Over the past couple of days, I have been having discussions with local business owners about their use of social media to increase awareness. We also discussed the concept of know, like, and trust, which is at the heart of any marketing plan. “Know, like, and trust” was repeated over and over while I was at the Social Media Marketing World conference. It places a central role in what I am trying to accomplish as well as what I am helping you do. It is certainly something you should keep in mind as you move your business forward.

“All things being equal people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like, and trust.” ~ The Go-Giver by Bob Burg

Know

Know is a two-way street, you want people to get to know you and your business as well as you need to get to know your clients. A match is made when you can deliver solutions to solve your ideal customer’s problems. Not everyone is your customer. You have to decide who you really wish to serve.

The web should be a key element of your marketing strategy. To help your ideal customers get to know you, you should have a website as a central piece of your marketing platform. The website should have some key elements such as a page where you can regularly let your customers know a little more about you and what you offer (blog). It is a place where you can share ideas that they can use to improve. You should also have an about page where they can get to know you, your values, and your business’ origin. An about page is one of the most visited pages on a business website. You should also include service pages outlining what you offer. Finally, you need a contact page so that customers can connect with you. Each page builds upon this idea of know, like, and trust.

Georgina El Morshdy a writer for CopyBlogger shared “30 Ways to Build the ‘Know, Like, and Trust’ Factor that Grows an Audience.” One of the key ideas that jumped out at me in the Know section was to demonstrate your subject expertise. Blogging is a great way to do this. Everything you share helps people get to know you.

When you write blog posts, ensure that you take into consideration keywords for their search engine optimization (SEO) value. You want to write about what people are looking for.

Social media platforms are also great places for your ideal customers to get to know you and what you can do for them. Be selective on the platforms that you use. You must be comfortable using them and your customers must also use them. You can share content you have created as well as share what others have created.

Like

Just like the television show, Cheers, you want everyone to know who you are and more importantly like you to be around. If you are offering a competitive product, you want your customers to choose you because of the value you have to offer. You can move to the likable phase when you are truly open to helping others solve their problems. Are you adding value with every interaction?

Stephanie Pollock is on point when she says, “the goal is NOT to get everyone to like you. If you do, chances are good your message is weak. If everyone likes you, then you’re trying to market to everyone — which is basically like marketing to no one.” You have to be true to yourself. When you generate enough content, your true self will shine through. This is a good thing. Be authentic.

Trust

The ultimate goal is for people to trust you. If they trust you, they will do business with you and recommend you to others. Basically, you must deliver what you promise. If you do that, people will come back for more business as well as tell others.

Know, Like, and Trust

Think about who you do business with. Why did you start to do business with them? Odds are you started to do some research to get to know them. You researched the internet or asked around. After some time, you gained a favorable impression of the business at least favorable enough to trust them with your business. If you are happy with them, you may even refer them to others.

This is exactly what we are striving for in each of our businesses. Because of the ubiquitous nature of the internet, information available at our fingertips, it is essential you have a know, like, and trust opportunity on the internet.

If there is any I can do to help you, please contact me.