How do brands regain trust?

Five steps toward burnishing a tarnished image.

Five steps toward burnishing a tarnished image

Public perception of your product and company is paramount to your staying in business. However, how do you regain trust if you lose it? Usually you don’t.

Most people operate on a “one strike” rule, and if you are seen as being guilty or fail at providing service in a key aspect of your business, you won’t be able to win them back. They will go elsewhere the next time they are looking for someone offering your services.

How do you save a brand from being mired in the muck and raise it to relevance again? What is the secret sauce or magic that can make this happen?

After all, brands have risen from the ashes before; think Firestone, Reebok, and Ford.

The trick? There isn’t one. Rebuilding a brand’s reputation takes time, effort and a lot of grunt work. It isn’t glamorous, fun or even that exciting. (Thus, most brands try never to lose the trust of their customers.)

Here are some steps to get on the road to recovery:

1. Admit you are fallible. The best first step to recovery is transparency. Just say you screwed up as a brand, and fix the problem. Then, immediately work harder to get your company back on the right track; changing the conversation around your brand might not be a bad idea here.

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