News\nabout privacy breaches dominate the headlines and make people wary about\nsharing their data. However, all is not lost. Companies can do some strategic\nthings to encourage current or potential customers to trust them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trust Badges Can Make People Feel More Secure About Providing Payment Information<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Trust\nbadges are small graphics that companies show on their website to indicate that\noutside, well-known entities confirm they are legitimate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sleeknote studied the impact of trust badges on sales and conversion rates. Its content cited multiple studies that showed how some instances of cart abandonment occur when people don’t trust sites enough to provide their payment details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover,\nit also mentioned numerous case studies to emphasize how trust badges make\npeople more willing to buy or carry out other desirable actions. Some business\nrepresentatives may think trust badges are relatively small parts of a website’s\ncontent. However, these findings highlight why it could be worthwhile for a\ncompany to get one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It Could Be Valuable to Highlight a Company’s Family-Owned Aspect<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If\ncompanies are family-owned, numerous studies indicate that bringing attention\nto that fact helps build trust in customers. For example, one of the studies\nreported that 76% of applicable\ncompanies<\/a>\nbring up their family-owned history in marketing materials to achieve many\naims, including increased trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally,\nif organizations are both family-owned and have the benefit of being in\nbusiness for several decades, customers may conclude they’re doing something\nright to enjoy such longevity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Companies Must Back up Their Words With Actions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately\nfor the companies that use it, the phrase “We take your privacy\/security\nseriously” has become somewhat of a joke. That’s due to the prevalence of\nbrands saying it when they acknowledge vulnerabilities, but don’t necessarily\ndo something about them quickly enough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In\none particularly damning example, a cybersecurity expert profiled how he\nnotified Panera Bread of a security issue that left customer data exposed. The\ncompany sat on the information for eight months<\/a>. Even worse, the fix the\ncompany implemented didn’t fully resolve the identified issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Of\ncourse, there’s no harm in companies telling customers that security is a\npriority if that’s actually true. If it’s not, using the phrase meaninglessly\nbecause it sounds good could make people hesitant to do business with the\noffending companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting Security Certifications Facilitates Consumer Trust<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If\ncompanies go through the process of earning security certifications, the\ndecision to do so could help customers feel they’re trustworthy. For example,\nthe ISO 27001 certification signifies that businesses take dedicated steps to\nkeep information secure. It gives consumers confidence about data protection\nand upheld confidentiality<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Businesses\nthat successfully get certified can then display logos on their websites. The\nespecially proactive ones could even write blog posts that explain the\nsignificance of certification to people who don’t know. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, a study asked users in the United Kingdom about their perceptions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance. It found that 57% of customers<\/a> would be more likely to use websites that have a certification mark or seal to indicate they align with GDPR requirements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Control and Transparency Are Crucial for Fostering Trust<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In\n2018, Salesforce\nconducted research<\/a> to find out more about customers’ feelings regarding privacy. The\nfindings revealed some disheartening things that highlight how companies have\nlots of room for improvement if they want to make their audiences trust them.\nThe conclusions showed that 59% of customers believe their data is vulnerable\nto security breaches, and 54% don’t think businesses have their interests in\nmind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nSalesforce survey polled people to find out what companies could do to come\nacross as more trustworthy, too. The top two responses, cited by 92% and 91% of\nparticipants, respectively, were giving customers control over the data that’s\ncollected and being open about how the businesses use the information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Google\ndoes that well in the Safety Center\nportion<\/a> of\nits website. There are even data transparency and privacy control sections\nwithin the main page where people can learn more about the company’s practices\nor make desired changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another\nway companies can be clear about how they use customer data is to make their\nprivacy policies easier to understand. Outbrain accomplishes that with drop-down sections<\/a>, as well as headers and\nbullet points that split up the material and help people find the most relevant\nparts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n