How to create content that builds trust and strengthens your brand
It’s been a testing few years for brands. Accelerated by the pandemic and sustained by hybrid working, algorithm-driven feeds and generative AI, whole populations now spend more time online and consume more content than at any point in history.
And with that shift has come something just as significant: a heightened sensitivity to what brands say, how they say it, and why they’re saying it at all.
Today’s audiences are savvier, more sceptical and quicker to disengage. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, trust in brands is increasingly shaped by perceived honesty, relevance and social awareness, not just product quality. Content now plays a central role in how that trust is earned or eroded.
The impact of recent global, economic and cultural shifts on brand communication has been enormous. Brands once known for their irreverence have had to reassess their tone, while more traditionally conservative organisations have injected warmth, humanity, or even humour to feel more relatable. But it remains a delicate balancing act… because one misjudged piece of content can undo years of brand-building work.
It all starts with ‘the brand’
The ambition for many brands is to be timeless. Think of household names like McDonald's, instantly recognisable through its golden arches, or Dulux with its Old English Sheepdog mascot. Yet even in a digital-first world, building a truly recognisable brand still takes years of consistency and discipline.
At the same time, brands can’t stand still. They must continually evolve to stay culturally relevant, which makes it even more important that marketing content keeps pace without losing its foundations.
Those foundations: tone of voice, visual identity, values, and positioning, should set the parameters for everything you create.
“Content should be an expression of your brand, not a bolt-on.”
It’s unrealistic to expect brands to get their content right 100% of the time. But when they do, it pays off. For example, companies that manage to keep their brand content consistent typically see a 23-33% revenue increase.
Common issues to avoid with your brand's content
According to research, only 8% of retailers feel they've fully mastered omnichannel consistency. So, let’s look at some of the most common content consistency mistakes a brand can make, and how a little more rigour can turn content from a liability into an asset.
‘Hollow’ content
Content marketing has matured. What began as a way to build awareness and generate leads through genuinely useful blogs, social posts and downloadable resources is now an expected baseline. The challenge? Volume.
“The pressure to ‘always be publishing’ hasn’t gone away. If anything, the availability of AI tools has only intensified it...”
We know that 81% of B2B marketers are now using generative AI to help them create or optimise content, but the danger of this is that it can lead to creation for creation’s sake; filling gaps in a content calendar, rather than addressing a real audience need.
The Content Marketing Institute consistently reports that the biggest differentiator between high- and low-performing content teams is not frequency, but audience value.
When content is rushed, the value often disappears at conception stage. It may still look polished and reference a trending topic, but audiences can tell when substance is missing. If they invest time (and sometimes personal data) and get nothing meaningful in return, trust takes a hit.
Before creating anything new, ask what the reader genuinely gains. If it doesn’t deliver at least one of the following, then it’s worth stopping and starting again:
Practical, applicable insight
A new or challenging perspective
Timely, accurate information
Original or underused industry insight.
Unintentionally misleading content
Most marketers don’t set out to mislead. But pressure to hit targets can sometimes result in over-promising; whether that’s overselling a white paper that’s really a sales deck, or exaggerating service availability in a social post.
Even small inaccuracies matter. A CTA linking to the wrong page or a claim that doesn’t quite stack up can make a brand feel careless or disingenuous.
“According to Edelman’s Trust Barometer, perceived dishonesty, even when unintentional, is one of the fastest ways to lose credibility.”
Accuracy, clarity and follow-through are non-negotiable. Your content should always be:
Clear about what’s being offered
Honest about its scope and limitations
Accurate in every detail
Trust is cumulative… and fragile.
Inconsistent content
The purpose of branding is recognition. Your brand’s tone, visual language and messaging are its marketing DNA, and content is where that DNA is most visible day to day.
“If your content suddenly looks, sounds or feels unfamiliar, your brand weakens. Consistency doesn’t mean repetition; it means coherence.”
Brands like Salesforce and HubSpot are strong examples of this in action. Across social, websites, events and long-form assets, you can tell who you’re engaging with almost instantly.
The lesson is simple: don’t leave your content open to interpretation. Across all channels, ensure you’re:
Applying your tone of voice consistently
Using design elements correctly
Choosing topics that feel natural and credible for your brand.
‘Me, me, me’ content
Power has firmly shifted to the audience. Customers now expect brands to understand them, respect their time and contribute something meaningful, not just talk about themselves.
Internally focused content often creeps in unnoticed, fuelled by assumptions rather than evidence. Over time, it can dilute strong messaging or even feel tone-deaf in a broader social context.
The antidote is deep audience understanding. Buyer personas are a good starting point, but they should be grounded in real insight, not guesswork. It’s also worth conducting a regular content “hygiene check” by asking:
Is our tone still appropriate and effective?
Are we meeting genuine audience expectations?
Do our visuals reflect the world our audience lives in today?
Are we aligning with wider societal expectations of brands like ours?
The answers may require recalibration, but think of it as revitalisation, not reinvention.
It’s far better to reset boundaries deliberately than to be forced into damage control by a poorly judged piece of content. In today’s environment, content doesn’t just support your brand; it actively shapes it.
====
