May 11, 2025

Impact of previous negative experiences on messaging perception: repairing trust you did not break

Imagine this:

Your customers open their phones. And here it is – yet another message they didn’t ask for. Loud, irrelevant, pushy. Their faces tighten. Maybe they angrily swipe left, delete, block, unsubscribe.

But here’s the twist – that annoying message wasn’t even from you. Still, it matters.

Because now, before your brand even speaks, the conversation may already be poisoned. Your message arrives in a world already saturated and messaging perception is already negative. How not to get lost in the noise created by others? Let’s talk about it today.

The invisible debt of bad experiences

Every spammy SMS, every misleading push notification, every irrelevant email someone else sent – all that negativity doesn’t just disappear. It sticks. It builds up. It changes behavior. Customers don’t separate “good brands” from “bad brands” in real time. They judge the next thing in their inbox based on the emotional residue from the last dozen junk messages they endured. By the time your carefully crafted, valuable, respectful message arrives, you’re stepping onto a battlefield you didn’t create, but must navigate.

When we craft communication strategies, we often imagine a blank slate: a rational customer, ready to listen. Reality check: that blank slate doesn’t exist – every message you send has to overcome skepticism, fatigue, even hostility. Every message is a chance to either build trust – or deepen distrust you didn’t cause but have to own nonetheless.

This is the real starting point for modern messaging, – your first job is not to inform or persuade. Your first job is to heal.

How to overcome digital pollution

Digital messaging is a crowded party – and most brands show up shouting. The ones who get heard speak softer, listen more, and bring something thoughtful to share.  

• Assume distrust, then reverse it

By default, expect that customers are skeptical. Don’t waste their time convincing them you’re great – prove it. Be radically relevant. Be visibly respectful. They’ll notice.

• Send like a guest, not like an intruder

You’re walking into their personal space (their phone, their inbox). Act accordingly. Bring a gift (value). Take your shoes off (low-pressure tone). Say “Thank you” (gratitude for their attention).

• Communicate with empathy, not just strategic intent

Effective messaging today isn’t about pushing offers – it’s about demonstrating understanding and value. A thoughtful message doesn’t demand attention, it respects the reader’s time and context. Empathy isn’t the opposite of strategy, it’s what makes strategy work.

• Choose the right channel, for the right reason

Not every message deserves to be a push notification. Not every update should interrupt their day.

Channel is part of the message. Push, SMS, email, messenger – each carries different weight, different expectations, different levels of intimacy. Use the most respectful channel that matches the urgency and value of what you offer.

If it’s important and urgent, and they asked for it – use SMS or messengers (WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram). 

If 100% delivery is obligatory – implement Cascade messaging. 

If your customers seek rich multimedia and convenience – deal with RCS.

If it’s useful, long read but non-urgent – maybe it belongs in an email or social networks.  

If it’s optional or exploratory – perhaps it’s better left for when they seek you out.

Choosing a gentle channel when possible softens the emotional climate and shows that you understand boundaries. Wrong channel = wrong tone, even if your words are perfect.

• Design the easiest exit

Paradoxically, the more freedom customers feel, the longer they stay. Put “unsubscribe” links upfront. Allow preference management. Celebrate their autonomy.

When people choose to allow you in instead of being trapped – loyalty flourishes naturally.

• Make every message 100% worth their time

Would you interrupt someone’s day to say this if it were a real, face-to-face conversation? If not, don’t send it digitally either.

The new messaging mantra: Worth it or silent.

How to maintain customer trust and loyalty

Winning a click is one thing. Earning long-term trust? Different game entirely. You can’t automate loyalty. You have to understand when to engage, when to pause, and how to speak with transparency, not tactics.  

Here’s how not just to keep sending, but to keep mattering.

From personalization to emotional overload – the rise of messaging fatigue

Most communication strategies today hinge on relevance – sending the right message, at the right time, via the right channel. Yet we’re overlooking a rising, quieter tide: cognitive fatigue.

Consumers are not just ignoring irrelevant emails, they’re overwhelmed even by the relevant ones.

Forced to constantly triage dozens of notifications, emotionally-tinged ads, and algorithm-fueled nudges, users aren’t just tuning out, – they’re burning out. For some, the inbox or push center is no longer a communication channel. It is a battlefield of attention.

What to do:

• Embrace “Digital rest periods”. Let users opt into communication silence for a period (a ‘Do Not Disturb for Marketing’ toggle), signaling a respect for their boundaries.
• Lean on less: Rethink not just frequency – but presence. Every message asks for emotional energy. Only say something when you can deliver value without depletion.

Transparency as an active trust-builder –  why are you messaging?

Personalization is no longer enough. Modern users want not only predictive relevance – they want to understand why they’re being targeted.

Try a simple mechanism: open your message with radical transparency.

“You received this because you paused your cart but didn’t check out within 24 hours. We thought you might still be interested.”

“You’re a frequent traveler, so we’re tailoring our tips to maximize your next trip.”

This approach shifts the dynamic. Instead of assuming relevance, you show your algorithm’s thinking process. You bring the user inside the machine. When users feel in control as co-pilots, not targets and trust follows.

Adaptive communication rhythms & emotional syncing

Most solutions operate on static campaigns driven by triggers or calendar dates. But what if we upgraded that to emotional synchronicity?

Brands today know a customer’s recency and frequency but rarely their mood.

Start small: Use soft signals. Interaction times, session lengths, sentiment from surveys, and even inactivity can offer clues about emotional readiness.

Brands that “match the tempo” of their users, rather than bulldozing through predefined strategies, create less friction and more resonance.

Communicate an outcome and value, not features or price

Straight selling is transactional – value selling is transformational. When you focus only on specs, you’re one in a million. But when you sell the feeling – the solved problem, the better life – you’re unforgettable. A sofa is just furniture. But what about a cozy movie night with family? That’s value. And value sells. Every time.

A drill is just a tool. Nobody wants a drill, but people want holes in the wall and a shelf that’s up in 5 minutes. That’s outcome. And outcome convinces. Every time.