Through our daily lives we are bombarded with advertising. Hundreds if not thousands of ads or marketing pieces all after our attention.
For any of these pieces to hit home, the consumer needs to take a leap of faith. In some small way, they need to trust the company that is doing the marketing. If they are a big name, like Walmart or Verizon, they gain a bit of instant credibility. The leap is easier.
For small names and mom and pop shops, we start at zero. A massive gorge to leap over.
For some businesses, this leads to the good ol’ fall back of the sale. If I make my product cheap enough, someone will buy it. This thinking rarely leads to a real win.
Some leverage social networks and friends to “put the word out”. And others never quite make it out there, eventually shriveling up in a slow horrible death.
The best and perhaps the slowest way, however, is to build trust. It’s estimated that it takes at least seven interactions to turn someone from unknown to customer. That is seven times of you reaching out, or them finding for you before they will make the leap.
Now seven could be less if your item is low cost and low risk. Or it could be much higher than seven if your item is a big ticket, or a big risk.
So, seven is our number. How can we shortcut the seven?
Customer testimonials are one way to shorten the buyer’s journey. Another is a good, true story. Something the invites them into the picture and explains how your item will help them. Not just fluff about your company. A story that shows you know what you are talking about, and you are ready to help them.
The easiest way to quicken the journey is to make the risk smaller and the ask less. Getting people on an email list is little to no risk to them. Selling a $9 widget that is only a part of the whole item, but still provides immense value is another. If you sell a book of 100 ways to do XYZ for $50, then selling 5 ways for 5 might seem like a no brainer.
They are making a leap of faith to you. The best thing you can do is build a bridge as close as you can for them to land on. Fail, and they land at your competitor’s door.
What will you build to help them survive the leap?