5 Unconventional Ways For Building Trust and Fostering Loyalty with Your Customers
It’s not a news flash that people need to know, like, and trust you before they feel comfortable doing business with you.
That’s a well known fact, but one thing you might not know is that the trust that people have in businesses has decreased dramatically. 📉
In fact, this survey by HubSpot reported that:
55% of people no longer trust the companies they buy from as much as they used to
81% of people trust friends or family advice over advice from a business
71% of people don’t trust ads on social networks
As a business owner myself, those stats honestly make me sad because it simply shows how much business has changed.
What once was used for primarily GOOD in the world has slowly evolved into being something that people question.
But here’s what I know: there are STILL really awesome businesses out there that do good work and truly serve their people.
And I have a feeling yours might be one of them… or you at least want your business to be.
The trust that someone has in you as a business owner or as a brand is one of the most important things you can focus on building and here’s why:
Trust is the faith and confidence that someone has to first follow along with you. Starting out they may engage with your social content, read your blog, or listen to your podcast.
Eventually that trust might turn into subscribing to your email list or downloading your freebie.
From there it might turn into them sending you a DM. And then finally, it can be the very thing that leads to them buying from you.
And after that? They might buy from you again… and again… and again.
Gaining a new customer is one thing, but KEEPING the ones you have is another.
The reason this matters so much is because 80% of your revenue typically comes from 20% of your customers, which means the more trust that people have in you, the more loyal customers you can build overtime.
I know I’m not the first person to preach on building trust in your business, but my hope is that you continue to read this blog post to discover 5 unconventional ways to build trust and foster loyalty with your customers.
These tips go beyond the advice of being transparent and offering good customer service. While those are great and I do believe you need those too, as a consumer, I personally need a little more than that – and I’m willing to bet that your consumers do, too.
5 Ways To Build Trust In Your Online Business
Under-promise and over-deliver
This is one of my all time favorite business lessons that I ever learned.
We all know what it’s like to buy something and receive less than what we hoped for after being promised way more than that.
It’s not a good feeling and after experiencing this myself a time or two, I vowed to never ever over-promise and under-deliver for my clients.
When you promise way more than you can deliver on, resulting in less than a desirable outcome in the eyes of your buyer, you lose their trust within a second.
And it’s extremely hard to gain it back.
The key to avoiding this is simply really: UNDER-promise, but always OVER-deliver.
For example, let’s say your service package includes a set number of deliverables. Your client knows to expect those things, right?
But what they might not expect is a special onboarding package delivered to their doorstep. Or a Loom video giving them feedback versus an email. Or a bonus full of value that’s aligned with what they originally purchased.
The way you over-deliver doesn’t have to look the same for everyone and you get to decide how you do it. Ultimately it’s a mindset that you carry with you in your business every single day to make your customers feel extremely valued and well served.
Walk the walk, don’t just talk the talk
Instagram and other social media platforms make it really easy for people to tell you what you should do.
“Post 3x per day to get more sales.”
“Implement this strategy to skyrocket your business.”
The list goes on. But if you aren’t walking the walk WHILE also talking the talk, people will have a harder time trusting you.
Walking the walk simply means that you do the things that you also advise. You demonstrate what you teach.
For example, let’s say that you’re a nutritionist and you encourage people to eat a certain way in order to build muscle and lose fat.
If all of your content is about you encouraging this lifestyle, yet YOU don’t also follow it – how do you think that will look in the eye of your audience? Why would they follow what you teach?
Demonstrating what you teach subconsciously translates a deeper belief that very clearly comes across to people!
Implement storytelling into your marketing
Storytelling has become a huge buzz in the marketing world, but for good reason! Because it really does work and it’s what people want.
It’s how they connect to your messaging in a new way and it’s how you further demonstrate what you do without a flashy “in your face” marketing approach.
Storytelling speaks to deeper emotions that people want to feel and it allows you to get to the heart of what you do much more quickly and easily.
If you struggle with the concept of storytelling, I encourage you to read this blog post from my friend Danielle Weil – she’s someone I’ve personally worked with, continue to learn from, and consider to be a genius copywriter, so you can bet that she has great tips when it comes to salesworthy storytelling!
Show up with the heart to serve
I bet you’ve heard this one before and before you give me a big eye roll, just hear me out…
Oftentimes when you hear “show up to serve” people are telling you to show up to give free value.
And while I definitely agree that providing free value to your audience, whether it’s through social media content, blog posts, emails, or through free resources they can download, serving ALSO means selling.
Let’s face it: you are a business owner, which means you have products or services to sell.
But what that really means is you have a solution to a problem that people are facing. So, NOT selling that solution is actually a massive disservice to your audience.
In all that you do, whether it be through your free content or your paid services, show up to serve – not just to earn a buck. Because as I’m sure you know, people can tell when you’re just after the money.
Before you do anything in your business, ask yourself: WHY am I doing this? WHAT problem will it solve? WHO needs it?
Make your customers the hero
Lastly, always make your customers the hero.
What I mean by this is that you never want your audience to feel like you, your product/service, or your business is the magic thing that will help them solve their problem.
Instead, you simply want them to feel like you and your product or service served as a guide that helped them get there.
Through your copy and messaging in ALL of your marketing, you want to speak to what they’re currently experiencing, introduce your solution so they can easily make the decision, and always focus on what THEY get, not what you provide.
When you make your customers the hero in all parts of your business, your audience will naturally start to like and trust you way more.
Community Centered Support For Business Owners Like You
Implementing these 5 unconventional tips can help you build more trust among your audience and foster loyalty with your customers, so that people not only follow you on social media, but they go beyond the likes and comments to become the 20% of people who proudly make up 80% of your revenue.
If you’re in need of support to implement specific systems and strategies to make these tips naturally happen in your business, that’s exactly what I’m here for.
As a connection strategist, I help business owners just like you get seen by their ideal clients so that you can build a business that brings you joy while expanding your impact!
If that sounds like something you’re in search of, CLICK HERE to connect to see how we can work together to get you connected with the right potential clients!
