Slides from the session

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Bridging the Trust Gap report

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1. Set your long-term strategy and stay the course

Trust takes a long time to build, but once lost, is difficult to regain. It’s the reason why business decision makers say that reliability and consistency are the most important factors when it comes to establishing trust in an organisation. Your marketing strategy should set the course for your long-term brand-building efforts.

The bottom line is this: Kneejerk reactions can cost your company time, customers and money. Having a f ive or ten year view on the risks, opportunities and challenges that your brand is likely to face will help to discern the short-term shocks that you should respond to – and importantly, how you respond to them.

3. Make trust a board-level KPI

The research indicates that less than half of Business Development Managers stated that their companies currently measure their trust levels. Even fewer state that trust is a board KPI metric.

Evidence shows that there is a direct (positive) correlation between financial performance amongst brands who are most trusted

This is why we are seeing the rise of the role of the Chief Trust Officer, a role that a recent FT article highlighted now exists to show “how technology is used in a way that earns and maintains stakeholder trust”.

2. Show – don’t tell – people what your brand can do

Thought leadership is a powerful tool in the marketing arsenal. But its role isn’t a one-way broadcast, it’san opportunity to build a relationship with your audience by creating a conversation that meets them where they are at.

One of the most effective ways to build rapport, and trust, with that audience is to show people what you are capable of. It helps to think of your brand as a newsroom. Ask yourself: Who are your star columnists? Who are your subject specialists? Ultimately, how can their individual voices and personality bring authority to your brand?

4. Partnerships matter

Who you partner with matters. Think strategically about the brands and voices you want to be seen alongside, not only in terms of their level of credibility and trust, but also in terms of brand alignment and audience fit. Considering these things at the outset will help to ensure you pick the right partners every time.

If you would like to discuss insights & measurement, strategic direction, or thought leadership & partnership ideas, your FT team is here to help!

Enzo Diliberto, Global Insights Director, Financial Times enzo.diliberto@ft.com
Paul Hutt, Sales Director SEA, Financial Times paul.hutt@ft.com
Meg Wright, Content Director, FT Longitude megan.wright@ft.com