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I know you’ve heard it a few times online. In fact it’s quite the buzzword at the moment. TRUST. What does it take for you to build trust withyour market? This is what I call “the key to the kingdom” for your business to survive and thrive.
The Internet can be a cold, non-trusting place, where people are more skeptical, and careful then they ever would be offline. And rightfully so!
I’m not going to give you my hard-earned money if I haven’t gotten to know you through your website, blog, and email correspondences. If you’re Amazon, Zappos, or Nordstroms they’ve built trust, with Nordstrom having built trust offline first.
But for the rest of us small online business owners, we need to work extra hard developing the B2C (business (us) to consumer (market demographic)) relationship FIRST. Then we can maybe, just maybe offer our products and services, but until that happens, do not ever think you can make money online early in the game.
How To Build Trust Online
Blogging
This seems like a no-brainer, but most small businesses and entrepreneurs STILL do not have a blog. Why? You can get a FREE WordPress blog up in a matter of minutes. Get some unique, authentic content built up, and then you can tweak the look and feel as your traffic (readership) starts to grow.
Don’t be lazy! As I said, in a previous post on procrastination, Do It Now!
Just make sure to show your personality. Don’t be boring. The more you can let people get to know you, the more they will trust you. I’m not saying, talk about your real personal issues, but let them know what you like, believe in, and have a passion for…and don’t be shy about it!
Word of warning: Do not try to SELL or pitch people your products and services early on. They will get turned off and leave, never to come back.
Social Media
The big 3 are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
I’m not going to spend a lot of time discussing how to do Facebook, there are entire books on it, but I will tell you that Facebook is all about personal relationships, NOT business. But…if you take your time and build these relationships by interacting with people you meet, it can definitely turn into a business proposition or referral.
Twitter is a tool. If used correctly, can be very beneficial to your business. But like anything, takes time and commitment to see any real results.
I look at Twitter as a reciprocity, social exchange. What I mean is you just don’t tweet about yourself. You provide valuable information via your blog, website and articles, in which you tweet it with a link…AND just as important you RETWEET other peoples tweets that have value. In return, people will follow you, retweet your tweets, and want to get to know you better.
LinkedIn is for business. Most people on LinkedIn expect to hear about business. Many are looking for employment, and hope to network and meet people who may connect them to new employment. It is expected to be more assertive in bringing up business opportunities, although, I must say, these people do not know you, so if you come across too aggressive, you will get nowhere.
One good thing is the potential to create connections that go beyond the first level. What I mean is you may meet someone on LinkedIn and they may know someone who can help you. Or, they may know someone who knows someone who can catapult your career.
The bottom line is the relationship. People will do business with others they know, trust and like. I know you’ve probably heard that line before, but this time let it sink in, and do what it takes to achieve your goals.
If you want to read an excellent book on TRUST, check out Chris Brogan’s Trust Agents.
And as always, I’d love to hear from you! Give me a shout out down below and some FB or Twitter love! Thanks so much!
Mike Pedersen has been an entrepreneur his entire adult life, and really enjoys helping golf professionals, and small businesses grow their revenue through online internet marketing strategies.
1. November 2010 at 9:34 am
This is so true. Beneath all the words and claimsmaking of the Internet it is often easy to forget that it can very much be an integrity-free zone. Only through genuine community can we show that we are in anyway different and we must concentrate on the morals and commitments of our virtual messages as much as their sheer volume.
Twitter: adrianswinscoe
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1. November 2010 at 11:38 am
Hi Mike,
You are spot on that trust is key. One of the key things that, I think, we forget from our personal lives is that trust can take time to build up so building trust in an online space can take time and commitment. Too often, I have seen businesses start out with blogs or twitter accounts only to abandon them 6 months down the road when they don’t see results. This takes time. Why do we delude ourselves in business that it will happen quicker when we know this to be true from our personal lives?
Adrian
Adrian Swinscoe recently posted..8 steps to building better relationships with your customers
Twitter: mikepedersen
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1. November 2010 at 12:36 pm
Adrian,
You are so right! People launch blogs, twitter accounts and quit too early. Building trust and relationships takes just as long online, unless you get 2 people who connect quickly and often, then you can speed it up a bit, compared to offline. Too many people are premature in their actions and beliefs when it comes to anything online. Whether it be making money, building readership, or relationships.
Mike
Twitter: lavenderuses
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2. November 2010 at 2:10 pm
Hi Mike
Your article is spot on. Trust is so important. With blogging what I love is interacting with other bloggers and being part of the blogging community. I also love visiting other people’s blogs and learning from them how to be a better blogger. As a newbie there is heaps for me to learn but plenty of my new blogger friends are cheering me on and encouraging me to keep on keeping on. I’m loving it. I am a true tweetheart as I love tweeting other people’s quality posts and meeting new people who come follow me on my site. Thanks for sharing.
Patricia Perth Australia
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2. November 2010 at 6:37 pm
Glad you agree Patricia
Blogging IMO is one of the best ways to build trust online. You can express yourself and interact with your market (and other bloggers).
3. November 2010 at 2:00 pm
Love this post Mike!
It is so true!
It is all abo?t building relationships, not hiding
behind a computer.
Twitter: mikepedersen
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3. November 2010 at 3:08 pm
Couldn’t have said it better
Twitter: gastrategist
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4. November 2010 at 8:37 pm
Hi Mike, I totally agree that a blog is a great idea for any business. However, a lot of business owners aren’t web savvy. They may not know what a blog is. Even if they do, they may not know how to set one up. I found it intimidating and I know html! It’s not easy to find blog help, and then how do you know if you can trust them? You’re right, it is all about trust.
I actually wrote a guide to social media for newbies for my newsletter subscribers because I think it’s so important. I rarely even go to a brick and mortar place without checking it out online first. If I can’t find your business website or at least something about you on Yelp or similar sites, I will choose your competitor who I can find.
Jennifer Barry recently posted..6 Reasons Not to Work So Hard
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4. November 2010 at 10:27 pm
Jennifer,
I can sympathize with you, as way back when, when I launched my first few blogs, it was so scary, and overwhelming. But it has become much easier, so with a little research (just head on over to youtube), a person can easily launch a blog.
Thanks for your comment
Mike
Twitter: passion101
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5. November 2010 at 3:02 am
Mike,
Great post on trust. I keep hearing that our clients want to “know, like and trust” us prior to doing business with us. It definitely makes sense, even though the KEY distinction I’m learning about these days is they must “trust” being our client which is different than trusting “us” on our own. Plenty of people are my FB friends and know, like and trust me, but don’t do business with me. Very important difference, especially when trust is such a big part of couples counseling and relationship coaching, which are what I do.
Thanks so much for sharing,
Adam
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5. November 2010 at 9:36 pm
There is professional trust and personal trust. It all depends on the goal you have. If it’s with a friend, it will be different than with a potential customer. But, in both cases being yourself (authentic) is very important.
Thanks for stopping by Adam!
11. November 2010 at 10:29 am
Hi Mike,
Certainly trust is essential!
I adore people that let their unique personality shine through – seems quite rare though!
There are still plenty of people that need coaching when it comes to building trust (which I find rather odd in a way!)
Thanks for a great post.
Emma
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12. November 2010 at 12:32 pm
I agree…it’s seems so genuine(especially online)to see people’s personality. Their unique voice. It’s what sets them above the crowd.
5. November 2010 at 4:41 am
Hey Mike, your site looks great. I love the layout. Sound advice on building trust also. I could not agree more. By the way, most people are talking about Facebook and Twitter, but I am glad to see you mention LinkedIn. LinkedIn is super effective when you try to reach other businesses. Facebook and Twitter cannot even come close in my opinion. And not just if you are looking for a job. All kinds of online networking takes place there.
I once posted a question, more out of curiosity than anything. I had 8 serious responses on that question. Those 8 people are still in my active online network!
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5. November 2010 at 9:38 pm
Thanks Karin. If I could just get this dang Gravatar working…UGH. I’m working on all three at the moment. Slow going, but it takes time and effort to get some momentum. That’s cool how you got the 8 people. Love hearing those stories. Keep’em coming
Cheers,
Mike
6. November 2010 at 7:06 am
Mike:
Know, like, and trust relationships are absolutely vital to the success of online businesses. Of course it’s vital for all small businesses but even more so for online, since the customer doesn’t actually meet you face to face.
Thanks for the reminder. Live with passion and purpose,
Vanessa
Twitter: mikepedersen
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6. November 2010 at 1:14 pm
Thanks for stopping by Vanessa!
7. November 2010 at 2:22 am
I start out by offering help and my contact information. The question what can I help you to achieve works wonders and when you help someone fix something on there computer. Build them a free splash page and even host it I’ve found this builds trust because you become there go to person. When you got them on your skype your foot is in the door because one day there going to ask you so what do you do online. bingo then slowly tell them. And don’t pitch share with them your passion for why you like what you do online.
Sincerely
Monty Ferbert
Twitter: mikepedersen
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7. November 2010 at 2:40 am
This is great input Monty. The ‘how can I help you’ question is powerful. Especially if you truly are sincere to help in the beginning, which results in a much higher level of trust.
Good stuff Monty!
Twitter: ruthantoine
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7. November 2010 at 3:32 am
H Mike,
Wow some very valid points that I will most def. go back and share. Trust is obviously a great factor we all look for in others. However, building this type of trust online takes genuine time. I truly appreciate the value in this article,
Thanks,
Ruth McCrackin
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7. November 2010 at 2:55 pm
Ruth,
You are EXACTLY correct! It takes time, but just like in the offline world, it doesn’t happen overnight. People need to treat online relationships the same as offline. Don’t go too fast, and be of value to the other person FIRST.
Cheers,
Mike
Twitter: Dan_Joubert
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7. November 2010 at 3:44 am
Back when marketing was young, a pattern developed whereby it was discovered that if you tell people anything, they’ll just plain buy into it and presto, you had sales!
Eventually, the general public became quite savvy to this and skeptical as a result. Today however, it is imperative that you not only develop a high level of trust but that you also over-deliver on your products and services.
Sadly, not every business owner or consumer has quite gotten the message but for those that do, business is and will continue to be golden (and I don’t mean for the purpose of fleecing).
Superb article; concise and to the point Mike, bravo!
Cheers!
Dan
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7. November 2010 at 4:09 pm
Dan,
It amazes me how many poor experiences I get with service businesses. It’s shocking to think that a business doesn’t value their current customers enough to deliver at least what they promise (market). That’s a whole nother story, but with that being said, trust as you mention is a huge factor now.
Regards,
Mike
8. November 2010 at 2:58 pm
Mike – Great tips that all internet marketers should learn. THere is nothing worse than accepting a FB friend request and then immediately getting spammed to death by those people trying to sell you something. Building trust is essential in finding success. Thanks!
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8. November 2010 at 5:48 pm
Thanks a bunch Glyna! I appreciate your kinds words. Tread carefully with social media. Treat it the very same as you would offline. Don’t try to speed it up because it’s the Internet.
Twitter: mpoweru2bgr8
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9. November 2010 at 3:17 pm
Trust is everything: It’s why we buy, it’s why we go to dinner, it’s why we pick up the phone, and most importantly it’s the fabric of community. Most people think that simply saying words that are associated with “trust-like Behavior” are enough, and we all know that the congruency between the words is what matters. That’s the beauty of Trust on-line, time weeds out the chaff.
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10. November 2010 at 5:28 am
To me it seems like this is the missing link to online success. Really. The issue is building it authentically. And being as transparent as possible to really show people who you are.
10. November 2010 at 12:55 am
Mike,
Very basic but essential points you are making, especially for newbies, people who have perhaps not yet begun and are planning to set themselves up online. Too many people start by blasting their new friends with their products and services and sales pitches. Even some blogs are unpleasant to read because the entire purpose is sales, rather than having the purpose of providing valuable content. Getting people to trust you is really powerful – and takes time. Once the trust is establishedm, when people know you are sincere and that you offer value and act with integrity, they will be happy to assist you when you ask for help or buy from you if your product interests them.
Erica
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10. November 2010 at 5:31 am
Yes Erica, these are basics, but how many people do you think are getting these “basics” right? I’ll bet not too many. And for many people, taking the time to build a site and work on content with no clear goal in mind is fruitless. Having been online for the past 10 years, I know how difficult it is to carve out a niche, and keep it going.
Mike
11. November 2010 at 11:34 am
Hi Mike,
I’ve gotten much better at posting responsibly on Twitter (man did I chase a lot of people away in the beginning). My Facebook etiquette has changed dramatically ever since I separated personal and business stuff. My LinkedIn page needs some work but at least I don’t think I’ve alienated anyone there. I’ve been at this social media marketing thing for about a year now and I’m starting to see the benefits of taking it slow and steady and building trust. Keep posting great info like this so that others might avoid the mistakes many of have made.
Twitter: mikepedersen
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12. November 2010 at 12:33 pm
Hey Roland!
Yeah…online is a different beast for sure. But, at the same time, should be treated very much like offline. Relationships take time. Just because the net is so fast, doesn’t mean you can speed that up. Glad to hear you came to that realization. Thanks for stopping by my friend.
Mike
Twitter: kammerait
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18. November 2010 at 2:29 pm
Hi Mike!
Great overview here. The dynamics of trust underly all relationship development. Developing truly mutually beneficial relationships built on reciprocity is a great approach – both online and offline. Now take it one step deeper, how can we understand what business activities we’re currently engaged in are building trust and which ones erode it?
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18. November 2010 at 10:30 pm
Great post Mike. Yes trust is even more important today then ever before especially with internet network marketing. It’s far easier to meet and talk to someone face to face because they can actually see and feel your reactions to the discussion. And the mistrust factor is a harder to overcome on the internet.
Michael
http://blog.prosperyourmind.com
Mr. Personal Development Michael Berry recently posted..God’s Gift
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20. November 2010 at 4:11 pm
Hi Mike,
I see blogging as the heart of my business and LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter as tools I use to extend my brand and connect with my audience. Like any marketing you need to be consistent with your messages and over time you will build credibility. With consistency comes a clear plan of action and a goal so you are working towards your over all social media objectives.
Wendy
Twitter: martinhw
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22. November 2010 at 10:29 pm
Mike,
We know that Social Media is fond of reminding us that people trust people and that’s the way its going to be in a transparent world.
Just to add some depth to that, I think people develop trust over time, a point Adrian makes earlier in this thread. That is to say we gain in trust the more consistent someone/brand is in their behaviour. So developing our social footprint is a case of being consistent/authentic so that others can get a fix on us.
Twitter: lionslinger
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26. November 2010 at 5:57 am
Speaking of trust, I think most people are not taking this seriously. No wonder few succeeds in their online endeavors; they are driven more by instant gratification. I’m glad you have made an important reminder here for those who are endeavoring to succeed online.
8. December 2010 at 4:07 am
Trust is an important aspect of doing business online and offline. Not a lot of people will try to sell you something the first time you meet someone. Unfortunately, reality online is different. I suspect that the fact that you can stay relatively anonymous makes people confident enough to try and sell total strangers.
So, your post is very appropriate. Blogging is a great way to present to the public who you are and what you stand for. Obviously, social media can help with that also. Thanks for sharing.
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15. December 2010 at 1:23 pm
Mike,
Trust is huge in any business! Blogging and Social Media definitely is a nice tool to tell the world who you are and what you are doing. What a nice insights you got here.. and Thanks for sharing!
9. January 2011 at 7:35 am
I agree that trust is so crucial, especially online. This isn’t new, as back in Greek times “giving trustworthy testimony”…basically being honest and having integrity was one of their cardinal virtues.
Regardless of the results a person claims, if others don’t trust them and view them as someone with integrity first, most people will dismiss them.
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3. February 2011 at 3:16 pm
Great post Mike. I couldn’t agree more how important trust and building relationships is. “Total transparency” right? I have been fortunate enough to have developed some awesome online relationships with several people I have met on social networking sites. It takes time to build both relationships and trust, but time well spent.
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