘here’s who you will see ‘
— TheLaughingCow ???? (@LomaLorna) February 23, 2021
Technology has evolved rapidly, setting high expectations for how brands present themselves. High quality, clear, and on brand imagery and tone help brands set themselves apart from competitors, while also creating a sense of transparency.
Responsiveness and customer service were also mentioned multiple times. Interactions on social media, as well as how customer complaints and questions are handled in the online space, set a strong impression of brands for potential audiences. Research shows that people who receive customer service on Twitter, for example, prefer those brands up to x3 more than other brands.
A5: Social Media has provided consumers a more direct way to connect with brands. When done right this can create long-lasting brand/consumer relationships. #SMTLive
— The Amanda Show (@amandawritings) February 23, 2021
On the other hand, there are things that can also hurt brands through social media. Spoiler alert: Customer service is the main deal breaker.
Oh yes! It was a skincare brand. DMed them on Instagram to ask a question about a product and got a cold reply to visit the website. They sold themselves as experts, but clearly that didn’t come through off page.
— Petrumarié (@petrumarie) February 23, 2021
a couple of cloth brands. the say if you wanna be ambassador then they ask you to purchase a minimum in product first.
— Pablo Holman (@PabloHolmanC) February 23, 2021
A3: There was a specific influencer I lost some trust/respect for. Their online persona didn’t match up with the person behind the curtain. There was a disconnect, and she ended up being much more sales-y than human after my interaction. #SMTLive
— Micayla Rose Greco (@MicaylaGreco) February 23, 2021
In short, social media is a place to build connections. Your consumers are no longer passive receivers – they are either your friends and superfans or they are your skeptics.
Personal connection is part of authenticity, which comes through real conversations, responses, and personal approach to individual complaints and questions. Cold messages, links without any context and ghosting altogether are a way out of your audience’s heart for good.
Prioritizing authenticity is no easy task, however, and it can take a lot of time and dedication.
Key Challenges
We have a feeling that you’ve experienced at least one or many of these. Luckily, you’re not alone. Some of our struggles include:
It’s hard to deliver authentic content on a client’s behalf. Trying to vocalize a deep, empathetic story that isn’t yours to tell, is tricky. But it’s the content that connects the best on social.
— Catherine (Cara) Brackett (@CaraBrackett) February 23, 2021
A4: social media is constantly changing and evolving, which can create an expectation that we need to know immediately how to use and make new things successful, like Fleets or Reels, etc. Also the expectation to respond immediately can be a challenge. #SMTLive
— Maria Dehne (@mdehne34) February 23, 2021
A4 – As a small team, it is difficult to be a good customer service manager and innovative content creator. It often feels like one is being sacrificed for the other. #SMTLive
— Allison O’Leary (@ItsAllieO) February 23, 2021
So if you want to take anything away with you, let it be this:
What I took away from today: If people (consumers) ever lose trust in a brand, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, for the brand to regain that trust. #SMTLive
— Ruth (@InnGritttt) February 23, 2021
Inasmuch as social media affords us a veil to ‘hide behind’, it is important for brands to understand that customers can ‘see through’ the hype and detect authentic, empathetic and genuine brands to trust, engage, and patronise. #SMTLive
— Kafui (@Qaphui) February 23, 2021
Thank you for being part of our discussion – we learn so much from you, and we hope to see you at our next #SMTLive chat (Tuesdays 12pm EST (11am CST, 10am MST, 9am PST, 5pm GMT).
SOCIAL
Twitter Publishes 2023 Marketing Calendar to Assist with Campaign Planning

Looking to map out your content calendar for the year ahead?
This will help – Twitter has published its annual events calendar, which highlights all of the key dates and celebrations that you need to keep in mind in your planning.
The interactive calendar provides a solid overview of important dates, which could assist in your strategy. You can also filter the list by region, and by event type.

You can also download any specific listing, though the download itself is pretty basic – you don’t get, like, a pretty calendar template that you can stick on your wall or anything.

Twitter used to publish downloadable calendars, but switched to an online-only display a couple of years back. Which still includes all the same info, but isn’t as cool looking.
Either way, it may help in your process, as you map out your 2023 approach.
In addition to this, Twitter’s also published an overview of some of the major events that it’ll be looking to highlight in the app throughout the year, along with a pitch to advertisers, amid the more recent chaos at the app.
As per Twitter:
“We’re moving more quickly than ever, and we’re still the place people turn to see and talk about what’s happening. A great example is the recent FIFA Men’s World Cup. We saw a whopping 147B impressions of event-related content on the platform, up nearly +30% from 2018. We also generated 7.1B views on World Cup video1, with everything from memes to nail-biter outcomes to history being made.”
There’s also this:
“Not only is Twitter alive with content and conversation around big moments, but we are also growing. We saw global mDAU acceleration in Q4 to 253.1M, driven by an average sign-up rate of more than 1 million new daily users across Q42.”
That’s the first official usage stat Twitter has shared since Elon Musk took over at the app, and is a significant jump on the 238 million mDAU that Twitter reported in Q2 last year, its last market update before the sale went through.
It’ll be interesting to see if that usage level holds, as Twitter works through its latest changes and updates.
You can check out Twitter’s 2023 marketing calendar here.
SOCIAL
‘Stop the hate’ online, UN chief pleads on Holocaust Day

A person visits the Holocaust Memorial, in Berlin, Germany on January 27, 2023, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day – Copyright AFP Michal Cizek
The UN secretary-general warned of social media’s role in spreading violent extremism around the globe as he marked Holocaust Remembrance Day on Friday, urging policy makers to help stop online hate.
Antonio Guterres said parts of the internet were turning into “toxic waste dumps for hate and vicious lies” that were driving “extremism from the margins to the mainstream.”
“Today, I am issuing an urgent appeal to everyone with influence across the information ecosystem,” Guterres said at a commemoration ceremony at the United Nations. “Stop the hate. Set up guardrails. And enforce them.”
He accused social media platforms and advertisers of profiting off the spread of hateful content.
“By using algorithms that amplify hate to keep users glued to their screens, social media platforms are complicit,” added Guterres. “And so are the advertisers subsidizing this business model.”
Guterres drew parallels with the rise of Nazism in 1930s Germany, when people didn’t pay attention or protest.
“Today, we can hear echoes of those same siren songs to hate. From an economic crisis that is breeding discontent to populist demagogues using the crisis to seduce voters to runaway misinformation, paranoid conspiracy theories and unchecked hate speech.”
He lamented the rise of anti-Semitism, which he said also reflects a rise of all kinds of hate.
“And what is true for anti-Semitism is true for other forms of hate. Racism. Anti-Muslim bigotry. Xenophobia. Homophobia. Misogyny”
SOCIAL
Weird of the Week

What happened when six doctors swallowed Lego heads for science, and the results of Santa’s DNA test. Plus, is Dolly Parton really recording an album with Slipknot?
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