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Trust

December 17, 2008

According to a recent report from Forrester, people don’t trust company blogs.  No shocker there.   I would have been shocked to discover otherwise.

“What?” you say.  “Dave, I thought you were really into blogs.”  “Are you not in charge of your company blog?”

I am the guy who is the champion here at LUCRUM for this blog, and I am not the slightest bit surprised that people don’t trust “company blogs.”  People don’t generally trust companies, they trust people.  To be trusted takes time.  People need to understand each other.  People need clear expectations of one another.  People need honest interaction and discussion with other people to create trust.   Need proof?  The same study shows that the most trusted channel of communication is email from PEOPLE YOU KNOW.  (Not SPAM!)  People trust other people.

For a company blog to be successful it needs to be about the people.  It needs to be a forum for honest discussion, creative ideas, and interesting conversations.  The same Forrester report goes on to outline how to create greater trust and improve a “company blog.”

One of the suggestions offered is to write about the problem’s of your customers.  Explore ways that you might be able to solve those problems, and start a ongoing dialog.  This is a great way to drive valuable innovation and demonstrate a willingness to listen to the wants and needs of your clients.

However, my favorite piece of advice from the article pertains to B2B companies.  Forrester advises firms to “let their employees get in on the act.”  Having a sanitized, polished, pre-approved blog, completely devoid of the real input of real people is a sure fire way to destroy trust.  Authenticity can not be manufactured.   This point pertains back to my initial statement that of course people don’t trust company blogs, they trust people – real people.

Another important item to point out is that blogs, social networks, email, phone calls, and all other communication tools don’t live in a vacuum.  They work together.   A blog can be a very important tool in helping people to understand your firm, your culture, and the value you can deliver.  However, the world is becoming increasingly interconnected and transparent.  You can’t be one thing on your blog, another on LinkedIn, something entirely different in your print collateral, something even more different on the phone, and then something else in person.   Chances are that if people don’t trust your blog, it has little or nothing to do with the blog itself.  It has to do with your behavior not reflecting the story you tell on your blog.

People trust people.

People don’t trust company blogs. What you should do about it.

Written by davidebowman · Filed Under Business & Leadership 

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