If you know anything about us at all you know that we are NERDS about customer experience and branding. Those are two of our favorite topics of all time. Why? Because when you do your job right, the way you handle creating a brand and serving your people can take you from 1 to 100 REAL fast. Essentially, the secret weapon in your business is creating excitement, connection, and buy-in with your ideal customers. 

Now you might be sitting there asking, “Wait, what’s buy-in? How do I create it??”. We’re so glad you asked because today’s podcast conversation is ALL about that. In this episode, we’re talking about building a connection and trust with your ideal customer so you can stand out from the competition, serve your customers above and beyond, and create a business that you’re dang proud of.

We cover LOTS of in-depth marketing principles in this episode, and low-key this episode is just a lil free marketing coaching call just waiting for you to press play. 

Are you ready to hear all about how to stand out in your industry and grow like crazy??

 

What is buy-in and why do you need it?

People buy from people that they know, like, and trust. It’s pretty rare that you’ll hire a random vendor or purchase from a random company without some sort of proof that it’s worth it (ex: reviews, someone recommended them to you, you know them personally, etc). 

Think of the last time you needed (or wanted) to purchase something. In order to purchase that product or book that service provider you need to TRUST that it/they are going to deliver on what they promise. You need PROOF that what it’s going to do for you will serve you in the way you want. You need to have BUY IN to choose THAT person or product over every other one.

Buy-in also creates a front-of-mind for most people. When they’re bought in, your brand is the first thing that will come to their mind when they (or a friend) have a need. They will be a brand evangelist. 

 

So how do you create buy-in?

1) Focus on relationships and a personal connection

How can you make a personal connection with your customers?

This will make you stand out from the crowd of others in your same field and niche. We’ve said this a million times but we firmly believe this: YOU are the secret sauce in your business that will make you stand out from the crowd and from your competitors. It’s time to embrace that. If you’re a personal brand – share personal aspects of yourself or mission, whatever you’re comfortable with.

People connect with PEOPLE, not robots, not objects, not companies, not corporations. PEOPLE. You can create trust by sharing something personal about yourself that your ideal client can resonate with or connect to. It creates trust and buy-in with YOU vs. your competitor. Show up as a human.

If you’re not a personal brand, that’s okay! Focus on creating buy-in around the mission of your company. How can people feel connected to the purpose and vision of your brand? How are you making a difference? What will the impact be on their lives (or the world around them)? By creating a connection (whether to you or to your brand mission) you’re establishing the know, like, and trust factor. For product-based companies, how can you make commercials, videos, reels, ads, etc.. that create EMOTION in your ideal customer? Products alone often don’t elicit an emotional response but if you work them into a moving story, they do. 

Example- Google Parisian Love Ad:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UejEaBAYIbc 

 

2) Prioritize serving your customers where they are

Create a client avatar and be extremely strategic in knowing who you’re speaking to and what they need and want from you. Create a storyboard for your ideal customer (read Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller if you haven’t already). 

Think through “What is my ideal customer or client trying to accomplish?”, “What are they struggling with on that journey?”, “How can I help them overcome that struggle and reach their goals?”. 

Some examples:

For a social media manager: your ideal customers are probably struggling with:

• Getting enough eyes on their work online
• Growing their sales through social media
• Posting consistently with valuable content
• Needing more time to do other things in their businesses

For a wedding photographer: your ideal clients are probably struggling with:

• Not even knowing where to begin with planning their wedding (what vendors do they even book first??)
• Worrying about feeling stressed or uncomfortable in front of the camera on their biggest day ever
• Want to document their wedding in an incredibly special way (but maybe not even knowing what that means!)
• Not knowing what to look for in a photographer, in their timeline, in their venue, etc!!! (After all, most likely, they’ve never done ANY of this before. YOU HAVE.)

 

3) Stand out as TRUSTWORTHY

Under promise, over-deliver. 

Example: 

• Photographer – gallery delivery times.
• Clay earring Etsy shop owner – put in an extra pair of earrings the customer isn’t expecting as a surprise. 

Creating a customer experience that leaves them speechless from beginning to end is going to help you stand out as trustworthy as a business. 

Be consistent. Don’t be sporadic with your content. If you have a blog or podcast or go live on Instagram, establish a consistent routine and STICK to it. Don’t be all over the place. Also consistency for how you treat all clients equally. Don’t go above and beyond for some and not others to the point where a customer might hire you expecting something they’ve heard you do, and then get disappointed because you didn’t deliver that. 

Photographer example: if you do wedding planning guides for your clients, give it to them ALL. 

Be reliable. Do what you say you’re going to do. Don’t ghost your freaking clients (the number of times we’ve heard people inquire with service providers and then NEVER hear back). Follow through for EVERY client (aka have dang good workflows so you don’t drop the ball on any of them). That’s a way to be reliable, under-promise, over-deliver, and to stand out as trustworthy that will create a culture of buy-in in the long term. 

 

 

Show notes

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Google Parisian Love Ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UejEaBAYIbc 

 

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