One of the main components in any relationship is the "trust" factor. Dictionary.com defines trust as; reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence. Pretty straight forward really, of course there are two factors in this "trust" factor. Trusting someone on a personal level, family member, close friend, etc is different than the trust factor involved in a professional, business relationship.
With the advent of a "digital" relationship that is now part of our world through the
use of social media sites, websites etc., I ask again, is trust attainable in a digital relationship? I not only believe it is attainable, but I would say that building and attaining that trust is one of the most important components in social media. Might even be the heart of the matter. I consider that as a part of my job as a social media manager, I am tasked with building a digital character for the business that I am managing. Not much different that a manager in a physical store location. One of the things regarding trust in a digital world that has stuck with me for years was a comment that Brad Andersohn made during his presentation at RainCamp DC. Brad maintained that he had built some relationships so strong on the Activerain platform that he would have trusted some of those who he hadn't met other than in digital form, with the keys to his house, over some of his neighbors who he was in physical contact everyday. Years later I must attest that Brad was right on the money, that statement has stuck with me and helped shape my online experience. It opened the door to me thinking about digital relationships being on a level the same as face to face relationships. A trusting relationship if you will.
So how does one garner the trust of an online, digital audience? The components are much the same in gaining trust in a traditional affiliation. You build it, slowly and with actions, and sincere emotion. Here's a tip for all the social media managers out there, here is where the social part of social media comes into play. You absolutely have to inject that human emotion into the social media engagement. In the end business is still the same as it always has been, people doing business with other people. That is the biggest difference between simply putting a website on the net, and waiting for people to come and buy, as opposed an honest relationship building social media campaign. At it's heart, you are building customer/client trust, once you have done that you have earned a client,/customer for life, and a brand builder as well I might add. Word of mouth either in face to face conversation or digital form offers the same positive result.
So yes trust is definitely attainable in the digital world of business today. I look at it as my job to build that trust between the clients and people I represent and the digital online business world. It still all comes down to trust, and you have to earn it.
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- It Is No Longer OK To Proclaim Social Media As New (thefuturebuzz.com)
- The Next Turn of the Wheel: Trust in a Digital World (blogs.rsa.com)
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