Years ago, I experienced one of the great success stories in the radio industry - Young Country in Dallas.  We launched a new and innovative format to rave reviews and record ratings.  One of the main reasons for that success was our clear brand identity and our connection to our target market as one individual.  Her name was Kimberly Sue.  She was married, lived in the mid-cities area of Dallas/Ft. Worth.  She had 2 children, worked part time and drove a minivan.  I could go on and on in my description - but the point is this.  Our station never did ANYTHING that Kimberly Sue wouldn't love.  Our strategy was the personification of the Purple Cow concept created by Seth Godin.  We were committed to providing Kimberly Sue with a remarkable experience EVERY time she tuned into 105.3fm.  She could trust us! 

 

In today's market, trust is becoming increasingly valuable.  Yet at times it seems elusive and it's always fragile.  It's hard to earn trust, but very easy to lose it. 

 

With so much to say about trust, yet so little space - let's focus now how to build trust with your marketing.  If you set a marketing goal of building trust with your target market, there are a few critical steps to getting started: 
· First you must think of your target market as a customer not a consumer.  She's Kimberly Sue, not a car that consumes gasoline. 
· Second, you must get to know her and learn what's important to her.
· Third, you must create a communication strategy that speaks to her where she is. 

 

An example of this approach would be that you identified Kimberly Sue as a real human being and found out that she is very concerned about child safety.  You, as the marketer, know that others share this concern.  You connect with her by creating a 'community with a cause', because where there is a cause, there will surely be a community!  By bringing together people with a common interest, you become part of the solution and provide the platform on which to build that community.  

 

In the latest Edelman Trust Barometer, an international survey on trust and credibility, one relevant finding revealed that a "Person Like Yourself" is the most powerful spokesperson you can have.  And, they define a 'person like yourself' based on common interest rather than geography or demographics.    Check out the rest of the good news found in the 2008 Edelman Trust Barometer.

 

High trust relationships are a strategic advantage in today's market.  Be strategic and build a platform where your customers can connect.  Be authentic and transparent, knowledgeable of your customer, and decide to think of her as an individual.  Marketing is no longer a series of transactions or even experiences - it's really a social construct based on high-trust relationships. 

 

If you'd like more information on how to build communities with a cause or how to leverage your socially responsible strategies to build high-trust relationships, please email me at ann@annranson.com or phone 972.964.5495.
 

Ann Ranson