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It’s a common nightmare – you are walking down a busy hallway or giving a presentation, and then you definitely look down and see that you just’re completely naked.
We are naturally afraid to disclose too much about ourselves, and as an entrepreneur, this probably applies to your online business as well.
However, based on growing my very own company from zero to over $100 million in annual revenue, I can say that less is no more when it involves business transparency – more is more. Openness builds trust, and trust massively advantages customers and relationships. The only exception is not to reveal trade secrets to competitors.
Here are three effective ways to build trust with your current and potential customers by being more transparent (without leaving you feeling horribly overexposed).
1. Increase your sales by 18% or more by increasing your Google reviews
Almost everyone reads reviews before purchasing. One study showed that there are actually a lot of them 93% of individuals read reviews before making a purchase and the reviews give an average Sales increase by 18%.. In today’s online environment, people place almost as much importance on Google reviews as they do on a personal suggestion.
The best solution to increase your review numbers is to easily ask! According to research70% of consumers will leave a review for the company when asked to do so.
About 4 years ago, we received 486 reviews after serving over 90,000 customers. We began using Podium to send texts or emails – depending on customer preference – asking them to go away reviews on Google, Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot.
By May 2024, we had 2,312 five-star reviews, an increase of 375%. Please note that our account managers make every effort to send review requests to customers and only ask customers who are most certainly to reply positively.
Another good solution to increase your review count is to routinely send postcards after you shut an order thanking someone for their business and encouraging them to go away a review. Physical mailing is probably simpler than email – one study in which a survey was conducted 1,200 consumers said 76% trusted direct shipping over online methods the most.
You could also be wondering, “What about negative reviews?” You will at all times have a few bad reviews, but people look at the ratio of fine and bad reviews. If you have significantly more five-star reviews than one-star reviews, they are going to ignore the negative ones and assume that this is not the norm.
2. Improve lead generation by 105% by sharing your customer success stories
Sharing real marketing results has at all times been a priority for my company, PostcardMania. Currently we have 944 marketing case studies and 139 video case studies that document how real people share campaign details that led to more leads, revenue and recent customers for their businesses.
We share these case studies far and wide with potential customers via email and postcards to extend trust. Recently, nevertheless, we have began incorporating these stories into social media video ads. During Meta’s recent earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that fifty% of all Facebook and Instagram users’ time is spent watching videos, so we naturally moved in that direction to drive interest in our services.
We used 139 video case studies – real business owners talking about their successful campaigns – to work for us on Facebook and Instagram.
As a result, our social media lead count has doubled. In 2022 our average variety of social media leads per week was 174, then in 2023 our average variety of leads increased to 356 per week! That’s an increase of 105%.
Of course, our use of social media in this case is a part of a larger cross-channel marketing strategy that mixes junk mail and digital ads, so I suggest a similar approach if you would like to see the same results (in fact, we’ve packaged our successful approach into one inexpensive marketing package called Everywhere Small Business resulting from the high demand from our clients to duplicate it). Campaigns that uniquely mix print and digital promoting, using hyper-targeted mailing lists and lookalike audiences, have proven effective time and time again, so I highly recommend them.
It doesn’t matter what industry you are in, your customer success stories will be collected and incorporated into your marketing plan to grow your customer base.
3. Convert leads faster by throwing a velvet rope and inviting them in
Being transparent online will help build a positive image of your brand and attract more customers, but you can even go a step further and allow potential customers to go to your online business and interact with your products or services in person. One report revealed this 79% of consumers want brands go beyond what they need to disclose and provide more information, with two-thirds of them saying they’d switch brands to get more detailed data.
At PostcardMania, we invite customers to go to us and see our own printing facility. Twice a yr we also organize a marketing conference, during which clients can meet face-to-face with their marketing consultants and learn more about our business from the inside. These clients often develop into some of our greatest and most lasting relationships! You can do the same by hosting an event and opening your doors to the public. It doesn’t have to be a conference – you’ll be able to start with something so simple as an evening of snacks and entertainment.
Free samples are also a great solution to show customers exactly what they’re getting before they commit. This isn’t at all times the case for every business, but you’ll be able to try to search out a solution to let potential customers interact with your product or service on a deeper, more physical level.
Use any of those tactics and you’ll show potential customers the most authentic side of you and your organization. Believe me when I say that trading your fears of being super transparent for daring authenticity will reap real rewards in long-term growth and customer loyalty.