Now that you have created an audience with the content you have been putting up and engaging with prospects, you have to develop a relationship. The trust with prospects is how you turn them into customers.

Now, I know must of us know we have to make relationships with our customers in order to keep them coming back. But you need to take a step back and ask your self if you are being personal enough and relationship minded. Are you being helpful, doing something for your customer and not asking anything in return? Because that is what the formula for gaining trust is all about.

Like we have talked about creating value is number one when trying to gain peoples trust, through content that supports and answers their questions. Creating content also shows that you’re a thought leader in your space, people will in turn look up to you for your questions and complaints.

When consumers know that they can reach out to you through social media, which you should encourage them to do, with content that is fun, simple, entertaining and conversational, you’ve begun to gain their trust. It is a good opportunity to provide excellent service in front of a large audience when you handle customer questions or even complaints with care.

Being honest with your customers can also go a long way towards building that trust that you want with them. Be transparent, let people know that you have nothing to hide from them. Everyone makes mistakes, don’t try to hide them, understand what was done and confront the problem. For example, if someone posts a complaint about your company, it may be tempting to delete, but responding to it directly, demonstrates that you’re not trying to hide anything.

Gaining this credibility and trust with your audience is a must if you want to gain a relationship with your prospects and consumers. Remember it’s not all about you when it comes to your business you have to pay attention to people and show them how much you care for them.

Next week we will talk about the online relationships we have created with prospects and consumers and how turn them into our customers, looking at the sales conversion process.

Thanks for learning with us!