Want to help your audience trust you more? Show your process! Take your us behind the scenes to see how you operate, how you apply your values and standards, and what kind of culture you embrace.
Picture Subway, the sandwich-maker. Subway was a pioneer in the “show us how it’s made” fast food movement. People want fresh, healthy, quick food, and they want a say in the ingredients. So Subway took the assembly process to the front of the store for customers to literally point at their cravings. Customers responded by trusting Subway’s food more than what Wendy’s, Burger King, Arby’s and the golden arches were offering.
The model spread and now stands as a signal to customers about whether a restaurant's menu is authentic, wholesome and trustable. Think Chipotle versus Taco Bell; Papa Murphy’s versus Pizza Hut. How would you profile a typical customer of each?
At the end of the day, we’re all sandwich-makers. When we can show our process, ingredients and choices, people will believe in us.
What does “backstage” look like for other businesses?
Television and news media record “how they got that shot” episodes and interview key stars to talk about their on-set experiences. People pay money to watch.
Builders and manufacturers set up timelapse cameras of projects, showing the nuts and bolts (pun intended) of their workmanship. It’s excellent fodder for social media, websites and so forth. More importantly, it visually guides people into a deeper understanding of what they can expect.
Health care can avoid the bloodier shots but still pull back the curtain on patient experience with “what to expect when you arrive” videos, welcoming people into their environment. They could offer virtual tours of the kitchen to help patients and families feel more “at home” in the space.
Ever downloaded a free resource online and found yourself so moved by the value it gave you that you’re hungry to learn more by paying? That free resource succeeded because it showed you a process that resonated. Understanding its value, you’re comfortable investing resources to go further.
I could go on, but you see my point. And if you don’t, let me offer this closing thought:
As technology gets more complex (hello AI), consumers are more likely to distrust it because it’s too difficult to show what’s happening behind the scenes in comprehensible a way. OpenAI is managing the hurdle by letting people experiment for free, as social media platforms did, at least in the beginning. But this strategy has its limits, as we see time and again.
When you find relatable, digestible ways to take people backstage, you pave an easier path to market acceptance, project competition, public support and growth. Pull back the curtain!
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Karapace would love to help you bring your customers and stakeholders backstage. If you’re looking for a strategic way to do so, hit us up at the form below.
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