Blog Layout

The Importance of Brand Transparency with Consumers

Emilia Andrews • Jun 22, 2022

Brand transparency has been a dominating theme of the past decade. People today are genuinely curious of what goes on behind closed doors.

a white board with the word branding written on it

Brand transparency has never been more important. Not only do consumers care about brands more than ever, but they can also find out everything they want on the Internet. This leaves businesses with one choice and one choice only - to embrace brand transparency.


Why Consumers are Demanding Brand Transparency

We can trace the demand for transparency back to a few significant events. Consumers were frightened to discover that they financially supported sweatshops in southeastern Asian countries and questioned what they were putting in their bodies when they found out about GMOs. An overall lack of trust of corporations has spilled over to small businesses as well.


A recent Entrepreneur article explains the nature of trust in customer relations. According to the article, consumers today want to develop a certain level of trust with a brand before giving them their business.


“When buyers make purchases, they want to know their decisions are good for their family and align with personal or charitable interests. Trust can’t be bought. It must be earned. Consumers want to understand exactly what they are buying, and rightly deserve the knowledge they seek.”


With tools like Google and social media, consumers have easier access to information than ever. And that’s exactly what they refer to when deciding if a brand is trustworthy or not.


Why you need brand transparency

At this point, you might be wondering how all of this applies to your business. In all likelihood you’re not mixed up in any PR disasters and haven’t committed any serious transgressions against society.


But here’s the problem: we believe you, and your partners believe you, but consumers won’t immediately give you their trust. As stated in the Entrepreneur article, trust is something earned, and just assuming you have it can be a major misstep in regard to your marketing efforts.


Brand transparency is the best way to build trust among consumers. By letting prospective customers know how you run your business and what you stand for, you’ll get rid of any hesitation they may have had with respect to your company.


How to be transparent 

Just like consumers have easier access to information than ever, businesses today have all the opportunities in the world to show transparency. We find that a holistic approach works best in regard to online marketing.


For example, social media is an obvious choice to build trust with followers. Be strategic on how you'll communicate with your customers on social, email, your website and other forms of communication. Your business will be able to built trust and credibility when you show more of your personal "company culture" side.


Still, this strategy won’t work if it’s not consistent with all of your marketing efforts.


What you can be transparent about

Some people mistake brand transparency for revealing all your secrets. But consumers aren’t interested in how you plan on outperforming your competitors five years from now, they just want to know how you do business and how it directly impacts them - the consumer.


Pricing, for example, is one of the low-hanging fruits in regard to transparency. It sometimes helps to show consumers what’s built into your price and that it’s not some arbitrary number you chose. During high inflation times, restaurants have been clear to show the increase in their expenses (meats, packaging, etc.) directly relates to an increase in pricing. It then makes sense as to why your paying more for your meal.


You can also open up about your product development, your company history, and your employee relations. Even if you don’t think customers would find those things interesting, it’s equivalent to opening the door and inviting them in your house.


Brand transparency is highly correlated with customer loyalty in the long-run.


To talk more about brand transparency, or need help to enhance your brand perception or message.


###


Beholder is a growth marketing agency. We create a clear path to business growth by providing marketing strategies and services that support an increase in awareness, sales & engagement.


Share by: