Recent findings have shown that public confidence in both paid-for and traditional media is declining, but our trust in social media is on the up. Why are consumers choosing to trust social media sites over traditional press, and what can be done by companies to use social media to increase trust in their brand?

Why has trust in traditional owned and paid media declined?

The uncovering of the phone-hacking scandal last year has been a key factor in the public’s decline in trust in traditional media. A YouGov survey at the time the story broke found that 58% of UK adults said that the scandal had made them trust the British press less, with 51% saying that they were now less likely to trust any domestic news organisations as a result.
A more recent Nielsen poll has shown corresponding results with paid-for traditional media; with only 47% of those surveyed stating that they trusted TV, press and magazine adverts.

Consumers are turning to social media instead

In contrast, the Nielsen poll found that 92% of those surveyed trusted shared media sources, including forum and online shopper reviews, which is an increase of 18% from 2007.
Due to increased mistrust of mainstream media institutions, consumers are more readily turning to their peers for what they consider to be reliable information. Our own Gorkana Pulse research at Metrica follows the same trend:

• 47% of all UK adults would make their decision on brands of products to buy based upon information from a friend/relative. 27% (the next most frequent preference) would go on advice or comments on a consumer forum (based on earned or shared media advice).
• This compares to 25% basing their decision on an article in a magazine or newspaper, 20% on an advert in said traditional media (paid-for media).
• Perhaps surprisingly, considering how heavily celebrity endorsement is relied upon by advertisers, the rich and famous don’t seem to influence our buying decisions either; 76% of us say that celebrity/magazine endorsement does not inform our buying choices. My colleague Anna made the same observation in her previous post on influence, observing that ‘Celebrities generate reach, Not Trust’.

So how does a social media marketing strategy fit within peer recommendation?

Social media is peer recommendation. Allowing your customers to interact with you online gives them an opportunity to either recommend, or disapprove of your product in public. It is this brand-consumer collaboration in social media which lets brands turn peer recommendation into part of their marketing strategy.
A successful social media strategy consists of getting your customers onboard, and recommending your product to each other.
Here are some tips to build this trust:

• Always answer negative feedback on Facebook and Twitter. If a customer complains about you through a social media channel, always get back to them. If you initiate solving the problem through social media, chances are that the customer will thank you through the same channel.
• Identify and target your brand advocates – those who are likely to be interested in your product/area of interest, and who have access too, and are trusted by your target audience. It’s also worth noting that high numbers of followers are not always useful. It’s likely to be much more fruitful engaging with a person with a small following comprising largely of those who you want to reach. (see another of Anna’s posts on identifying influence).
• Never underestimate the reach of a single tweet. We’ve seen countless examples of how one unfortunate tweet can snowball and result in a social media crisis for an organisation. Recent examples of this include QPR footballer Joey Barton’s Twitter rant against Alan Shearer, and Florida Panthers COO Mike Yormack’s attack on a critical tweeter by belittling their number of followers. To avoid a social media disaster and mass alienation of your customers, keep all social media comments positive, unassuming and customer-centric.

These are just a few ways in which you can improve your brand reputation through social media, which could help you to make brand advocates of your customers, and capitalise on the growing consumer trust in peer recommendation.