The main goal of marketing your small business is to become the go-to for your ideal clients. But how do you do that? If you struggle to attract the right clients or feel awkward tooting your own horn to get new business, the solution isn’t just clever words or flashy tactics – the priority should be to build trust with your marketing by showing your value and proving you walk the talk.
In this post, you’ll discover practical ways to demonstrate your expertise, showcase your process and align everything you do with your brand – so the right people can see why they should work with you.
Why authentic marketing attracts better clients
When it comes to running a business, one word comes to mind – busy! We’ve all been there, feeling like you’re chasing your tail to get client work finished or a new product launched. There is always something to do, which means ensuring your marketing does as much of the heavy lifting for you as possible is key.
Walking the talk, when it comes to marketing, means being true to your brand in everything you do and say. When your actions, messaging and brand all reflect your true values, you build trust with your marketing, stand out from the competition and naturally draw in the clients who appreciate what you offer. A no-brainer, right? When everything feels cohesive and authentic, you’ll spend less time having to try to explain yourself to (potentially the wrong) people.
And the best way to do that is to show, not tell: not by saying ‘we’re reliable’ or ‘we deliver results,’ but by letting people experience and see it for themselves. That could be through sharing your process, giving behind-the-scenes insights or showing the transformation you help clients achieve.
Together, these two principles form the foundation of trust-building marketing: when your words, actions and evidence all line up, clients don’t just hear what you offer – they believe it.
And here’s how to make it happen.
Do it, don’t say it
You know the saying – actions speak louder than words! So, prove that you’ve done what you’re promising to do. This is no time for indirect claims. You have to actually show people how you did it to build trust with your marketing.
This can feel scary, like you’re giving away all your hard-earned wisdom for free. But it doesn’t have to be like that. Something as simple as a quick Instagram video showing you working on a current project can make all the difference.
Say, for example, you run a small business embroidering personalised gifts. This is a bespoke service, and you’ll charge as such. But if people don’t understand the time and expertise that goes into this, they might not be willing to pay what you’re charging. So, why not set up your camera and film a time-lapse of you working on an order?
Not only does this give you some interesting content for social media, but it also allows potential customers to a) see that this is not something they could just decide to do for themselves and b) understand the time and effort it takes to create every personalised piece!
This is not to say that your copy is irrelevant here. In fact, small, relatable stories about your business or client interactions shared alongside the “show, don’t tell” content are often more persuasive than abstract statements.
Working on your copywriting can really help to get all of this across, everywhere from your website to your social media captions.
Back it up
It’s true what they say – people are far more likely to believe what customers or clients say about you than what you say about yourself! So, it’s important to regularly share feedback to start making those connections with new potential customers.
There are a number of ways you can do this build trust with your marketing. Sharing testimonials and reviews that highlight what a positive experience existing customers have had, and what the results and outcomes of their time with you were, is a great place to start.
You can also create case studies, share before/after images, client stories and any evidence you have of either ongoing clients or returning customers. Sharing that people are continually working with or regularly coming back to you is a huge plus.
And the importance of “backing it up” is not just related to previous client experience. It’s also important to share this in terms of your process/approach/way of doing things!
For example, instead of saying “I’m detail-oriented,” show a photo of your super organised workspace, a design mockup or a project checklist (maybe even with items already ticked off!). Anything to back up your words.
Check out this post to learn more about how to make use of customer reviews.
Practice what you preach
Don’t get so busy doing work for customers or clients that you neglect your own presence. It’s so common to hear people say “I’m just too busy to work on my own website”. But if you are a web designer, just think – how does this look?
Other examples of this could be that you’re a photographer with outdated photos on your website, an interior designer whose office is shabby and in need of work, or a social media manager with no social presence yourself. All of these are situations I have seen in the past, and they often result in an awkward exchange with a potential customer!
This just means setting dedicated time aside every month to make sure you work on your own business and build trust with your marketing. It’s so important to make sure your business reflects the talents and skills you’re trying to market.
Here, it is important to demonstrate your values through your actions. For example, highlight how you respond to questions, follow up with leads or deliver personalised service. Show your commitment to quality, customer care or authenticity via the way you interact online or offline. This can be a real game-changer and give people confidence in signing up to work with you.
The juggle is real, but learning how to run your business so it stops running you can make all the difference!
Talk about your history and qualifications
If you’ve been in the industry for twenty years, remind people of this. Experience counts for a lot and can be a great way to help people understand that you really are an expert in your field. Not everyone sticks around in an industry for a long time, so if you have, shout about it!
Additionally, don’t shy away from referencing your qualifications. A degree you have, a certification you completed, advanced courses you’ve taken and any CPD to speak of. Show you are keeping up to date. This reassures clients that you do indeed walk the talk.
If you feel like your knowledge could use a boost, check out my list of the best online learning platforms for small businesses.
Take up opportunities to share your expertise
A great way to share your brand values and your expertise is through other people’s platforms. This could be podcast interviews, guest blog posts, speaking opportunities at networking events or conferences – anything where you can be positioned as the expert!
It can feel a bit scary to reach out for these opportunities to begin with, but once you get into the swing of things, you’ll get more confident. It just takes one appearance on a podcast to connect with a whole new audience, showing them who you are, what your business is about and why they should work with you!
Public speaking is a skill we can all learn to use to our advantage – check out my tips on how to grow your small business with public speaking here.
Make your own opportunities to share your expertise
That last point being said, realistically, public speaking and guest post opportunities won’t come up every month, so use your own platforms to build trust with your marketing as well. The benefit here is that you have full creative control over them and you can use them in any way you wish!
Your blog and your newsletter are the perfect places to get started. Here you can share some of the evidence we covered in the “back it up” section – testimonials, case studies and before-and-afters. They are an ideal place to share that continually growing knowledge we covered in the “talk about your history” section!
Taking the time to keep these things ticking over and up to date is a great example of you walking the talk. There’s no guarantee you’ll get any new work from that one newsletter, but taking the time and effort to send it out builds consistency, trust and connection with your audience. That’s worth its weight in gold!
KEEP READING
To read more about this topic, have a look at these:
Why You Should Focus on Your Social Media Engagement
3 Steps to Raise Your Brand Awareness With Social Media Marketing
How to Use the Customer Journey for Small Businesses
How to Position Yourself as an Expert in Your Field with Educational Content
