Not among people. But between the interaction of people and organizations. I’m not talking about the employer-employee relationship here. That’s secondary. The trust between a brand and people.
Thanks to the past 30 years of cultural conditioning, we know there is going to be some caveat during our interaction with any business entity. Have you come across an enticing ad for a restaurant and thought, “wait, 50% off? There must be a catch.”
In such a scenario, how do we find what works?
One way is to think in terms of opposites.
When do people blindly trust? When your friend recommends a restaurant, you’re more likely to visit it than by looking at its local ad. Same scenario in job hunting. If someone whom you know, recommends a job, you are more likely to consider it as an option. Even if you have to compromise on some aspects. Word of mouth is still powerful. No wonder Yelp and others have made a business out of it.
In any case, this is important for two reasons. One, having funds for digital marketing is not going to solve your problems. Two, you have to treat your customers, employees, beneficiaries, and anyone in a manner where they will advocate for you.
We have to ask ourselves, will this person recommend me or my business to his/her friends? Not an online review. To their friends. If the answer is not a confident “yes”, then we need to start working on converting it into one. Not for everyone, but most of them. It is impossible to please everyone.