How to Build Brand Trust

Key Takeaways:

• With platforms like Meta replacing fact-checkers, companies must work harder to build brand trust. Trust directly impacts consumer spending, with 68% of consumers spending more on trusted brands, highlighting its importance as a foundation for business success.
• Erosion of trust can lead to reduced customer retention, loss of revenue, and long-term reputational damage. The decline of X (formerly Twitter), with a 9% drop in users and a significant fall in ad revenue, illustrates the real-world impact of lost public trust.
• Businesses should focus on building their digital presence, producing high-quality, well-researched content, and being transparent and responsive to customer concerns. 

Tomorrow’s winners are the ones knowing how to build brand trust

AI has worried many digital marketers. ChatGPT completely changed the market when it launched around the same time Elon bought Twitter at the end of 2022. Many didn’t know whether they should be excited or scared when the world as we knew it was turned upside down. All we knew was that things were never going to be the same. 

Many were excited initially, but it was easy to get concerned when reading the answers generated by ChatGPT hallucinations, and Twitter gradually became a place for right-wing extremists to express their opinions. Would we be able to trust anything we read online anymore?

Thankfully, Google was still a dominant player and a trusted source of information. However, Google’s business model is not perfect, either. But, at least it expressed concerns about the issue of trust. Moreover, from time to time, Google AI Gemini refused to answer questions it didn’t have information about instead of making things up. 

At first, Google was hesitant to provide information on its progress in AI, but that changed at the end of 2024 when it announced its AI video tool, among other highly impressive interventions. It impressed even the industry’s most prominent sceptics. Things looked promising when the most significant, trusted source in the search space took responsibility and stayed on top of AI development. 

That was before Facebook announced it would remove fact-checkers from its platform, another disruption that could severely affect user trust. The long-term consequences can be massive, and nobody knows precisely what they will be. But one thing is sure: companies that manage to gain the public’s trust will have an advantage and will likely be tomorrow’s winners. 

This article will explore why trust matters, the consequences of losing it, and strategies for earning consumer confidence.

The importance of brand trust – Building credibility in an era of doubt

Building brand trust has become a cornerstone for businesses striving to maintain credibility and relevance. Recent changes in content moderation on platforms like Facebook and X (former Twitter) have made safeguarding a brand’s reputation increasingly challenging. Moreover, it affects public discourse and creates a risky environment for brands.

Trust is the foundation of any successful relationship, and business relationships are no exception. A survey of 1,000 consumers found that over two-thirds (68%) spent more money on brands they trust. On average, consumers spent 25% more money on trusted brands.

When platforms like Facebook and Instagram remove independent fact-checkers, misinformation proliferates. Moreover, brands might appear alongside unverified or harmful content, potentially damaging their reputations. In a world where consumers are more discerning than ever, businesses must work harder to differentiate themselves as trustworthy sources amidst the noise.

The potential consequences of people not trusting your brand

When trust erodes, the effects can be devastating. Customers lose confidence in your messaging, leading to declining engagement, sales, and loyalty. A brand associated with misinformation or unethical practices may suffer:

• Decreased customer retention: Distrust prompts consumers to switch to competitors they perceive as more credible. Imagine you are providing at-home health tests, and somebody has stated on social media that your data is inaccurate as they claim you are using a third-party provider that cannot be trusted. 
• Loss of revenue: Misinformation about your brand can deter existing and potential customers. Imagine you sell NMN supplements, and somebody posts that you use fillers in your supplements and that your supplement doesn’t contain NMN at all.
• Harm to long-term growth: Negative associations damage your reputation, affecting your ability to attract partners, investors, and loyal customers. If misinformation goes on-checked, information about your brand can be shared and get out of control before you know it.  

As Meta shifts to “community notes” for content accuracy, misinformation is marked more slowly and often not marked at all. While community notes can be a good addition to a fact-checking tool, they are unreliable. Many posts don’t get comments, so what is said in the post can become an established truth among many people.

Furthermore, you need comments offering different perspectives, and this doesn’t always happen when the algorithms often push the content to the same ecosystem. 

The consequence of losing public trust

Recently, many users have left X (the former Twitter) to use the new social media platform Bluesky. Bluesky has over 20 million users and recently surpassed Threads in popularity in the US. Many Users turn to the heavily moderated network after being warned about misinformation on X.

Since many users started mistrusting the X platform and turning to other alternatives like Bluesky, X has lost many users. In 2022, the platform had 368.4 million monthly active users; in 2024, that number had gone down to 335.7 million users, a 9% drop. Moreover, ad revenue went from $4.73 to $3.14 in the same period. This is a good example of the consequences when a company loses public trust. 

How do you get people to trust your brand?

Having a platform you control is likely to be more critical than ever. Connecting with your audience is essential. You want people to hear from your brand directly, as that allows you to control the narrative of what you say. For a long time, social media influencers have been known as a good way to brand your company and attract more customers. 

While only 50% of Baby Boomers trust influencers’ recommendations wholly or partially, 83% of Gen Z feel the same. Given the increasing polarisation and mistrust, online influencers’ recommendations will likely become even more critical in the future. Therefore, spending time and resources building your brand on social media and optimising your website for SEO can be an excellent investment. 

Prioritise producing high-quality, well-researched content that adds value to your audience based on entity SEO. Don’t rely too heavily on AI, which can lead to biases and ultimately damage your brand reputation. Moreover, AI-produced content can lead to your content being taken down by Google. 

When building brand trust, prioritise your resources carefully

You have probably heard many talks about “search everywhere optimisation”, which refers to optimising for all online platforms. However, for start-ups, it is essential to prioritise your resources carefully, starting with 1-2 platforms and becoming good at those before branching out. 

Stay on top of the comments you receive. If they are essential business questions, you don’t want others who know nothing about your business to answer them. Actively addressing customer concerns demonstrates accountability and responsiveness.

Another effective way of building brand trust is to associate yourself with other trusted brands. You might partner with them, which can also help you build your topical authority and online presence. 

However, building an organic online presence takes time, and many companies choose to advertise, especially if they don’t have a significant online presence. If you choose to do this, be careful to vet your advertising platforms to ensure they align with your brand values and avoid associations with harmful or misleading content as much as possible. 

Brand trust is more important than ever.

Meta’s decision to replace fact-checkers with community-driven content moderation is part of a broader trend prioritising free expression over accuracy. While platforms adapt to this hands-off approach, brands must remain vigilant. Misinformation can spread rapidly, and the lines between truth and falsehood blur easily.

As trust becomes a more critical factor in consumer decision-making, businesses that invest in maintaining integrity and transparency will have a competitive edge. In an era defined by doubt, trust is not just an asset—it’s a necessity.