Getting your clients (and potential clients) to trust you is half the battleโฆ but itโs a tough one. In fact, 54% of Americans say theyโve lost trust in a brand, and the two things customers want are good value for the price and high-quality products/services.ย
However, there are a few markers that can contribute to the level of trust a client has in your brand.
1. Branding
Your branding is one of the first touchpoints your potential clients have with your company. If your resources, voice, design choices, or colors are inconsistent, your clients wonโt feel like they can take you seriously. Haphazard branding has that effect – it looks like youโre unsure what youโre doing or where youโre going with your company.
When you conduct serious brand research on your target audience and make smart choices to create a feeling of consistency while you anticipate your target audienceโs needs, you foster trust.ย
How can you tell youโre on the right track?
If you are focused and intentional about your branding, chances are youโre on the right track. If youโre not doing any brand research (or are guessing), chances are you could use some help.
2. Digital Marketing
Whether you choose to focus your marketing efforts on social media platforms or on Google SERPs, nailing your digital marketing efforts will enable you to send the right messages at the right time to the right audience.ย
How can you tell youโre on the right track?
Generally speaking, an ROI of 5:1 is considered a good baseline for marketing. You definitely want to avoid an ROI of 2:1, as thatโs not considered profitable.ย
3. Work Ethic
Flashy advertisements and targeting the right audiences mean nothing if you donโt have the work ethic to back it up. On our list of the top two priorities for clients (above), we talked about the amount of value they get for the price and the quality of service. Both of these categories rely heavily on your work ethic, communication skills, and willingness to improve.ย
How can you tell youโre on the right track?
Adopting a learning mindset can go a long way toward making the work enjoyable for you. The more fun you have while learning, the harder youโll work (without getting fatigued). Your clients will notice your thoughtful approach! If you remain hardworking, reliable, and consistent, youโll be on the right track.
4. Service Offers
Do you offer services that no one wants or needs? Consumers are understandably selfish. Think about it: why should someone pay you for something they donโt need or want? Itโs their money theyโre choosing to spend or not spend. For this reason, itโs important to offer services that people are actually looking for and willing to part with their money to get.
How can you tell youโre on the right track?
Many companies start out because the founder sees a need and creates the solution they wish they had. If youโve talked with other people about your idea and people strongly resonated with them, you may be on the right track. Be careful, though – people are far more willing to respond with enthusiasm than they are to drop their hard-earned cash.ย
5. Motto/Tagline
Your motto or tagline should be short, sweet, and concise. Taglines should pique the interest of potential customers and give them a reason to interact with your brand. Mottos are somewhat similar to taglines but are intended to communicate brand values.ย
How can you tell youโre on the right track?
โJust Do Itโ is perhaps the most memorable tagline. It makes people want to take action, which perfectly aligns with the sporty brand it was written for. If you find that people say your motto and it resonates with customers, youโre on the right track.
6. Brand Mascot
Need to give your brand a boost? Then an adorable mascot could be the right choice for you! (Note: mascots donโt have to be adorable, but it certainly doesnโt hurt. More importantly, your mascot should be a brand advocate or incentivize people to think about how your brand can solve their problems.)
How can you tell youโre on the right track?
Are you using your mascot enough that people are seeing it constantly? Consistency is key in order to make the right impression. Once youโve done the market research, you should devise clever ways to get your mascot to interact with people.
7. Blog/Thought Leadership
Organic content is a great way to build trust with your audience. Showing up as a thought leader with helpful tips and words of advice helps build trust, credibility, and much-needed connection with potential customers.ย
By the time they sign up for a demo, theyโll feel like they already know you!
How can you tell youโre on the right track?
If youโre not asking new clients where they heard about you during the onboarding process, you should start. If you hear, โI read your blog, and it was really helpful,โ or something along those lines, youโre doing it right.ย
8. Social Proof/Case Studies
We wanted to include these together, as theyโre both important building blocks with the same goal: getting people to see how youโve already helped others succeed. Case studies will be written by you (we call our case studies portfolio pieces) to show how you helped a client solve a problem. Social proof comes in the form of testimonials, whether theyโre written or video testimonials.ย
Asking your clients specific questions can go a long way in making precise, helpful testimonials. As appreciated as it is to hear โI loved working with them,โ specific feedback does a better job of helping prospective clients put themselves in the shoes of the person giving the testimonial – especially if theyโre dealing with similar pain points.
How can you tell youโre on the right track?
Again, itโs important to ask your clients if theyโd like to give feedback on what it was like working with you. If you find that youโre attracting customers for life, youโre doing it right. And if you have people so satisfied with your work that theyโre volunteering to leave testimonials, thatโs a wonderful sign.ย
9. Keep Your Word
Did you tell your client to expect your work by a certain date? Then work hard to make it happen, even if you underestimated how long it would take. Do you promise high-quality products and then under-deliver, disappointing your customers?
Keeping your word is the most important thing you can do to build trust, and you donโt need to invest in fancy technology or hire a marketing expert to do it. It just takes good old-fashioned hard work and integrity!
How can you tell youโre on the right track? The old customer service standby: โunder-promise and over-deliver.โ Give your clients better quality deliverables than they expect. Complete and send projects to your client before the due date instead of a few days after. And always respond as promptly as possible to customer communications to show that you value their input!
Want more helpful tips? Check out our blog for info on leadership, marketing, work-life balance, and more. (Not the DIY type? Then work with us – weโd be happy to help you!)
