An essential element of retaining your consumer base is trust. Most business owners constantly wonder why they are not obtaining or retaining consumers, assuming that people will just shop with you without first having a relationship. If your audience didn’t come from a trusted source, they’re basing their trust off of a referral. As business owners, remember to form relationships based on trust before asking for money. Below are two ways to build trust with your audience whether you’re a long-time veteran in business or a newbie getting your feet wet.
Tap Existing, Loyal Customers
An excellent way to establish trust with your audience is by utilizing your existing customer base. The first thing I do before purchasing something from a company is text a close friend and ask their thoughts. I want to know about their purchasing experience. We live in a world where people trust their friends and social media audience more than ever; and they want their honest feedback before making a big or small purchase.
Creating a campaign around existing consumers is a great way to garner testimonials, promote your company and allow your audience to learn more about you from others. Once a month, take two hours out of the day to follow up with the customer’s from the previous month. In the correspondence ask them to give you a sentence or two for a testimonial on your website.
Cultivate a Relationship on Social Media
Social media is a free tool that many small business owners are utilizing incorrectly. On any given day you can see business owners focused on the hard sale versus their customers’ experience. Concentrating on fostering a community and establishing relationships with their audience is a brilliant way to build trust. Learn who your audience is and talk to them. Highlighting previous customers through social media campaigns is allowing them to have a voice. Thus, you are killing two birds with one stone.
Don’t just assume people are going to click follow on social media and immediately want to support your company. At the end of the day, people buy from brands they trust.
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