It is well established that customers are more likely to buy from companies that they trust. Trust, in fact, is such an essential concept in sales and marketing that a significant part of many marketing budgets is dedicated to developing that sense of rapport and relationship between a business and its customers.
Strategic use of email marketing is one of the greatest tools for building trust – and done well, it is within even the most conservative marketing budgets. Then, once trust has been established, you can further the marketing push through some more directed sales.
But how do we build trust? What simple techniques should be used in our email marketing to ensure that we’re sending the right messages – those of reliability, genuine quality and customer care?
Be Honest - The Cornerstone of Trust
It’s possible to give the appearance of trust – in effect, to fake trust. After all, if this is marketing we’re talking about, isn’t it about playing whatever tricks we can to manipulate our customers into buying from us?
I’m not going to lie – these tricks can work. You only have to look at the large swarm of profitable clickbait out there to know that fake enticement and false promises can deliver wonders for instant profit. But while they do provide a burst of engagement, lies don’t tend to last a long time. Sooner or later (and it’s often sooner), your audience starts to suss you out, and they’ll drop off quickly when they feel they’re being taken for fools.
The irony of it all is that fake trust and falsehoods can take as long to put together as genuine honesty – you’re not really gaining anything by doing it, just putting in a lot of work to be something less than genuine. Why bother?
When you are honest and build your customer connections through real engagement, you put in place a solid foundation for a long-lasting relationship, where your audience sticks with you, knowing that you’ll come through when you say you will.
Which leads us to the first important strategy when it comes to building trust – be honest. Don’t try to fake your relationships and manipulate people, swapping long-term retention for short-term gain. It’s really not worth it.
Be You - The Individuality Aspect
If you’re going to be honest, then you also need to be yourself. Sure, there’s a professional ‘you’ who is probably a little different from the homelife ‘you’, and I’m certainly not saying that you have to share your personal life with your customers (although in some fields, that can be extremely rewarding). But if you present yourself genuinely in your interactions and communications with your customers, then they’re going to build that connection. They’re going to trust you.
There are many reasons for being yourself in your email marketing, from using it as a way to have a unique selling point that separates you from the mass of AI-generated slop out there, to building a personal brand, but when it comes to trust, nothing works quite as well as that core honesty of you and your individuality.
Share your stories, show your personality, and present the real person behind the mask of marketing: be you.
Be Reliable - The Consistency Factor
Trust isn’t just about telling the truth, it’s also about doing what you say you’re going to do. Follow up is essential in marketing because when you make good on every promise, no matter how minor, you show reliability. And reliability builds trust; in fact, it’s the very essence of it. Trust is literally defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as ‘confidence or faith in a person or thing’ – and that’s what reliability provides, a confidence and faith that this company will do what they promised. Even if that thing is simply to send out an email every Tuesday morning.
It may seem like a small thing, but showing up consistently is part of being reliable. When looked at through the lens of email marketing, that can really just mean setting up a schedule for email newsletters that never deviate.
Think about how that impacts your target recipient. Over time, they get used to that Tuesday email. A little later, they start to look forward to it. They make reading it part of their regular routine. And it’s there, every week, like clockwork, with something good to say, something that might not always be completely relevant to them, but is always honest and individual.
Then, when they have a need that your product or service will fill, who is it they think of? The company they trust. The reliable company that has given them a worthwhile read every week for months. They trust you, and they will buy from you.
Be reliable. Follow through on everything you promise, and you will have built trust in the most important way.
Be Knowledgeable - The Value Consideration
Why should someone choose your business over your competitors? Because you know what you’re talking about. You’re the expert.
When you show that you’re the specialist, delivering a product or service that is simply of better quality than everyone else, then you build trust in another way – trust that you know what you’re doing.
And for most people, that’s key.
Your email marketing is an essential tool in showing your knowledge. You can write about it directly in your newsletters, providing tips or links to articles, or you can link to videos or other social media that provides engaging and value-driven content. When that email arrives in a prospective customer’s inbox, they will learn that taking a look at it is going to teach them something. You will position yourself as the expert, the person to come to when a need arises – the trusted master.
Don’t hide your expertise – be knowledgeable.
Be Respected - The Social Proof
Having a proven history is another important way to build trust. Of course, it can’t come from nothing, and if you’re just starting your business, your portfolio may feel a little weak. But it will build, and when it does, make it accessible to your audience. Share your successes, encourage feedback and seek reviews.
Email marketing is a great tool for growing your social proof. Set up triggers to ask for reviews once a purchase has been made or a service undertaken, segment your list and ask for occasional feedback, and even send out surveys. Plus, don’t forget to let people know what’s being said about you when you send your next newsletter.
By gathering reviews and building a strong portfolio, you will be respected, and your next wave of customers will start proactively hunting you down.
Building Trust with Nathan Littleton
If you’re on my email list or have been reading my articles for a while, then you’ll know who I am – I’m Nathan Littleton, your friendly (and reliable!) email marketing expert. I’d love to work with you to grow your customer relationships through email marketing that builds trust. Book a consultation today and let’s get started.
