By Henry Brown

Do you constantly look around in awe at other small businesses that appear to be having constant and amazing success? It seems like they have an ever-growing customer base who just buy everything they offer, and it also appears that they hardly even need to do any marketing or advertising because their customers are singing their praises all over town, and you just don’t know if you’re ever going to be able to compete with that.

For example, you may offer something like Litespeed web hosting and feel like your package is something that’s really great value for money, yet all you’re ever seeing is people turning down your offer and going to a competitor who may even charge more than you do.

Although it may be hard for you to believe that there’s not something missing with what you’re offering or that they’re not better than you in some way, either with their business offers or just the way they do business, the truth is there is nothing different about them at all – all they’ve done is build trust with their customers.

Trust is something that takes time to build, but why so many small business owners nowadays are feeling frustrated, and possibly even hard done by when it comes to starting a business, is that so much of our society has become conditioned for instant gratification, and in business – and in relationships of any kind – there’s no such thing.

Just like you wouldn’t ask someone to move in with on the first date, you’re not going to get a very positive response if the first message your potential customer has with you is one of sales and promotion. They need to be warmed up and know that they can trust you before they part with their hard-earned cash.

So, if you’re wondering how exactly you can go about building that trust with people so that they buy from you, then in this post we’re going to show you how to do just that.

Before you even consider selling to people, you have to show them why they should buy from you. Not by giving them a sales pitch or using sleazy tactics like false scarcity, but by bringing real actionable value to the table that allows them to create a result, and in turn positions you as an authority.

So, how do you this?

Well, there’s no one single way, but there are a lot of ways that have been proven to work, so it’s really just about what works for you.

Here are five simple strategies you can use to build yourself a targeted audience of raving fans who will buy from you thanks to the trust you create with them:

Be consistent:

Nobody likes a flake, so when you show up one day dropping value bombs all over the place and then disappear for a month, you’re not giving people the confidence to trust you because they never know when you’ll be there and when you’ll be gone.

Either get into the habit of showing up at least once per day on your main marketing platform or writing out some posts in bulk and then scheduling them, so even if you’re gone you’re still present in their mind.

Give value without expectation:

There are few things that turn people off than them asking a question and instead of answering the question, you give a slightly vague answer and then offer them your product.

Help people without asking for anything and when they’re ready to buy your full solution, they’ll remember you above anyone else.

Let people see you:

Video content has taken off massively in the past few years – especially on social media, and it’s because people are loving that they can connect with people so quickly on social media and online, but a lot of the personal connection aspect that humans truly crave has slowly been fading. Video allows people to see your face and feel a connection with you, and this is a great way to build trust with your audience.

Start a podcast:

Podcasts aren’t going anywhere, and they’re still an amazing way to grow a targeted audience and build your authority on a subject matter that brings actionable and educational content that truly helps people.

Create a Facebook group:

When Facebook groups are done right, they can be an absolute goldmine for your business. People love to part of a community, so make it a place where your audience feels comfortable, safe and supported.

If you’re delivering top content and actually communicating with people, you’re going to build that authority and trust so much quicker.

Hopefully these tips have shown you that while building a business takes time and isn’t by any means easy, it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Just choose the strategies you feel comfortable with and implement them consistently.

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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop, he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.