Building Trust in Social Media Marketing: 3 Questions to Ask
Are you using social media more than ever?
So many of us are working from home more than ever because of the global pandemic, and are using social media to market our businesses.
For some of us it’s old hat, and we’re just increasing our efforts to be visible in a noisy world. For others though, who’ve been functioning quite well without a lot of time spent on Instagram or Facebook, are launched into a new world, and are struggling to be noticed by their ideal clients. Is this you? You know you should be posting more.
You know you should be trying to connect with your people on social media, but you’re at a loss as to what to write.
Have you heard of the “Know, Like and Trust” factor in marketing?
The common notion is that in order to get people to become a loyal follower and to eventually buy from you, they have to know, like, and trust you.
And how to do you develop this know, like, and trust factor?
Your potential customers want to see YOU! The person who’s behind the brand. They want to see your face. (This is a whole other blog about getting the confidence to show your face on your social media posts!)
They want to get to know some personal details about you before they hand over their credit cards.
You may feel: “Yessss!! Finally someone wants to see pictures of my cats and the Basil plant I’m growing in my kitchen”, and dive right in.
For others, the thought makes them a bit queasy. “You mean I have to show people my inner secrets? I have to tell them about the fight I had with my sister, and air my dirty laundry in public?”
There’s a happy medium. You don’t have to do a Tell All. In fact, unless it’s really part of your brand; open honesty and vulnerable sharing, there’s such a thing as too much information.
But sharing a few details that relates to your audience who you are, what you like, what brought you to this business, and what keeps you going will help to keep you in the minds of your audience and potential clients so that when the time comes to purchase, they immediately think of you - and your cats and Basil plants.
if you’re stumped as to what to share, I suggest grabbing your journal and asking yourself these three questions:
1. What do I love?
Write a list of ten things you love. If you’re drawing a blank, think of your senses: what do you love to taste, touch, see, smell, and hear?
Strawberries
My cat’s fur
Old black and white movies
The woods after it rains
90’s R&B music
Pick several things you genuinely love, and start sharing them consistently in you social media posts, so your ideal customers will get to know who you are, and can start to like and trust the amazing YOU!
My list includes:
Green tea
Yoga
Walking in the woods while listening to podcasts
Writing
Vegetarian cooking
2. What do I stand for?
What values do you hold dear to your heart? What issue makes you riled up and ready to take on City Hall? What is the wrong you want to make right in this world?
Letting your audience know your values increases the know, like and trust factor.
If you’re a feminist who wants to ensure that more women know how to use their voice, let people know. If you are for LGBTQ rights, then wave the rainbow flag. If you practice anti-racism, and are actively fighting for equality for Black people, Indignenous people, and people of colour, let your audience in on it.
Share the podcasts, books, movies, and people who inspire you.
Remember: You’re not trying to appeal to everyone. You’re trying to reach your ideal customer. And for them to find you, you have to speak up about who you are and what you stand for.
3. What do I not want people to know?
Your first instinct may be to overshare. “If people want to relate to me, I’ll tell them everything! All the messiness, all the chaos, all my wild mood swings.”
Oh honey, no.
Oversharing online is the same as oversharing in real life. It makes people cringe.
Remember, you’re allowed your personal, private life. You can have your secrets. You can keep your personal problems - personal.
Ultimately though, it’s up to you to decide what you choose to share.
If you want to share your love of stamp collecting, go for it you nerdy nut. If you want to share your love of square dancing, dosee do. If you want to let people in on a personal struggle, by all means, let them in. People uniting around a common struggle is a wonderful way to connect.
It’s up to you.
