These days, with a million ads and marketing messages hitting us from every direction, the most important key to building your ad or marketing strategy is "TRUST."
Does your marketing net you as much as you'd like? Do your ads help you generate lucrative prospects weekly and monthly? Are you able to convert leads into paying clients with your marketing?
If the answer is no, then maybe you aren't expressing your trustworthiness enough. No one in the world will every buy anything from you if they don't trust that your products and services will do what you say they will do.
Do the words and images you use in your marketing help establish the trust necessary to convince prospects to believe in and buy from you? If not, then you'll benefit from the following strategies geared toward converting prospects to clients.
1. PROVIDE EXAMPLES OF YOUR CLIAMS Rather than making impersonal and dramatic claims of what your products or services do, use examples. Examples are far more believable. A case study is an ideal way to explain exactly what you did for someone and the difference it made in their life or their business.
2. GIVE THINGS AWAY FREE Giving things away free is a great way to build trust. You can give anything--a keychain, your grandma's prized apple pie recipe, an e-book or article. Giving something to people, regardless of the cost, makes them more likely to trust you and even to return the favor by buying something from you.
3. PUT OUT ARTICLES INSTEAD OF ADVERTISEMENTS Being inundated with advertisements 24/7 has instilled in us a deep distrust of ads. We tend to believe instead what we read in published articles. Rather than putting out countless ads, your time would be better spent writing articles. This establishes you as an expert who is willing to help, rather than a company trying to get people's credit card information for the sole purpose of making money.
4. TESTIMONIALS, TESTIMONIALS, TESTIMONIALS Convince your target that you're worth what you say by showing them what past clients have said about you. These are called "testimonials," and if you aren't using them you're missing a key ingredient in your marketing and advertising. They're not hard to get. Just contact some past clients, ask what they thought of your product or service, what they liked about it and how it was helpful. Then, edit their comments, ask for their permission to use their edited words, and use this material in your marketing and ad campaigns.
5. SPEAK DIRECTLY TO YOUR TARGET MARKET In this industrial-economic empire that we call America, with skyscrapers and big multibillion dollar companies all around us, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that we're all human. So a common misperception is that in order to sound credible your marketing should be cold and impersonal. Instead of trying to act stuffy and distant, you should do the exact opposite. People do business with people, not steel buildings and dry corporate entities. Show photos of yourself and your staff, talk directly to your target market, explain in human terms why they should trust you, be passionate and have a bit of personality.
6. GET AS MANY REFERRALS AS POSSIBLE What is the first thing you do when you need an accountant, plumber, doctor, lawyer or web design company? You ask a friend for a referral, don't you? Why? Because you trust the recommendations of friends, family and people you know. For your own business, instead of waiting for the occasional referral, implement a system to generate referrals. Use the "I'll wash your back if you wash mine" approach. It usually works, as long as you partner with companies you know provide good products or services.
7. EXCHANGE ENDORSEMENTS This is a proven strategy for doubling your marketing reach without paying a penny. Simply team up with a local business you trust and that also targets your market. Ask the company if it's OK if you use an endorsement of your company's products and services. In exchange, you do the same for them. While a personal referral is ideal, a company endorsement also adds a lot of weight to your claims.
8. KEEP IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH HOT LEADS Clients or potential clients who you see and talk to daily or weekly or even monthly are usually the ones you trust the most--and who trust you the most. You've developed a rapport with each other and during this process you've established one thing that's crucial for your business--you've established trust. Communicating with them regularly is a good way to continue to develop and even build on this trust.
9. REDUCE YOUR TARGET MARKET'S RISK WHEN BUYING FROM YOU What's your biggest concern when purchasing a product or service? Most people are worried that the product or service will not perform the way they hope. How can you prove to people that the claims you make in your marketing are true? Provide a guarantee. Also, outline clearly and carefully the value you provide and state your commitment to making sure that your product or service will not only reach but exceed their expectations.
10. MAKE CONTACTING YOU EASIER Don't leave it up to your clients to try to figure out how to get in touch with you. Show them how by making it easy as 1-2-3 for them. Put your website, phone number, and email address at the top of your website or marketing materials. Include a call to action, which most people forget. This means tell them to call, write or visit your website. Don't leave it up to them because more often than not they will not make the first move.
In summary, the best way to convert your target market into leads and leads into clients is to build trust. These ten marketing strategies help form the foundation of the trust you'll need to convince people that you aren't just out for their credit card numbers, but that you truly and sincerely want to help their business.
Beware. If this is not truly your attitude--that you really want to help people with the product or service you provide--you may want to skip marketing and go straight to filing for Chapter 11 now. Why? Because although it's true that there's a sucker born every minute, sooner or later people are going to get hip to your song and dance and word will spread to stay away from you. In that case, all the marketing and advertising secrets in the world won't help you.
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©All Access Unlimited, LLC. All Rights Reserved. All Access Unlimited provides stunning web design, effective copywriting and results-driven marketing to companies across the world. Coming from traditional design backgrounds, specialized marketing training, and real-life N.Y.C. business experience, AAU is highly qualified to take your project from concept to completion. We're also committed to establishing lifelong partnerships and friendships w
