People Trust People More Than Brands - And That Gap Is Growing

Why Personal Recommendations Are Reshaping Business Growth Worldwide

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Consumers worldwide are placing greater trust in personal recommendations than in brands or advertising, reinforcing a growing shift in how purchasing decisions are made and how businesses must now earn credibility.

As audiences become more sceptical of advertising and increasingly overwhelmed by digital noise, trust is moving away from brand messaging and toward recommendations from people they know.

"People don't wake up trusting ads," said Justin Herald, founder of ReferUs Network. "They trust people. That gap between brand promises and human recommendation has never been wider."

Marketing analysts note a decline in engagement with digital advertising and rising costs across major platforms, making it increasingly challenging for businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, to achieve sustainable growth through paid marketing alone.

In contrast, referrals from customers, colleagues, friends, and family continue to deliver higher-quality leads and stronger long-term relationships.

"What we're seeing is a shift from persuasion to proof," Herald said. "A recommendation from someone you trust is proof. Advertising is just a promise."

Herald said the idea for ReferUs emerged from years of working with businesses that consistently identified referrals as their strongest growth channel, yet had little visibility over how many referrals were lost or never followed through.

"Most people intend to refer a business after a great experience," he said. "But life gets busy. Without a simple system, those referrals disappear."

Platforms designed to support referral activity are helping businesses adapt to this trust-driven environment by reducing friction and making referrals easier to act on in the moment.

As trust becomes a defining currency in the global economy, businesses that prioritise customer experience and make referrals effortless are expected to outperform those relying solely on paid exposure.

"Trust isn't built by shouting louder," Herald said. "It's built by being worth talking about."

Media Contact
Justin Herald
Email: justin@ReferUsNetwork.com
www.ReferUsNetwork.com

PO Box 314
Pacific Fair
QLD, 4218

ReferUsNetwork is a global referral platform designed to help businesses capture, track, and manage word-of-mouth referrals in a simple, structured way.

Founded on the belief that personal recommendations are one of the most powerful drivers of trust and business growth, ReferUs addresses a common problem faced by businesses worldwide: referrals are often intended but forgotten, poorly tracked, or lost altogether.

ReferUs provides businesses with a system that allows customers, fans, and professional contacts to refer in the moment, while giving businesses visibility over where referrals come from, who sent them, and what outcomes they generate. Referrers are kept informed throughout the process, helping maintain trust and transparency on all sides.

The platform is used across a wide range of industries, including professional services, real estate, health and wellness, trades, and retail, supporting businesses of all sizes that rely on reputation and trust to grow.

ReferUs operates internationally and is focused on helping businesses reduce reliance on traditional advertising by turning everyday recommendations into a measurable and manageable growth channel.

This release was published on openPR.