Content that builds trust

By Sophie Körner

In a world where trust in the digital world is declining, it is vital that your business focuses on content that will build an honest connection with your stakeholders. Realising that this reliable content can cover a broad spectrum of formats will give you the tools you need to build assurance, meaning, and distinctiveness for your company.

Let’s get back to basics. What is content?

Content is a ‘fluffy’ term. It covers a broad range of ideas and leaves room for competing interpretations, making its meaning surprisingly hard to define. Given this ambiguity, it's not surprising that the full spectrum of what counts as content is confusing to many.

This ‘broad spectrum’ is what we need to keep reminding ourselves of. It's easy to get caught up in thinking it can only consist of videos, images or articles, but 'content' can cover any type of medium! While using the types mentioned above is great (and will cover most of your needs), employing more original formats is how you can really make yourself stand out.

There are plenty of mediums that are not common choices for corporate entities, such as podcasts, infographics, and documentaries - innovation on this front will help your content stay relevant and differentiate your communications from your competitors.

To trust or not to trust

When it comes to content, trust should be a focal point. In an age of rapid changes and fake news, businesses need to create great content [Forbes], but also need to think about how they can use this to build strong, lasting relationships with their stakeholders [Harvard Business Review].

And yet, trust doesn’t come easy. When creating content, think of it as educating your stakeholders rather than informing them. By creating an atmosphere of inclusivity and reliability, you encourage conversation instead of a one-way flow of information.

The following are our suggestions for what this ‘reliable content’ could entail - read on and get inspired!

Podcasts

Podcasts are rapidly gaining interest, with a recent study from Ofcom suggesting that "one in eight adults [in the UK] now listen to podcasts each week". Podcasts are seen as an educational communication tool that will help you establish yourself as an authority within your field. To get you started, consider setting up weekly or monthly interviews with your stakeholders and/or people within your industry. Dell Technologies' Luminaries podcast is a great example of this.

Infographics

A great way to educate (not persuade!) your clients. It can be hard for a reader to digest large amounts of data or information. Infographics make dense content easier to understand and efficiently convey your authority on a topic. Check out this Column Five article for plenty of great examples.

Soundbites

Similar to Podcasts, but think of them as smaller snippets of conversations. Hearing people’s point of views builds a relationship with your consumers. The best way to showcase this content is to incorporate it directly on your website.

A great example of this in action is one of our own clients, Inflexion. Through the use of sound bites on team bios, you can now hear employee opinions straight from the source – interactive and trustworthy!

Documentary

Creating documentary-style snippets of video that focus on a subject beyond the actual business will generate trust and show your business values in an honest way. Another Comprend client, the telecommunications company Veon, created a miniseries documentary called ‘Eva Travels Pakistan with Jazz’ for their social media platforms - a great way to show where their values lie and whom they support!

Employee takeovers

The odd one out, as this refers more to a way of using media. However, it still made the list as an original way to leverage honest content.

An employee takeover highlights your team and their amazing skills. General Electrics, for example, invite their employees to ‘take over’ and share a glimpse into their work with the company – exciting and, of course, reliable! Check out their Instagram here.

Now that you have seen some examples of what content can cover, think of how you can incorporate these findings in your business.

Here at Comprend, we always strive to challenge the way we communicate and create sustainable solutions for our clients.

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