If you’ve been around the marketing block, you know that a basic fundamental principle of marketing is to get people to know, like and trust you.
Do this well, and you’ll convert prospective people into clients, and build a community of raving fans, affiliates and customers who refer you, buy from you and champion you regularly.
But what does “know, like and trust” really mean? Let’s break it down one by one.
I KNOW YOU:
This is where it starts. This step is all about visibility.
Before you can even think about selling to someone, they first need to know you exist. You need to be on their radar.
Seems straightforward, but for many entrepreneurs, getting visible is one of their primary challenges.
Are you the world’s best kept secret?
Sounds alluring, but I bet it’s not so hot for your bottom line.
We’ll save the specifics on how to build meaningful relationships and raving fans for another post, but start with this. If you don’t have a community – build one. There are a million ways to do this – even for the introverts out there. Here are a few ideas:
- Attend targeted networking events (notice the word “targeted” – you need to be strategic – are your “people” even attending?)
- Jump onto online forums and start conversations
- Comment on blog posts that a) complement your business message, b) attract your target market as readers and c) are written by people you’d like to cultivate relationships with for possible JV’s (joint ventures) etc.
- Create a killer opt-in on your website so you start converting web visitors into subscribers and then start talking to them
- Blog regularly – takes some time, but it’s a great way to build visibility
- Speak at a local event
- Turn online connections into real life connections. Hold or attend a Tweet-Up in your city.
I LIKE YOU:
Ok, so now they know you exist. But do they like you?
Hear me loud and clear on this one – the goal is NOT to get everyone to like you. If you do, chances are good your message is weak. If everyone likes you, then you’re trying to market to everyone – which is basically like marketing to no one. You need to know EXACTLY who you are speaking to every time you sit down to write. Write to just one person – not everyone.
Dave Navarro, the Launch Coach (and a must-read if you’re going pro) calls this polarization. Basically, it’s the idea that the most effective personality-based brands create polarization – people either love them or hate them. The people that love them, REALLY, really love them. And the people that hate them, well, who cares – they were never the right fit anyway.
Would you rather people LOVE you (with a few people who aren’t such big fans) then have a bunch of people who just think you’re ok?
To get them to love you – there’s just one thing you need to do.
Be yourself.
That’s really it.
Yes, there are a bunch of other things you can do to support that and make it work for you, but it really comes down to being the most authentic you. It’s about creating a powerful personal brand that gets remembered – and that only happens when we are 100% true to who we are.
I TRUST YOU:
People buy from people they trust.
And getting someone to trust you is more than just knowing you and liking you. Those are critical first steps in the equation – but if you really want to create a business where people buy from you again and again, you need them to trust you implicitly.
This comes down to the basic principles of a great brand:
- Consistency – be consistent with everything you do. Your users/subscribers/visitors/prospectives should have a similar experience with you every single time (think Starbucks)
- Congruency – make it all work together. If your website is pink, frilly and girly but in person you’re uber-conservative, people are going to say, “WTF? This doesn’t make sense – I don’t trust this.”
- Clarity – when people meet you (in-person, online etc.) they should immediately get a sense of what you’re all about and what business you’re in. If not, you’ll lose them fast.
- Communicate – this goes back to the “know” factor. You have to communicate, communicate, communicate. Don’t worry about the word “marketing” if this makes you uneasy (although it shouldn’t). Just focus on letting people know what you do. Strive to find at least 1-3 people a day that you can tell about your business.
- Compelling – make your message really interesting, informative and inspiring and you’re gold
- Constant – you can’t build the know, like and trust factor if you are around one minute and gone the next. Strive for regular, ongoing communication vs. short bursts. If your message is valuable, it’s not spamming.
Take a good, hard look at how you’re building your know, like and trust factor. This is a foundational piece that has to be working for you if you want to take your business to the next level.
Would love to hear your comments below (if you’re having trouble accessing the comment box – just click on the title of this post and it’ll take you to a page where you can comment. Still fixing a few technology glitches from my #epictechnologyfail).
Steph
