Trust Based Marketing For Profits Today - Part 3 of 3

Six Steps To Generate Trust & Credibility in Your Target Market

Okay, enough theory. Let’s get down to the nuts and bolts of building trust. There are six steps to follow if you want to develop a trust-based marketing strategy:

1. Select a target market. It is much easier to build trust in a specific, target market. By focusing on a target market, you can demonstrate your understanding of your prospects’ needs, and tailor your solution in ways that resonate with your prospects. People are more likely to trust business professionals who speak their language, understand their issues, and have developed comprehensive solutions for their industry.

2. Develop educational products that prospects in your target market will appreciate. Most Web designers and other IT professionals want to show prospects how talented they are. That is necessary when you get into a competitive bidding situation, because you have come late to the game.

However, with trust-based marketing you establish your credibility and reputation before your prospects even have a need. The way to do this is by providing free information. Articles, speeches, newsletters, press releases, white papers, seminars, audio CDs, and simple surveys of your target market are examples of valuable information that prospects appreciate.

Your informational products should address specific problems that your target market faces. Sample titles might include: “The 10 Dirty Secrets About Web Design that Other Web Designers Don’t Want You To Know;” “Five Mistakes That Most Realtors [or your specific target market] Make with Their Web Presence;” and “How to Double Traffic To Your Web Site for Under $100.” You should be able to come up with dozens of truthful, interesting, attention-grabbing topics to present to people in your target market-- and many formats in which to present your content.

3. Build a list of prospects. Your list of prospects could become the most valuable asset you have in your Web design business. Once you have a list of prospects in your target market, you can continuously follow up with them in ways that establish trust and credibility. Capture prospect information by offering a free newsletter on your Website, any time you speak, and every time you offer informational products. Ask your network to let people know about the free information you offer (which is much easier than asking for referrals).

If you have a budget, you might also invest in advertising and direct mail to build your list. Use these techniques not to promote your services, but to offer a free report or subscription to your newsletter. Opt-in list building services, Google, and Yahoo search marketing can help build your list, too. All of these paid services are less effective than free strategies, but will allow you to build your list more quickly.

Note that staying focused on a target market makes it easier to build your list. For instance, if you focus on developing a Web presence for lawyers, you can easily obtain lists of lawyers, write articles for publications targeted at lawyers, and speak at conventions that lawyers attend. You can also develop information that lawyers specifically need, for instance, by comparing legal Websites to one another.

4. Follow up with prospects. Once you’ve chosen a target market, built a list, and created a few educational products, you can follow up with prospects on your list in ways that build trust.

Your newsletter or business blog is the best way to follow up with prospects. Every time you send it out, you remind your prospects that you are an expert in your field, not by telling them, but by showing them with expert insight and information. And, with each issue, you can promote additional opportunities through which your prospects can gain education and information from you, such as speeches, seminars, roundtables, eBooks, white papers, and articles on your Website and Business Blog.

Similarly, each time you follow up with prospects through other vehicles, you should offer other ways for them to get yet more information from you. For instance, if you speak in public, offer your prospects a free white paper that will interest them, and fits your expertise.

The more you follow up in valuable ways, without coming across as a salesperson, the more trust you’ll build.

5. Develop proactive referral systems that bring more prospects to you. Referrals are fantastic, because they bring you prospects that already trust you, based on the recommendation of somebody they respect. Unfortunately, many Web designers assume that referrals come automatically from satisfied clients. They don’t.

You have to ask for referrals from clients, and ask specific questions about people they know who might have a need for your services (e.g. “You told me that you’re on the board of the Chamber of Commerce. Do any of the other board members need help with their Web presences?”). You should also build referral networks with complementary professionals, for instance, by creating your own “mastermind groups” of professionals that meet on a weekly basis to help each other grow their business.

6. Be patient. Remember that it takes at least five favorable impressions with a prospect before he or she trusts you enough to contact you. Don’t destroy the trust you are developing by suddenly pitching your services, offering a free consultation (which prospects automatically translate to mean “sales pitch”), or asking for an appointment. If you offer enough valuable information to a focused market, soon people will begin calling you.

If you do want to contact prospects on your list, there are two effective ways to do it. The first is to follow up with a call after they take advantage of one of your information products or programs. Ask them for their advice and feedback, and offer to answer any questions they have. Don’t sell them anything; if they have a need, they will let you know. Then, send them a handwritten note thanking them for their time.

Second, create a research study or survey, and contact prospects to participate. Offer them a free copy of the study after you are done. Topics might include: “Top ten concerns [your target market] has about their Web presence;” “Benchmarking: How much your competitors are spending on their Web presence;” and “Web results: Top traffic drivers for [your target market].” Research studies show your prospects that you are an expert, and give them a great opportunity to share their issues and concerns with you.

If you follow these steps consistently, within six months to a year, you’ll have a huge database of prospects. They will call you first when they have a problem that you can solve. Best of all, you can achieve these results without a large investment of money.

~~~ OK, the following is the bonus section of this article! ~~~

Why Most Web Designers Will Avoid This Advice -- And Why That Is Great For You

Most Web designers will not act on this approach to business development. There are a few reasons why. First, many Web designers come from the “If I build it, they will come” school of marketing. They know they are talented, and believe that eventually people will learn about their capabilities. Unfortunately, this strategy only works in baseball movies directed by Kevin Costner! Average Web designers with superior marketing skills will almost always do better financially than brilliant Web designers who don’t make marketing a top priority.

Second, trust-based marketing strategies are somewhat unusual. It requires GIVING, believing that you will receive back in time. That is, it requires faith to make the up front investment of time and energy (and some money) to establish trust and credibility within a focused market. Most Web designers rely on traditional marketing approaches that push their services, and old habits are hard to break. They think too short term. Others try these approaches for a while and then give up, or don’t commit fully to implementing these strategies as a top priority.

Finally, many Web designers lack the patience and discipline it takes to focus on a target market and become a recognized expert in that market. They want business, and they want it fast. So they go to bidding sites, and battle dozens of other competitors from around the world to get jobs. If they would only invest a few months of effort to build trust and credibility, they would have all the clients they can handle for the long haul.

But all these reasons are good news for Web designers who do choose to base their marketing strategies on building trust. You can get the most desirable clients in your target market, while your competitors continue to slog it out. They will have to compete on price, submit competitive bids, and deal with prospects that don’t trust them enough to give them straight answers. You won’t.

I hope you make the right choice! We invite you to choose Promise Productions for your marketing communication needs. Let us cause your business to thrive in any conditions through integrated and strategic messages (and compelling visuals) that reach your ideal prospects with the understanding and solutions they long for!

We're ready to learn about your goals. Feel free to call us today at 972-822-3587.