Jim Connolly Marketing

How to build trust, before a prospect even knows you

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build trust, reliable, content marketing, reliability

Today, I’d like to give you a proven way to build trust from your prospective clients or customers… before they even know you.

Here’s how it works.

When I share this idea with small business owners, I start by asking them to consider a few questions. Here’s what I ask them.

  • If you publish a newsletter, can your readers rely on you to get each edition out on time?
  • If you use social networks for business, can your contacts or followers rely on you to show up regularly with your ideas?
  • If you publish a podcast, can subscribers rely on you to publish on schedule?
  • If you are a blogger, can people rely on you to publish useful posts at least once a month?

Here’s the thing: Content marketing not only allows prospects to discover us and the services or products we provide. It’s also an extremely powerful trust building asset.

What this means for you and your business

By observing your activities, such as those I listed above, your prospects also start to build a wider picture of your business. A picture that shows how committed you are to delivering on time. A picture of your reliability.

By turning up regularly, your marketplace gets to see, for themselves, that you can be depended on. Over time, you’ll also build a strong reputation for consistency. These combine to transform your content marketing into an exceptionally valuable, trust building asset.

Go easy. Don’t overstretch yourself

The easiest way to make this work for you, is to choose just one or two content marketing activities. (I only use two myself). Then, commit to being there when you’re expected. You don’t need to be prolific. A consistent, monthly newsletter is far more effective, than a weekly newsletter, which you just don’t have the time to regularly create and send.

If you do this, then bit by bit, day by day, your prospective clients will come to rely on you.

Just think how valuable that would be for your business. Imagine a marketplace filled with prospective clients who already know you’re reliable and who already trust you. And you can achieve this, without overloading yourself with extra work.

Tip: Here’s how to make your content marketing massively more compelling.

Photo by Tony Schnagl on Pexels.com

Blogs are crushing it in 2024

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woman using smartphone and laptop

Blog posts remain the most popular content format for marketers, with 9 out of 10 marketers using blogging to achieve content goals. (SEMrush, 2023).

Here are some reasons why I recommend business owners start blogging — or start taking their blog more seriously.

Blogging in 2024 is easier than ever

It’s so simple today, to publish your ideas to the world on a blog. Blogging software (I use WordPress) has matured. It’s intuitive and very easy to use.

I’m writing this post on my phone using WordPress’s Jetpack app.

Blogging in 2024 is bigger than ever

According to Hubspot, there are over 600 Million blogs out there. (Hubspot 2023).

That’s 1 in every 3 websites.

Your blog puts you in charge

Unlike social media sites, your blog gives you the freedom to publish as often as you want.

There’s no algorithm you need to follow. No content monster to feed. No shadow banning if you publish too little or too often. You’re in control.

Blogging is great for building your email list

Blogging is an exceptionally effective way to grow your newsletter list or email marketing list. Subscriber forms have developed in recent years. Add the forms to the most appropriate areas of your blog. Write the form’s copy correctly. And watch what happens.

In the last couple of years, my blog has become my main source of newsletter subscribers.

It costs nothing to get started

WordPress provides a free blog, so you can test the water before diving in. Plus, there’s no need for any expensive equipment. I regularly write posts on my phone. So if you already have a phone, tablet or laptop you’ve already got what you need to begin.

Blogging is media agnostic

You can publish any kind of content on your blog. Short-form video, long-form video, stream live events and share your photography. You can host live chats, publish audio recordings and written word posts — anything digital.

blogging in 2024

Your blog is the perfect home for your content

You can use your blog as the hub of all your online content or content marketing.

So, rather than create content for your social media accounts and leaving it there, you can also host it on your blog. This improves your blog and provides more content for people to engage with.

It also means none of your work is ever lost. And it’s on a platform that you own. In my experience there’s nothing even close to blogging, when it comes to housing your content.

Blogging and your social accounts, sitting in a tree, kiss…

Your blog amplifies your social media activity. And your social media activity will amplify your blog. It’s a 2-way street now. It’s no longer just you creating free content for a billion dollar social network. Your hard work is now building your own platform.

Plus, if your main social network becomes unpopular, you’ll still have a network of all those who followed you to your blog and subscribed to it, or subscribed to your newsletter list.

Finally

Perhaps most importantly of all, by removing all the barriers I’ve mentioned, blogging gives you the freedom to be yourself. The freedom to share your message, your way, as often as you want.

It’s also worth remembering that depending on the type of blog you build, the blog itself could become a highly desirable and highly valuable asset for investors.

Photo by Plann on Pexels.com

A productivity tip, plus a note about notebooks

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notebooks productivity apps

I have 2 proven ideas to share with you today, to help you achieve more in 2024.

Ponder these 2 points for a moment.

  1. Isaac Asimov produced around 470 published books, and hundreds more short works. He did this using a typewriter.
  2. Productive people don’t buy productivity apps.

Why did I share them unrelated observations with you? It’s because they stood out, on reading last week’s entries in my current notebook.

  • The first was a nugget of information I originally gleaned from Boston University.
  • The second was something I jotted down, while speaking with the developer of a popular productivity app. He told me that productivity apps are not marketed to productive people. That makes sense. After all, driving apps are not marketed to people who don’t drive.

Tip 1: Momentum ignition

This reminded me of how we managed, before we had access to productivity apps. It also reminded me of a technique I used back in the day, which works just as effectively today. And many others have found it equally as powerful.

Here it is.

  • The moment I feel ‘stuck’ on a task, I take a short walk, and on my return focus ONLY on doing the very first step.
  • I then do that one, small thing.
  • The task is instantly transformed from something I need to start, to a task in progress.
  • Momentum is created.
  • Momentum is the opposite of being stuck.
  • This momentum ignition idea overcomes all productivity challenges for me.

Back to apps. And my second tip.

I chewed over that Isaac Asimov fact in my notebook. I mean, would Isaac Asimov have written more books, if he had a phone offering him productivity notifications and tips?

And what about Leonardo da Vinci? Would entering various data into productivity apps, then monitoring that data, have given him greater focus with which to create? I do know, that da Vinci kept copious notes. Maybe they were his productivity tool? Notebooks are certainly my best tool when creating.

This leads on to the inspiration for today’s post.

Tip 2: Note taking as a productivity monster

One of the least mentioned benefits of using a notebook every day, is what happens when you read a few seemingly unrelated notes. They very often create a spark that becomes a new idea. Like the idea for writing what you’re reading right now.

Only by reading those notes, taken 3 days apart, did I make a connection. Seeing them together helped me join the dots. The vast majority of my articles, blog posts and newsletter ideas come from my notebooks.

Without exception, every productive person I know is a note taker. Some, like me, use a mix of paper notes and digital. Others choose just one.

If you don’t regularly take notes, I recommend you give it a try. And the next time you’re in a productive slump, take my productivity tip for a spin.

Attract more customer enquiries, the friendly way!

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attract customers, friendly, warmth, approachable

Here’s a quick marketing tip, which can help you attract more customer (or client) enquiries. I hope you find it useful.

It starts with a question: How easy is it for your prospective customers to get in touch with you?

I’m not asking how visible your contact information is on your marketing materials. I’m referring to something that is almost as important and yet seldom written about; how approachable or friendly you seem, to prospects who don’t already know you.

For example.

  • When a prospect is reading your newsletter, how approachable do you sound to them? The best newsletters are written so that the author comes across as friendly, informed and interested in helping you. The least effective are written by people who come across as impersonal, distant and only interested in what’s in it for them.
  • When a prospect reads your comments on social media, how approachable do you sound to them? Some business owners can appear sarcastic, rude or even confrontational when people dialogue with them or ask questions. This is a really, really bad move if you want prospects to feel comfortable enough to contact you.
  • When a prospect reads the about page on your website, how approachable do you sound? Many small business owners write their about page in the 3rd person, rather than speak directly to their reader. Instead of saying; ‘Hi, thanks for stopping by. My name is Jordan and…’ they start with ‘Jordan has worked in web design since 2012 and… ‘

Why should this matter to you?

Here’s what we know for absolute certain. The less comfortable someone feels about approaching a potential service provider, the less likely they are to contact them.

By including a friendly, human touch in your marketing, you start to nurture a positive impression in the mind of your prospects, long before you ever speak with them. This helps them feel far more comfortable contacting you, hiring you or buying from you. 

Photo by KOBU Agency

All New!

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When it comes to creating a powerful marketing message and attracting customers, the word ‘new‘ is overrated. Worse still, it’s a very loaded word and can absolutely ruin your marketing results.

There are 3 broad reasons for this.

  1. The newest product or service is always a riskier bet. At best, it’s a bigger gamble than the trusted alternatives. At worst, the customer feels like a paying guinea pig.
  2. The newest product or service is seldom the best. It lacks the improvements that come from years of feedback. It lacks the robustness that comes from stress-testing.
  3. New doesn’t last for long. This makes it a short-term marketing message. Anything that’s new is only new for now.

A dozen better alternatives

Given the challenges of using the word new, I recommend you replace it with something more compelling. More motivating. More attractive. 

To get you started, here are 12 alternatives.

  1. A faster way.
  2. A professional way.
  3. A cleaner way.
  4. A proven way.
  5. A stylish way.
  6. A profitable way.
  7. A premium way.
  8. A relaxing way.
  9. A friendly way.
  10. A safer way.
  11. A reliable way.
  12. A smoother way.

What next?

Take a look through your marketing and search for opportunities to replace new with a better alternative. This is usually in situations where new is used as the only adjective. 

Also, you can apply this to your presentations, negotiations or meetings. For example, if you’re trying to sell a new product, service or idea to someone, they’re more likely to pay attention when you tell them about your ‘more profitable way’ of doing something, than your ‘new way’ of doing something. 

Finally, in situations where you need to use the word new, such as a press release or product launch, always combine it with another word or words. For example, new and improved. 

Did you see what those liars are saying?

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marketing liars

Have you ever looked at the marketing promises made by your competitors?

  • Your most unreliable competitors will promise to deliver on time, every time.
  • Your lowest quality competitors will promise premium quality at low prices.
  • Your least competent competitors will promise a highly professional service.

And they’ll all have testimonials. Testimonials that are often the opposite of what a real client or customer will experience from them.

It’s horrible. It sucks. But it makes sense

After all, they’re hardly likely to admit that working with them or buying from them is a total nightmare. You see, the mindset that says it’s okay to produce low quality work and charge over the odds for it, has no problem being dishonest in other areas of their business.

What does this have to do with you?

Everything!

It has everything to do with you. And here’s why.

Your prospective clients or customers have been lied to before. This means the claims you legitimately make in YOUR marketing will only be treated seriously, if you back them up.

Here are a couple of tips to help you make the truth of your marketing a lot more believable.

One way to add credibility, is to link from your website to external sources. For example, link from your website to external reviews or positive media coverage. Similarly, if you’ve been accredited by a respected organisation, link to the page on their website, where you’re mentioned.

Another way to add credibility, is to turn up regularly with useful information, via a newsletter, a blog, a podcast or on social networks, etc. By providing genuinely useful, informed advice, you demonstrate your knowledge. By doing this regularly, you show your reliability. This also gives you an opportunity to show your personality. By demonstrating your knowledge and allowing your marketplace to get to know you, you create a potent marketing mix that really helps you to build trust.

Please don’t just find this advice interesting.

Do something with it.

When the economy is in bad shape, people think a lot harder before making any investments. This includes investing in the services or products you provide. Showcase your credibility and make the decision to invest in you as easy as possible.