Let’s be candid. There are countless businesses, leaders, and organizations that operate with the highest level of integrity, and their clients, customers, and constituents are the beneficiaries as a result. On the flip side, there are some industries and professions that are stigmatized for being dishonest, shady, scrupulous, you get the picture.
Brand reputation is not built over night.
It can, however, be tarnished in a moment.
Public relations, strategic communications, branding, and marketing are all buzz words and strategies that we cling to when establishing and maintaining brand credibility.
What about trust? How exactly do we establish a brand reputation that clients, partners, stakeholders, employees, the public, or investors can rally behind?
The answer is trust – an “assured reliance on character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something,” as defined by Merriam-Webster.
Trustworthiness is as important to brand reputation as your public relations and strategic communications strategies.
In fact, it can be argued that trustworthiness is the foundation of your public relations and strategic communications strategies. So, how exactly is this foundation laid?
- Be upfront in transactions. It is important to be transparent about pricing, fees, and invoicing.
- Quality matters. Regardless of product, service, or industry, clients, customers, and constituents are seeking a final product or goal that is effective and adds value. Delivering quality services, products and promises can strengthen your trustworthiness and offer a more organic approach to reputation management.
- Follow-through. Contracts, work plans, and strategic plans are in place for accountability purposes. They should clearly spell out the desired scope and expected deliverables. It is important to deliver on the items to which both parties have agreed.
Remember, public relations is about “relationships,” and clients, customers, and constituents are worthy of being in relationship and transacting business with credible and trustworthy businesses, organizations, leaders, and brands.
Nayita Wilson is Founder & CEO of NVisions Communications & Consulting, a vision driven public relations firm headquartered in Louisiana that specializes in media relations, messaging, and strategic communications. She is also the author of PR That PRopels: A Proactive Guide to Winning Public Relations Strategies and can be reached here.
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