If you have read my post about what is marketing, you know that I define marketing as process of getting people to know, like and trust you. If you know someone, like them and trust them you are more likely to do business with them.
Today I will go over the liking part of that definition.
Having someone like you is the same thing as making a friend. You usually accomplish this by find a connection to that other person. Maybe you have something in common with them. One of my favorite examples of this is the “motorcycle thing.” A friend of mine coined that term years ago. You’ve probably seen it. When two motorcyclists pass each other on opposite sides of the road and they wave to each other. They have something in common. They both enjoy riding a motorcycle.
It doesn’t seem like a lot to have in common but then again you may not know motorcyclists! They are very passionate about the rides.
Maybe you have a personal connection with another person. You may both be mothers of 3 year olds in the same preschool. Maybe you have similar interests or hobbies. Maybe you have a friend in common. There are any number of ways to have a connection with someone.
The deepest connections come from finding a personal connection. Something that you and the other person share at an emotional level. It can be sharing a love of the same football team. Or it could be a sharing of concern for a cause. Like save the whales.
As business people we need to find a way to connect with people that we want to do business with. This is not always easy as someone who we want to do business with may live half way ’round the world from us. They may just be a reader of our blogs. How can you connect with them?
What made Oprah, Oprah?
Oprah is nothing short of a phenomenon. Here was a small town girl who hit the big time. How did she do it? How did someone who was watched on television connect with the viewers. She was able to relate her life to the viewers in such a way that they felt like she knew them. She knew their problems, their joys and their struggles in life. She opened up about her life and people fell in love with her. She made herself vulnerable and people responded to that it droves. She was able to connect with other on a very deep and emotional level. People like Oprah and they trust her. Deepak Chopra and Dr. Phil both got their starts on her show. If Oprah liked you and had you on her show you were an instant star in your own right. If Oprah read your book and recommended it, you sold lots and lots of books.
Now, most of us aren’t on TV and never will be but we still need to find a way to connect with people.
I’m here to say that you need to share you struggles in marketing with your readers. You need to share your joys. You need to share yourself. You need to respond to every comment you get. You need to relate to people. You need to share what you are doing that is working for you.
Maybe you will never sell anything to that person. Maybe you will never recruit them into your business. But you will have helped someone. And maybe the next person who reads your blog will see that you are willing to help people with no return, no benefit to you and that may just be the type of person who will want to join you in your business or might be willing to buy something from you. The will know you, like you and trust you.
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