In a world dominated by fake news, trust is more complex to build than ever, creating significant challenges for businesses. Without confidence in your business, there are no customers. A responsive and efficient customer service department is a surefire way to build trust with your existing customers.

But building trust with prospective new customers is a more nuanced affair. To create trustworthiness in your business, start from the top down. The C-Suite visibility and customer engagement factors are critical to the trust infrastructure. Through elements of multimedia storytelling that not only resonate but is credible and believable, C-Suite messengers will advance building bridges toward trust.

Beyond the C-Suite, don't forget those advising decision-makers. Team leads that report to the C-Suite with reams of competitive research, customer insights, and data analytics charged with making recommendations and answering tough questions created by the C-Suite are just as critical to business mission success. Everyone rushing to the feet of the shot-caller while bypassing these folks who regularly interface with them will result in missed opportunities.

Also, be mindful that people are inherently more likely to trust other people faster than they are to trust a business. So, another great way of establishing credibility early on is to be aware that anyone interacting with your brand is potentially a word-of-mouth ambassador "Yelping" the good and the bad experience or quality of your products and services. That is why it's essential to publish quality multimedia content consistently and to review its success, modifying accordingly as the data dictates. Artificial intelligence and machine learning make analyzing your content's performance more accessible than ever, so there is no longer an excuse for taking a 'set it and forget it' approach. AI is an incredible tool; use it to discern and learn, adapting your strategy successfully.