Transparency is key when it comes to building your brand, maintaining and growing your customer base, and preserving your brand's reputation. Great brands are honest with customers and clear about their mission and work.
Below you’ll find three tips on transparency and how to achieve it. Use this information to supplement your brand’s marketing strategy and craft a consistent image.
Make your mission and values loud and clear
Today, many brands have been adding sections or pages specifically for their mission, values, and any other work they've been doing externally to help certain causes. Let's talk about the American clothing brand, Patagonia. The top menu on their homepage displays a link to their page titled 'Activism.' Upon scrolling through the Activism page, you can see all of the causes they support, how they've raised awareness for these causes, and their company's values.
Your mission, values, and stance on certain issues shouldn't be hard to find or hidden, nor should it be performative. Two great places to highlight the great work you are doing are on your website, or with occasional posts on social media.
Share your business's accomplishments and work
Did you have an event or fundraiser this past month? Have any significant accomplishments or milestones been made recently? Don't be shy, share them! Loyal customers want to be kept informed and up to date with what your business has been up to, give them a glimpse of it.
You could do this by posting a video series on your Instagram story, document what's happening on a livestream, or even coming out with an end of the year document or video showcasing what your brand has accomplished throughout the year.
Open up about mistakes and sticky situations
The truth is, no brand is perfect. Mistakes happen, it's a part of business and life. Acknowledging this could have helped prevent the infamous Fyre Festival debacle.
Yes, airing out mistakes is never an easy thing to do, but your customers will appreciate it, especially when it affects them in some way.
These three tips certainly have the power to get you moving in the right direction when it comes to possessing an honest and trustworthy business.
Maddie Szczerba is our IFC Collegiate Messaging Intern. She is currently majoring in Strategic Public Relations and minoring in Business Communication. When she’s not in the office you can find her sipping on an iced chai, scouring Hulu for another show to binge-watch, or venturing across Cedar Falls with friends.
