Never before has trust capital been so instantly impactful for small businesses! Once upon a time, when business was done in your backyard, you were connected to people who knew someone who… Today, the trust you build in your ongoing marketing and branding stretches far beyond your back yard. That is why it’s so important to stay consistent with your message and keep communicating, even when you think no one is listening. Here are 8 ways to consistently build trust to market your business.
Consistently build trust to market your business with these 8 strategies! Click To Tweet
But First, a story…
First, I wanted to share this entertaining experience I had today when ‘shopping’ online.
Even if you don’t shop online (yet), I’m sure you’ve had the experience of going to a favorite store and while browsing, you put things in the shopping cart with an intent to purchase. But as you shop and let those items simmer in your cart, you rethink it at checkout and let them go before you buy.
And if you’re like me, this is a COMMON occurrence.
I do it at grocery stores, at Walmart, while clothes shopping, well, almost every time I shop. And honestly, no cashier ever questions my last minute decisions about items. I may hear the occasional ‘Are you sure?’ at TJ Maxx, but not often. Typically, the cashier kindly places the unloved item aside to deal with after I leave the store.
But when someone does this online, merchants call this ‘shopping cart abandonment’ – as in: “Whoa Cena you’re a baaaad shopper. You briefly loved something, yet abandoned it! Now the item, helpless and orphaned, waits somewhere in the cloud with no one to love it…SHAME!” And, data shows that not only does this happen a lot, but they have proof enough that gentle reminders to online shoppers about abandoned purchases can increase sales by nearly 50%.
In other words, merchants figure you’re a ripe buyer if you browse online and put items in your cart. And because you’re on the internet, they assume the reason you didn’t purchase was because you were interrupted with something more important.
Why this matters
So, here’s why this is important for me and may be important for you too.
I did it again today. I was browsing on a clothing site I frequent. And as is my MO, I plopped stuff in my cart so I could look at it later. And, because I’m a Hopper, I hopped away to another shiny object. The browser was still open, but within about 20 minutes I received an email titled ‘Your savings are waiting…‘ – So, of course, I opened it and here’s what it read:
You were probably just about to finish your order and then the phone rang, or the kitchen timer went off, or your neighbor leapt naked into your lap, or you were abducted by aliens.
In any event, now you can return to the most important task of the day. Retrieve the [5 items I tagged in my cart listed by name and color] to complete your order now.
If there’s anything else we can do to help, don’t hesitate to
reply to this email or call ### (Mon-Fri: 8-6 PT).
All the best, Betabrand
P.S. Did you have a change of heart?
If so, may we recommend [4 different items listed by name and color]?
And, although I didn’t buy those items (yet), I laughed out loud and reminded myself of another reason I love this brand… It has a personality that I relate to! (Go back and check past newsletters… you’ll see what I mean!) And, that my friends is one of the biggest reasons why I go back, again and again, to shop there. They have a brand and products I love, so I have no problem paying more for their stuff. I go back because I’m emotionally hooked. They’ve delivered on their promises, I love their stuff and it’s easy and convenient to find what I want. They’re socially conscious, and I get what I pay for.
How Marketing Builds Trust
As a business owner, this experience reminded me of many things that I sometimes forget. And as a coach who works with many micro, solo and small business clients who struggle with marketing and sales, I thought these reminders could help you too.
1. In KLT – Trust is the deciding factor
You are marketing your business all the time. And, people do business with those they know, like and trust. Trust is actually the deciding factor on most people’s purchase decision. So, everything you do gives potential clients information about you that brings them closer into your circle. When someone trusts you, they refer you to others.
2. Niche language lands with your ideal clients
Not everyone is your client, but when you know your niche and send crystal clear, consistent messages to them about your products and services (marketing content), those messages resonate and that vibration gets louder and more powerful each time you communicate. And depending on what you’re selling, your ideal client may be lurking, watching and noticing you for a long time. For instance, my typical client spends between 9 and 18 months checking me out before they say yes. So, it is critical to continue to communicate with your client in your own, very special way to be heard above all the noise and remembered when they’re ready to say yes.
3. Making an offer gives people the opportunity to say yes
If you never make offers, people who need you can never say yes! Therefore it is your DUTY to have sales conversations with your clients! If you avoid selling (for whatever reason) you make no offers. And, when you make no offers, you NEVER give people who need you the opportunity to say yes! So, your sales conversation is the gateway they desperately need to move from where they are now, to a desired future or ‘after’. Your offer allows those who need you to hope, heal and succeed.
4. Marketing is emotional, not logical… keep on going
Buying is an emotional, not logical decision. In order to sell effectively, you must fix in your mind that everyone buys emotionally then rationalizes the purchase with logical reasons for their action. So your marketing messages need to emotionally connect with your ideal clients and be consistent to build trust over time. The difficulty is in the waiting.
5. People say yes because they see their solution through you
The Top 6 buying motivators are the real reasons people buy. And they are the key to closing more client sales because everyone wants to:
- Save money
- Avoid loss
- Make things easier/save time
- Feel safe and secure
- Be a part of something
- Feel good about what they do.
So whenever you can, weave these buying motivators into your marketing messages to remind clients of the payoffs for their investment with you.
6. Consistent marketing allows you to package richer offers and retain client loyalty
Even if they don’t want what they originally came to you for, they may want something else. So create additional offers (up-sells) and provide opportunities to your current clients later at regular intervals.
7. Follow-up, follow up, follow-up, and then – follow-up
Follow-up is a key skill required to keep you in business! With a trusted follow-up process and system in place, you can increase your close rate by upwards of 50%. So check to see that your follow up system is working, and continue to follow up after the first opportunity, because circumstances change and energy expands.
8. Share your sense of humor to connect with your ideal clients
Humor makes everything better. So even when it feels tough, just relax a little, laugh more, open the windows and turn the music up!
Conclusion
So, to wrap up, marketing is something you do always. It is the long game of how you communicate with your ideal clients. The more marketing you do, and the more consistent your message, the easier it will be for people to identify with you and remember you. Marketing is a full time job and should be happening all the time. And building trust comes not only from delivering the goods to clients, but in how you handle each situation. So, keep on keeping on, use humor, transparency and follow up. The 8 when you’re building trust with your clients
If you’re trying to figure out how to make all this stuff work for your business, let’s talk. A complimentary Discovery Call provides us with an opportunity to get to know each other a little better and may be just the gateway you need to figure out your next steps toward making more money, saving your precious time and avoiding the untold delays and breakdowns of trying to do it all yourself!