--- title: Why Authenticity Is the Path to Digital Trust description: What are the digital tells that communicate whether a brand is trustworthy or not? Online users look first and foremost for signals of authenticity. image: https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/authenticity-1.jpg --- [![Trust Signals Trademark](https://www.trustsignals.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Trust%20Signals%20Trademark.png?width=300&height=82&name=Trust%20Signals%20Trademark.png) ](https://www.trustsignals.com/) - [About](https://www.trustsignals.com/about) - [Book](https://book.trustsignals.com) - [Blog](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog) - [Rankings](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/tag/rankings) - [Contact](https://www.trustsignals.com/contact) [ << Back to Blog ](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog) [Trust Research & Analysis](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/tag/trust-research-analysis) # Why Authenticity Is the Path to Digital Trust ![Image of Kirby Wadsworth](https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Kirby.jpg) ###### Kirby Wadsworth **Published:** Dec 14, 2021 ###### Share [mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/why-authenticity-is-the-path-to-digital-trust%20&body=Check%20out%20https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/why-authenticity-is-the-path-to-digital-trust&media=https://f.hubspotusercontent30.net/hubfs/7507638/authenticity-1.jpg](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/why-authenticity-is-the-path-to-digital-trust%20&body=Check%20out%20https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/why-authenticity-is-the-path-to-digital-trust&media=https://f.hubspotusercontent30.net/hubfs/7507638/authenticity-1.jpg) In the physical world, we have an innate sense when someone is lying. Parents know this all too well. We don’t need proof Junior is fibbing; we know he’s skipped school well before the headmaster calls. In fact, non-verbal conversation starts well before words escape our mouths. Spies, professional interrogators, and law enforcement personnel all train to read suspect behavior—hiding the mouth or eyes, licking lips, weight shifting, even swallowing—unconscious and instantaneous actions triggered by the dishonest *thought *that precedes a dishonest word. In the digital world, we lack these physical tells, but we’ve adapted quickly to develop an innate sense when an online conversation is disingenuous. How do we "just know" that the Nigerian prince isn’t going to send us a windfall of cash? Certainly, experience and herd immunity come into play, but is there more to our growing digital trust meter? The Four Characteristics of Trust ![competence](https://www.trustsignals.com/hs-fs/hubfs/competence.jpg?width=1400&name=competence.jpg) In our book, [Recommend This!](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118836693), Jason Thibeault and I postulated that maintaining authenticity was paramount to building trust online. First let’s explore the concept of trust itself. According to trust researcher [Piotr Sztompka](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piotr_Sztompka), four primary characteristics embody trust: 1. **Reputation** – reflections of the trustee’s past actions and conduct 2. **Performance** – do the trustee’s present actions align with the expectations of the trustor? 3. **Confidence** – the assurance of expectation the trustor has in the trustee 4. **Competence** – does the trustee have the knowledge, skills, and attitude required to meet the expectations of the trustor? ## Establishing Authenticity in the Digital World ![consistency](https://www.trustsignals.com/hs-fs/hubfs/consistency.jpg?width=1000&name=consistency.jpg) In the digital world, we can build a lasting trust bond with our audience by establishing authenticity in these characteristics of our digital interactions: - **Truth** - be honest and fair in our presentation of our capabilities, use cases, and value propositions - **Personality** – be personable in your digital engagement. Leverage video to put a face on our story. Look our audience in the digital eye - **Expertise** - [offer thought leadership](https://www.ideagrove.com/approach/thought-leadership), freely share expertise without compensation. Be helpful. - **Consistency** – voice, tone, style—every touchpoint must be consistent. Our performance much match expectations, always. ## Managing Your Reputation with Transparency ![reputation](https://www.trustsignals.com/hs-fs/hubfs/reputation.jpg?width=1000&name=reputation.jpg) Here are four keys to [reputation management](https://www.ideagrove.com/approach/reputation-management) in the digital world: - Confess your sins – modest honesty is sadly missing online today, as[ Mr. Garg at Better.com](https://techcrunch.com/2021/12/10/better-com-ceo-vishal-garg-steps-back-as-employees-detail-how-he-led-by-fear/) just reminded us. When you step in it, admit it, in public. And share your plan for improving performance next time. - Be clear about your intentions – bait and switch never worked, but online it will get you creamed quick. - Transparency, transparency, transparency - Let the warts show and [let the team show](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/want-your-website-visitors-to-trust-you-show-them-your-team). Your audience wants to have a relationship with your brand, which means having a relationship with the people behind your brand. - Don’t wait for the right opportunity. Build trust in every interaction, every click. Catch your audience off-guard with your forthrightness and "active honesty." Never take your eye off the digital relationship ball. Any inconsistency, any sniff of game-playing or dishonesty will sever your digital relationship. And, unlike Junior who will get a chance to beg Mom and Dad for forgiveness for his fib, you’ll have little chance of building a trust bond with that audience member in the future. [![Ready to make your brand more visible and trustworthy to both human buyers and AI systems?](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/7507638/interactive-153859540751.png) ](https://cta-service-cms2.hubspot.com/web-interactives/public/v1/track/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLLICw8PcBcsYLk6IU86PbUJVD4ht0ARlOHe5qwlBTbNVhg9HY8LTg8DdECQ2XlW4vycH4chdyZQHjjTFKxXdLRTxZWpkBLwu6RN4A9rVuBksXRMsSWl26aqBL6a%2FT8%2F3AroNkKaaV8J1AL2s7ePK%2BVQSZkEI4r7aWgaRKnv56Au6GqVfN5Vbw%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=153859540751&portalId=7507638) ![Image of Kirby Wadsworth](https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Kirby.jpg) #### Kirby Wadsworth Kirby Wadsworth is CMO of [ionir](https://ionir.com/), a Kubernetes data services platform. Kirby has more than two decades of marketing leadership in both publicly traded large enterprises and emerging startups. As a founder and early venture executive with several successful exits, Kirby helped pioneer the cloud storage, continuous data protection, and file virtualization industries. Prior to ionir, Kirby served as CMO at Illusive, Bayshore, Mendix, Limelight Networks, and as vice president of global marketing at F5 Networks. Kirby earned an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University, and a BS in information technology at Northeastern University. ###### Blog posts ## Related Articles [Trust in a Post-Truth World](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/tag/trust-in-a-post-truth-world) ![Image of Emmanuel Probst](https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Emmanuel%20Probst%20Brand%20Hacks.jpg) ##### Emmanuel Probst ### [Six Types of Authenticity That Build Brand Trust](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/brand-hacks-authenticity-and-brand-trust) Note: Emmanuel Probst is global lead, brand thought-leadership at Ipsos and an adjunct at the... [ Read more ](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/brand-hacks-authenticity-and-brand-trust) [Reputation Management](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/tag/reputation-management) ![Image of Jenna Bunnell](https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Jenna%20Dialpad.jpeg) ##### Jenna Bunnell ### [Cause Marketing 101: How to Use It To Build Brand Trust](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/cause-marketing-101-how-to-use-it-to-build-brand-trust) Cause marketing is the latest addition to the digital marketing menu. Brands looking to build... [ Read more ](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/cause-marketing-101-how-to-use-it-to-build-brand-trust) [![Trust Signals, a Registered Trademark of Idea Grove LLC](https://www.trustsignals.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Trust%20Signals%2c%20a%20Registered%20Trademark%20of%20Idea%20Grove%20LLC.png?width=300&height=82&name=Trust%20Signals%2c%20a%20Registered%20Trademark%20of%20Idea%20Grove%20LLC.png) ](https://www.trustsignals.com/?hsLang=en) - [Latest Articles](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog) - [Must-Reads](https://www.trustsignals.com/must-reads) - [Contact](https://www.trustsignals.com/contact) [Privacy Policy](https://www.ideagrove.com/privacy-policy/)  |  [Terms of Use](https://www.ideagrove.com/terms-of-use)  |  All Rights Reserved. © 2024 Idea Grove LLC [Follow us on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/trust-signals) [Follow us on Twitter ](https://twitter.com/Trust_Signals) [Follow us on Instagram ](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAZE-jawJu0kizmRKCb7A0w) [Follow us on Quora ](https://www.quora.com/profile/Scott-Baradell) [Idea Grove Website ](https://www.ideagrove.com/) [Follow us on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/DallasSEO/) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Kirby Wadsworth", "url" : "https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/author/kirby-wadsworth" }, "dateModified" : "2021-12-14T15:52:35.054Z", "datePublished" : "2021-12-14T15:29:40.000Z", "headline" : "Why Authenticity Is the Path to Digital Trust", "image" : [ "https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/authenticity-1.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/why-authenticity-is-the-path-to-digital-trust", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Trust%20Signals%20-%20Phase%201%20Redesign/trust-signals-logo-1.svg" }, "name" : "Media Orchard LLC" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "Organization", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "US", "addressLocality" : "Dallas", "addressRegion" : "TX" }, "alternateName" : [ "TrustSignals", "Trust Signals Marketing" ], "description" : "Trust Signals is a B2B PR and AI visibility agency founded by Scott Baradell, creator of the Trust Signals® framework. 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