Back in the day, when televisions first came out and advertising began to grow, a commercial or ad simply had to do one thing: make itself appear better than the competition.

As an advertiser or business owner, if you could sell your product and make it feel like more of a necessity than the other guy’s product, you were in. Consumers would come flooding into the stores thinking that they absolutely could not live without your product.

Remember the first ‘only available on television’ commercial you saw? Those ads are pretty convincing that you need the item they’re selling and their urgency only persuaded you to purchase even more.

On the negative and positive scale, consumers have gotten smarter and need more information than just a fancy selling point.

So what is the number one successful marketing tactic that all business owners must adapt to?

Trust

When you’re building your business and you want to continue to keep loyal customers as well as gain new ones, you must build a trusting relationship with the buyers.

Do your customers trust you and your brand? Decades ago, it didn’t matter. Whatever was said in a commercial or ad was trusted – it was believed to be true. But with the number of disappointing products or failed services, consumers began losing trust in companies and realizing that their loyalty must be earned.

People want proof; they want experiences; they want validation that your product and what you’re saying is going to be the truth.

So how can you gain the trust of your customers to ultimately benefit your business as a whole?

1. Realistically hook your customers with an advertisement. A customer wants to see an ad they can relate to. Whatever product or service you are trying to sell, ignore the competition and focus on the audience. They need to see that your product is relevant to them and their real life situations. Sure, the novelty cotton candy maker on the infomercial was really cool and looked like a fun investment, but how is that relevant to the buyer? What do they need it for? How is that going to solve a problem they are having?
2. Do exactly what you said you would do with your products and services. Building a trusting rapport with a customer or client means never going back on your word and never lying to get ahead. If your product guarantees something or says it is going to do something, such as remove fleas from your pet, it needs to do that. The minute that a customer realizes your product is not doing what it is supposed to do, they are going to share their experience. Since technology has become so advanced, the Internet allows a consumer to share their negative or positive experience in the blink of an eye.
3. Be honest and upfront about everything. Don’t make false promises or things you know will never happen. If you’re offering a service and a customer wants it immediately, don’t tell them it will be there immediately. Give them a realistic time frame. Give realistic goals for your product. People aren’t stupid and certainly don’t want to be treated that way. If your new cell phone product isn’t supposed to get wet, don’t advertise that it is invincible, because there is a critic waiting to prove you wrong. There will always be customers in doubt, so if you’re honest and upfront with the things you can or can’t do, there will be no distrust.

Whether you own a small business or you’re on your way to becoming a mass corporation, developing a trusting relationship through a positive marketing technique will always benefit your business in a positive way. That is simply the beginning when it comes to successfully marketing to your clients. If you sign up for our free newsletter, you will receive more exclusive marketing tips that you won’t find anywhere else.