Building Trust through Transparency Marketing
Many individuals I work with view marketing as a way to sell a product or service. For me, nothing could be further from the truth. I don’t want sales; I want relationships. In fact, ultimately – if I may be so bold and brazen - if I can, I’d like to better someone’s life. When I marketed someone’s book or services in the past through my marketing company, in my heart it was not with the intent of selling the product (that’s a byproduct), but rather with an intention to share a product or service that I felt someone else could benefit from because I had previously benefited from it myself. I believe this is the proper way to view marketing. It is not about selling; it is about making others aware of something fantastic. It is not about selling; it is about having a consistent passion for your vision of what the product can do and the value of the thing being marketed.
Looking at it from this angle, marketing becomes a tool to help others learn to trust and believe in you, your product, or your service. Trust is the final transaction. It takes the pressure off: if you really want to build a relationship and your focus is not on making a sale, then if the person does not buy, no one is disappointed, but you’ve probably made a friend. In the long run, I assure you that you both will come out ahead. The secret is to be sincere. Be clear about why you want someone to be aware of your product. Be clear about how this product can help the end-user and – if you want to be bold, too – even how your product can change their life. And when you market, make sure that the product lives up to the reputation you are giving it. Don’t hard sell. Don’t oversell.
Marketing comes down to a matter of trust, to relationships, and it comes from marketing honestly and fairly the product you wish others to know about. No matter how much money you put into it, trust cannot be sold; it must be earned. Trust also cannot be conveyed by telling someone to trust you. Trust, like most things in life, must be earned. It is earned over time by being credible, by having a great rapport with the people who eventually trust you, by being consistent in your message, and by doing all you can to gain other people’s respect.
Solve problems. Share wonderful experiences. But never market out of personal gain.
Like this blog? Sign up for Clay’s newsletter offering encouragement, skills, resources, and knowledge relating to a balanced life while writing, marketing, promoting, and living. https://claystafford.com/newsletter
