5 Ways to Build Trust in Your Print-on-Demand Business
Any long-term relationship a company will have with its customers must be based on trust. So, besides providing quality services, what can you do to build trust in your print-on-demand (POD) business?
As a business rated as one of the world’s most trusted brands (Global RepTrak rankings), construction-toy giant LEGO is an inspiring example you can learn from. Their substantial fan base (over 14M followers on Facebook alone) and the strength of their market position show they must be doing something right.
In this article, we’ll list 5 ways to build trust among current and potential customers, and explore what lessons the LEGO Group can offer to a print-on-demand entrepreneur.
Key takeaways
To inspire trust in your print-on-demand business...
- Capitalize on your core strength to make it memorable
- Instruct and educate your customers
- Be consistent with your messaging across all communication channels
- Leverage the information you gather when communicating with your audience
- Simplify processes, instructions, and messages for maximum clarity
1. Build value around your strong point to foster trust
Why?
When you think “affordable furniture” or “energy drink”, which brands come to your mind? You know that a brand is well established in the market when it’s recognized in the public mind as a go-to solution to a certain need. And brands tend to reach this cherished position by promoting a particular selling point.
How LEGO does it
LEGO quickly gained an enviable market share after producing its first plastic bricks in 1949. Their secret? Quality. Insisting on carefully sourced materials and stringent manufacturing standards helped them stand out. An early value statement was “only the best is good enough” – and this motto is still in use today.
Apply it to your business
Identify and capitalize on one thing your company does better than the competition. Do you have better materials? Faster shipping? Free delivery? Say it. Repeat it. Associate this selling point with your business in the public mind, so they become synonyms in the market.
2. Educate users to build trust in your business
Why?
People may not see how exactly they can benefit from your products. Your challenge as a business is to show consumers why your product is right for them. Showing them examples of a certain item in use will help them visualize a product that appeals to them.
How LEGO does it
LEGO creates tutorials showcasing techniques for users to build their own custom projects. Their sets also come with detailed instructions and use cases.
Apply it to your business
One advantage of the print-on-demand industry is that you can showcase your products with an unlimited range of prints. Advertise your products featuring amazing designs and show potential buyers just what you can do.
3. Be consistent with your message to build trust
Why?
Your mission should be reflected in everything you do and say. For example, if you claim to foster creativity, the content you share on social media should be engaging and innovative.
How LEGO does it
LEGO’s mission is to “inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow”. (Note that the company didn’t limit their message to children.) This mission is reflected in the products the business creates, its messages, its corporate culture (right down to office decor choices), and the donations it makes. Such a consistent corporate identity inspires trust by reinforcing what the company stands for.
Apply it to your business
Make your messaging clear to your staff. Repeat it until it becomes part of your culture. Once this reinforcement has become second nature to your employees, it will also come through in their interactions with customers.
If you sell custom mugs with witty quotes, you can develop a message based on the importance of positivity and motivation when facing the daily grind. Promote personalized mugs featuring messages like “brighten someone’s day”; reinforce the message in your visual library, with pictures of smiling faces in office/home environments and a warm color scheme; publish content promoting wellbeing tips.
4. Communicate more with customers
Why?
Communication involves more than just putting out messaging aimed at your market sector. Actively listening to what your target audience is saying is vital too, because it can help shape your campaigns in response to audience priorities.
How LEGO does it
LEGO has an entire platform for their customers to share the models they create. The company engages in direct communication, running contests for the best customer submissions and considering the winners for future product sets.
Apply it to your business
Your options are unlimited. One idea is organizing contests for your customers, inviting them to share their unique designs, and giving rewards for the highest-rated items. Besides attracting more traffic to your social media accounts, contests tend to bring out people’s opinions on product styles, colors, designs, etc. You can then put those insights to good use when revamping your campaigns or expanding your product catalog.
5. Simplify processes to build trust in your print-on-demand business
Why?
You know that great feeling right after you’ve cleaned and tidied up? What if your customers felt the same way about your website and communication? Simplicity equals clarity.
How LEGO does it
Simplicity is one of LEGO’s key principles, along with durability and safety. It comes through in their concepts, designs, and messages. Most of LEGO’s customers are children, so it makes even more sense for them to keep their main product as simple and intuitive as possible.
Apply it to your business
Do you state exactly what you do, why you do it, and how? That’s a great step in positioning your business as a reliable print-on-demand store. Ambiguity has the opposite effect. To ensure that the message you want to convey gets across to your intended audience, keep it short and simple.
A few questions to ask yourself are:
- Is ordering from your store simple enough?
- Are there any redundant steps that you can eliminate?
- Is your return policy clear?
Customers love simplicity. That’s why clear product descriptions, a short list of benefits, and smooth processes are key to moving prospects along the sales funnel. If you’re not sure how well you’re doing in this area, a fresh view can help spot potential weak links. Pick the brain of a fresh staff member or friend for an honest review. Employee surveys can also be very effective in identifying roadblocks.
Need more inspiration? Why don’t you browse our product catalog to find products that your niche will love?
Summing up
LEGO is a powerful brand that’s managed to maintain an impressive reputation as a trustworthy business. Factors contributing to their success include extensively promoting one main message and keeping things simple. The good news is that you can apply similar principles to build trust in your print-on-demand business.
