What kind of marketing do you need? Part 3: Trust

This is part three of a series on how to figure out what type of marketing your small business needs, focusing on five different dimensions: Demand, Trust, Relationships, Competition, and Sources. If you just subscribed, read the first edition here.

One of the most fundamental and least discussed factors in marketing is trust.

Trust is a simple concept. Do customers believe you’ll do what you say you’ll do? What’s the risk if you don’t deliver?

It’s critical to either answer these questions, or reduce the need to question in the first place.

For simple, low-dollar items, this is a low bar to clear. If someone’s buying coffee, worst case scenario it’s terrible and they’re out a few bucks.

As products and services get more complex and expensive, earning trust should be more of a priority.

This is often a blind spot for business owners. They’re too close to their businesses to imagine being untrusted.

But when you’re able to take the customer’s perspective, it can open your eyes to new possibilities.

First imagine the risks people might perceive if they knew nothing about you. It’ll vary by business, for instance:

• Plastic surgery: How do I know it’ll be done right? Will it be awkward?

• Fitness class: Will I be embarrassed? Will I like the people there?

• Wedding DJ: How do I know I’ll like the music? Will they talk too much?

• Cleaner: Will they steal or break things?

Once you have those concerns in mind, consider all options to make it easy for people to move forward.

Some might be typical marketing considerations:

• Professional-looking branding.

• Case studies and testimonials.

• Detailed instructions and documentation.

• Videos, photos, FAQs, etc.

But don’t stop there. Find other ways to lower the perceived risk, such as offering:

• Free consultations or meet-and-greets.

• Free trials or estimates.

• Generous return, warranty or cancellation policies.

• Responsive (human) customer service.

Too often, these types of things are considered costs, or at least big time sucks.

But they may actually be much cheaper and faster than throwing more money at advertising. Trust me 😁.