Business success is built on trust. But have you ever thought about where the trust comes from? How trust is built? Or, who or what does your customer really trusts?

You no doubt know of a “trusted brand” – at least in your eyes. But what did it take for that brand to earn that trust? Trust is not earned by having the best or most advanced product. Trust is not a factor of having the lowest price. And you can’t buy your customer’s trust.

The truth is that a trusted brand owns a share of your thinking. A perception of value, quality, promises kept… But how did it get there? In a word, mindshare.

Trust plays an enormous role in a company’s quest for mindshare. So much so that it goes without saying. No, really, companies don’t actually address trust head on! There is often no strategic or tactical play to earn, manage or protect trust. More often, it’s left to chance, and that is a huge miss for most organizations. They fail to view trust as part of winning. This is where mindshare fills a gap.

Here are four points to remember when you decide to focus on mindshare – to establish trust – as part of your go-to-market strategy:

1. Make sure you are aligned with your customer base. Are you focused on what is relevant to them? When the market recognizes you are part of their solution, trust begins to take root.
2. Nobody trusts someone they don’t like. Make sure your value proposition – your offer – makes you, well, likable. Positively impacting how an individual thinks about your company is hard enough and, almost impossible, if they don’t at least like you.
3. Make a clear promise to your customer base. Tell them what they can expect to gain by doing business with you and, when you do, never fail to meet the promise. This is where trust is won and lost. Again, make sure your promise is relevant and likable.
4. Once you have gained trust and established mindshare in the market, the effort does not stop. Mindshare is only perception. You must manage perception to protect your hard-earned trust.

If you can’t immediately tell your customer why they should trust you, you need to start thinking mindshare, not marketing.

Marketing only gets you so far, but mindshare delivers a stronger customer base: one that is committed to your brand.

For more about mindshare and marketing, mindshare and awareness, and brand stature and brand strength, check out this related post.