Senior Social Media Manager Faber Whitehouse explores why trust has become the ultimate performance KPI for brands looking to build lasting connections online.
Trust is a tricky old thing.
While a business's relationship with its customers is integral to its success, gaining that trust isn’t something that can be rushed or manufactured. In fact, inauthentic attempts to forge a trusting relationship will often have the opposite effect.
The restaurant analogy
Picture this - you’re walking past a row of restaurants, the first, has a selection of suspiciously curated images of dishes on the menu to entice you to give them a try, the second has a waiter outside beckoning you in to take a seat in a suspiciously empty dining room, and the third, is self-assured, quietly confident and was made known to you through consistent positive word of mouth.
The third restaurant isn’t the most desirable because of flashy branding assets; it’s desirable thanks to creative communication and understanding how trust signals develop over time, not how loudly they appear in the moment.
The problem with vanity metrics
For years, the idea that the brands getting the most likes, impressions and reach are the ones who are doing ‘well’, however that perception is shifting. Whilst those traditional KPIs still have their place, what they fail to demonstrate is how people truly feel about a business - anyone can get a viral post…but creative communication is about making something that stays with people. It’s a harder strategic challenge, but one that will reap more long-term rewards.
If we return to the earlier analogy and take a trip back to restaurant one, there are a number of brands that fall into the trap of putting too much emphasis on the outdated vanity metrics of yesteryear. Every post receives a high number of likes and impressions, every asset is squeaky clean, buffed to perfection, but totally soulless. A nice picture doesn’t do anything to gain someone’s trust, because anything can look perfect given enough time to frame it that way. Consumers are less interested in perfection and more invested in the truth.
A like means nothing if it doesn’t convert. A follow is meaningless without an intent to purchase. A viral post is just a moment in time if people don’t remember you a week later.
From likes to saves: shifting the trust indicators
Brands need to be providing their followers with a reason to return to their content time and time again, whether that be because of unique brand lore, an iconic digital landscape, a clear, consistent tone of voice, or high value-exchange content. There needs to be a shift from focusing on the quick validation of a ‘like’ to the implied intent of a ‘save’.
A ‘save’ shows that you’ve created something that people value - it’s not flattery, it’s a sign of intent. It’s your customer telling you, “I trust this content enough to want to come back to it.”
That’s creativity doing its job.
The power of two-way conversations
Restaurant two’s issues speak to a wider problem that brands often fall victim to on social media, in that the dialogue they start is a purely one-way street. Consumers don’t want to be told how great you are, and they don’t want to be spoken at; they want to feel like an active part of the conversation.
That’s why a comment on a social post means very little if you aren’t responding in a way that makes their effort feel reciprocated. If someone has taken the time to ask you a question, or praise you in the comments, it’s essential that you see this as an opportunity to convert that user into a trusted customer.
Creativity beyond the post
You should no longer be looking for a high number of comments as something to demonstrate growth; you should instead be looking at the number of conversations that are being had because of your brand. It’s through these back and forth conversations that you begin to position your brand as something that customers can trust, and one that truly sees their audience rather than one that takes them for granted.
So how can you turn your brand into something that people truly trust and believe in? You show up for your audience. You provide them with content that benefits their lives, you start conversations that convert into healthy customer relationships, and you make every follower an advocate of your brand.
Turning followers into advocates
Once you’ve proven that you can do that, they will show up for you. They will tell their friends and family about you, they will share your content, they will consistently engage with you on a meaningful level, and they will trust you implicitly.
Creativity shouldn’t end once your post goes live; it needs to continue into your community management, as it provides you with an opportunity to shape how your audience reacts towards you as a brand.
Trust takes time
When looking at how to approach your social media in 2026, you shouldn’t be aiming to create fast food, something to be enjoyed in the moment before being immediately forgotten.
You need to be striving to create a restaurant that holds memories and invites you to go back to it over and over again, without having to say a word.
The most successful restaurants don’t rely on gimmicks; they understand their guests, remember their preferences, and earn return visits through experience.
Bon Appétit.
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