What is “Know Like Trust”?
Ask someone what marketing is and what the goals of marketing, and you will get an array of answers. Some will go technical and talk about Google Ads, SEO, visitor acquisition, and retargeting. Others will talk about brand recognition and driving leads to the sales team.
While they are not wrong, marketing covers a wide range of responsibilities and usually overlaps with other business departments (sales, advertising, human resources, etc.),they usually do not encompass the field at its simplest level. And that “Marketing is about getting people to Know, Like, and Trust your brand.”
Marketing can be distilled down to getting a customer segment to Know you, Like you, and Trust you. After that, making the sale becomes easier, as well as customer service down the line.
So, what is Know Like Trust? Is it one thing or many? And how does that incorporate into our marketing efforts?
In this article, we’ll break down what Know Like Trust means and how you should bake those elements into your marketing efforts at every turn!
KNOW: How to get your target audience to know about your business.
You need to make sure that your audience knows who you are and can find you. Make sure that you have the right digital presence that helps to express what you stand for in a clear and concise message.
With the cohesiveness to express who you are, what you have to offer them, and where they can find you. Keeping your message clear and clean so that they get to know you.
Branding, although important in every step of your marketing journey, is a huge part of developing “Know” elements. Not just a logo, but colors, mood elements, imagery, voice, tone; all these elements are your brand. Maintaining consistency is just as important as designing a brand.
Finally, leverage social media to get in front of the right audiences. Get out there and introduce yourself! Whether you shake hands in person or virtually over zoom, making a splash with introductions can go a long way to developing a lasting relationship.
Like: Get that target audience to LIKE you
This personal connection can be created in several different ways and will vary depending on your target audience. Typically there are a few constants:
Valuable, personalized messaging that tells you a story across several platforms including social posts, videos, and blogging. Buyers react significantly more to good storytelling rather than statistics and data (at least initially!). Make sure to include brand elements that include content that is relevant to your product and services.
Create video content that welcomes viewers into your company culture: Video office tours, birthday announcements, day-in-the-life pieces, all these ideas will help show your potential customers another side of your business. The non-salesy side, the friendly side, the personable side.
Always remember to keep your ideal customer, that ideal buyer in mind when putting together ideas for developing LIKE.
Trust: Building a trusted brand
First off, like it was stated earlier, consistent branding is just as important here than anywhere. If your website looks feels different than your Facebook page, and your Google listing has a logo from 15 years ago, and your address on Yelp is still your Mom’s basement back home, it will be impossible to develop trust with potential clients. Audit your online presence and confirm that how you do business offline is reflected online.
From there, you should add on important resources that potential clients can review when they are researching and deciding on a service provider to choose. Case studies. Online reviews and testimonials. Peer reviews. Publications. This is where we move past the fun and light-hearted, to the facts and the results.
Now imagine what an interaction looks like between your sales representative and a potential customer that Knows, Likes & Trusts your business. Things get a lot easier, there’s a lot less friction and the process is less formal. This lead has already established a relationship with your business and is ready to buy!
At First Call Digital Agency we offer a free KLT Consultation. One of our experts will help you brainstorm a path, custom to your business and your audience, to develop Know Like & Trust. It’s free, it’s fun, it helps move your business from where you are to where you want to be.
