The Secret to Building Know, Like, and Trust as an Entrepreneur
Insights from the Simple + Smart SEO Show Podcast
Let’s face it. Marketing your business is not easy. And even harder and more overwhelming as a solo entrepreneur. With so many platforms and strategies to choose from, and so little time as a one-person shop, it's hard to know where to focus your efforts. That's why I was excited to be a guest on the Simple + Smart SEO podcast with hosts Brittany Herzberg and Crystal Waddell, where I had the opportunity to discuss my approach to simplified marketing and share some valuable insights.
Listen to the episode here and then return to this blog post for a further breakdown of how you can create a streamlined marketing strategy and easily market your brand using the Know, Like, Trust path.
The Know-Like-Trust Path
First, let’s squash this idea that the Know, Like, Trust factor is some mindset your audience must achieve all at once in order to become a client, customer or brand enthusiast. We know someone is likelier to buy from you if they know, like, and trust you. But calling it a “factor” or a “principle” turns it into an abstract concept that remains too broad to implement effectively.
Instead, I want you to think of it as a journey or a path your audience moves along as they experience your brand. And as you’ll see, using the Know, Like, Trust path will help simplify and streamline your marketing efforts. This path is the foundation of your marketing strategy, helping you build strong relationships with your audience and ultimately convert them into loyal clients. That’s why it’s important to break down and focus on each step individually, instead of a whole like some run-on sentence (KNOWLIKETRUST). First, getting discovered, then building engagement, and finally, establishing trust that leads to conversions.
Know: How you introduce your brand to new audiences
The first step in the "Know, Like, Trust" path is getting your brand noticed by new audiences. This is your opportunity to make a memorable first impression and pique their interest. Consider the various channels and platforms that someone new might come across your brand, such as social media, your website, guest appearances on podcasts, or collaborations with others in your industry. By strategically optimizing your presence on these platforms, you can increase your chances of getting discovered by your target audience.
Like: How you engage with your audience and let them get to know you
Once you've captured your audience's attention, engaging with them and fostering a sense of connection is the next step. This is your chance to show them who you are, what you stand for, and how you can help them solve their problems. But it should also be a two-way conversation. Create engaging content encouraging your audience to interact with you and your brand and actually reach out to them personally as well. The more someone feels like they actually know you personally, the more you’ll do to solidify their “like” factor.
Trust: How you convert your audience into clients
Establishing trust is the final step in the "Know, Like, Trust" path. It's the moment when your audience feels confident enough in your capabilities to become paying clients. This trust grows as you give them more value, share testimonials or case studies or as they experience your services or products firsthand through free lead magnets or low-cost products. Once someone is ready to move from like to the trust step, it’s up to you to give them that push and convert them from followers to clients. So make sure you are regularly inviting your community to work with you!
It starts with a clear client journey
To effectively implement the "Know, Like, Trust" path, it's essential to map out the steps your ideal audience will take to experience your brand. Visualize the journey they will go through, from the first encounter with your brand to becoming loyal clients, and outline what actions they need to take to move to that next step. If they hear you on a podcast episode, what is that call to action that will move them from know to like? Where are the places you will be engaging with them and getting them to like you? And what are the ways you’ll sell to them so they can move to the trust step?
You want your client's journey to be as clear as possible. It shouldn’t be a guessing game for your audience. They should understand how they’d move from one step to another. You also want it to be simple for you to manage as well, so there aren’t as many touchpoints that you have to keep track of. Start with 4-5 marketing channels that new audience might discover you. Maybe it’s one to two social media sites, your website that’s optimized for SEO, and by being featured on podcasts. From there, I recommend focusing on two places where you can focus on engaging with your community in the “like” phase. Likely this is on email and on a social media site. From there, you want 1-2 places you are selling to your community. Maybe it’s by booking a sales call or visiting a sales page.
When you have a clear and simplified client journey, you’ll be able to really focus on optimizing each channel to serve your audience’s needs and keep them moving along the Know-Like-Trust path.
Quarterly focuses Keep You On Track
So what does it mean to optimize each marketing channel? It’s simply about ensuring that those channels are working for you so that your brand is constantly growing, attracting new audiences and moving people through your client journey.
As much as we’d like marketing to be a “set it and forget it” approach, it needs regular maintenance. I like to do this on a quarterly basis, with what I call Quarterly Focuses. Start with a brand and marketing audit to review your marketing channels within your client journey and your metrics to see what needs fixing or tweaking. If there is an area of your brand or marketing that isn’t performing the way you’d like, set a side a quarter to work on it!
Each quarter I tackle specific areas related to the "Know, Like, Trust" path. This process has worked for me for years and I know it will for you as well! Choose one area for each phase and develop strategies to enhance it. For example, you could focus on setting up SEO to improve discoverability in the "Know" phase, implement different strategies to encourage engagement on your social media platforms for the "Like" phase, and create a new offer or refine your sales process to convert trusted leads into clients during the "Trust" phase. By breaking down your growth objectives into manageable quarterly focuses, you can make consistent progress and ensure that each aspect of the "Know, Like, Trust" path receives the attention it deserves.
🎧 Want more on quarterly planning? I share it all on this episode of the Sytems & Workflow Magic Podcast!
Implementing marketing routines
Now that you have your marketing strategy in place, it's time to take action through consistent marketing routines. These routines are the regular tasks you perform on a weekly or monthly basis to help people continually move through the "Know, Like, Trust" path.
Promotion Routine: This routine focuses on introducing yourself to new audiences. It includes activities such as sharing your content on social media, guest blogging or podcasting, participating in online communities, and collaborating with others in your industry. Choose your activities based on your client journey and how you want to build visibility. What tasks are involved? What type of regular routine can you create to ensure you are proactively promoting your business?
Content Routine: Your content planning and creation system plays a vital role in building engagement and moving your audience from the "Like" phase towards trust. Develop a content calendar that aligns with your audience's needs and interests, and establish a schedule for creating and publishing content. Whether it's blog posts, videos, podcasts, or social media updates, ensure that your content consistently delivers value, showcases your expertise and personality, and keeps your audience engaged.
Sales Routine: The sales routine focuses on converting your audience into clients. Determine the offers or services you want to promote and establish a schedule for when, where, and how often you will promote them. This routine can include activities such as launching new products or services, running sales, hosting webinars or workshops, or conducting one-on-one sales calls. Consistency and authenticity in your sales efforts will help build trust and encourage conversions.
Putting it into practice with SEO
Circling back to the Simple + Smart SEO Show podcast episode, we of course dove into specific SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tactics and how it plays a crucial role in the "Know, Like, Trust" path, particularly in the "Know" and "Like" phases. It involves behind-the-scenes work to ensure your brand is discoverable by your target audience. Here's how you can put SEO into practice in these two phases:
Getting Discovered through SEO: When it comes to getting discovered, SEO helps increase your brand's visibility in search results. Optimize your website with relevant keywords, create valuable content that aligns with your audience's search intent, and leverage social media platforms to share your content and engage with potential clients.
The Role of SEO in the Like Phase: While SEO is primarily associated with the "Know" phase, it also helps build engagement and likeability. Incorporate relevant keywords in your comments and engagements on social media platforms to associate your brand with specific topics. Respond thoughtfully to comments and actively engage with your audience on platforms like TikTok, podcasts, or online communities. By strategically optimizing your content and interactions, you can enhance your brand's likeability, increase engagement, and foster deeper connections with your audience.
The "Know, Like, Trust" path serves as the foundation of your marketing strategy as a solo entrepreneur. By breaking it down into clear steps and implementing specific strategies, you can simplify and streamline your marketing efforts to build strong relationships with your audience. Map out your client journey, choose the right marketing channels, establish quarterly focuses, implement marketing routines, and leverage the power of SEO to guide your audience through the "Know, Like, Trust" path.
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