The foundation of credibility branding is to leverage the good parts of the company into points of credibility that will build trust with your customers and speed up their decision making time. In the world of Web 2.0, and the collaborative environment it has created, many people don’t buy without seeking an opinion first. Who they turn to most of the time is an influencer, a resident expert of that category. Whether they are looking for advice for shoes gadgets, or home renovation they will seek this information from a trusted friend or an outside influencer.
So how can you become that trusted influencer? I recently spoke with Jason Smith at Vision Critical a Research firm in Vancouver who specializes in a new form of research panel that leverages the social media environment. They create an 'advisory board' or 'online community' of current and potential customers and engage them in discussion. They don’t ask them to fill out an online form, they create a forum of users that can open and honestly discuss what they like and don’t like about the company’s products.
This is what Jason calls a “semi-harnessed” environment. Vision Critical and the companies they are working with create the online advisory panel that can consist of hundreds of participants. They set parameters of discussion, mange topics and have a structure but the “advisors” have an open dialogue. It isn’t like the old focus groups where the facilitator has a set agenda and tightly controls the discussion. The discussions flow like they would in on online community but around a topic. When there is someone on a rant there is usually a defender that comes to the rescue. These panels become social networks with built in check and balances. To qualify, it is not a true social network, participants know they are being “watched” and understand there is a purpose for the group.
Jason said that in some cases they have found that these advisors feel like they are participants in the company not just customers. They feel like they are having an impact, and in some cases they actually see the result of their effort come to fruition. That advisor is on the street telling their friends that they had a hand in guiding the product their friend person is now holding. That is credibility. This lack of transparency is the next generation in research and marketing in general. The more open you are with your customers, and the more open you let them be, the more loyalty and trust is built. These customers become evangelists that create more evangelists -- Influencers influencing influencers.
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