Marketing is all about creating and fostering relationships
with your prospects and your clients. A big part of
achieving this is that people need to know, like and trust
you before they'll engage in a relationship with you or do
any business with you.
Before a person will commit to making a purchase from you,
they need to trust that your products and services will do
what you say they are supposed to. Also, if you want to
keep your profitable clients, they have to continue to
trust that you'll deliver on your promises.
Trust is the basis of any relationship, be it personal or
strictly business. Take a look at the following ways that
you can build trust and credibility into your small
business marketing strategies:
1. Provide examples
Give lots of case studies and examples that outline how
you've helped clients and the difference it has made in
their business and their life.
Real examples are much more powerful and credible than
simply making claims about your service or products.
2. Seek out referrals
We all ask our friends and colleagues to recommend good
places to eat or a reliable plumber, because we trust the
opinions of people we know.
It's the same for your business; actively seek out
referrals from satisfied customers. Implementing a
marketing system to generate referrals is one of the most
overlooked marketing tactics for small businesses.
3. Get testimonials People always pay more attention to
what others have to say about you than any claims you make
about yourself and your business. Make it easy for your
customers to provide testimonials. Create some marketing
systems to facilitate this and then use the testimonials in
all your marketing tactics: website, sales pages, direct
mail, email communications, brochures and so on.
4. Offer guarantees
None of us like "buyer's remorse" and providing a guarantee
of service or results of your products and services will go
a long way to help alleviate any concerns people have in
handing over money to you.
Make sure you act promptly and with no hassles when you
have to fulfill your guarantee. Keeping your word is a
huge part of building trust with people.
5. Share your contact information
Nothing raises a red flag more with me than when I cannot
find a business's contact details - address, phone number,
fax, email address, website, name of their assistant,
customer service number, etc.
By listing your contact information on all your marketing
materials, you go a long way in showing people you exist,
you are a real legitimate business and you're available if
they have any concerns or questions.
6. Write articles
Write and submit articles to establish yourself as an
expert and to help build a reputation that shows you know
what you're talking about, you're willing to share your
expertise, and you're "here to stay" - all components
towards building trust.
7. Stay in touch
Regular and consistent contact with people helps facilitate
trust - they know you're around and interested.
Contact your prospects and clients regularly (via email,
phone call, card, etc.) to get feedback, follow up, and
provide useful tips.
8. Be a resource
Provide information that is timely and helpful to your
prospects and clients. Post articles on your website, send
them an applicable, interesting report or magazine
clipping, forward an email with details about a great
teleseminar or workshop they might benefit from.
9. Let your personality come through
People do business with people, not companies. Help
prospects trust you by letting them get to know you. Share
your personality and passion in your marketing strategies
and communications - for instance, have a picture of
yourself on your website, share some tidbits about your
personal life (hobbies, likes & dislikes, pets) and don't
be afraid to express opinions in your writing.
Take a look at your day-to-day marketing tactic and
determine if you are doing all you can to build trust with
your prospective and current clients.
If not, try incorporating a couple of the suggestions above
and once they're running smoothly and are part of your
marketing system, then add a couple more. Keep doing this
and you'll be rewarded with long lasting, rewarding and
profitable relationships with many people.
----------------------------------------------------
Jody Gabourie, The Small Business Marketing Coach, delivers
simple, innovative and powerful marketing strategies to
help business owners find and keep their most profitable
clients. To learn more about how she can help you take your
business to the next level, and to sign up for her FREE
special report, ezine and articles, visit her site at
http://www.JodyGabourieMarketingCoach.com
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