Likeability Will Grow Your Business

If you think people only buy from you because you exist as a business or because of the quality of what you sell, you have to think again. You do not have to sell products that lack quality, appeal or reeks of bad service for people not to buy from you. There’s a lot more that goes into purchasing decisions and behavior.

A notion we must start to acknowledge is the fact that we make emotional decisions when we buy. The way we feel when we go into certain shops, how we were serviced, the conversations we had with the shop owner are sometimes strong reasons why we chose one business over the other. 

Sometimes, these conversations are so compelling that we keep going into the shop or business to buy or transact business because we like the people we meet there, we like their personalities, we like the banter, they engage our emotions and we just like spending time with them.

This psychological phenomenon is known as the “Trust economy.” It’s the theory that trust, likability, and an inherent idea that popular people are generally better – prompt us to change our mind about where we buy stuff. So, despite what people say, being liked and being popular is valuable.

Let’s get some scientific evidence to back up the claim that popularity matters.

We first need an understanding of the trust economy. One of the best ways to do this is to look at it from the perspective of Robert Cialdini – a social psychologist and psychology professor who theorized six crucial aspects of social influence, which included:

Reciprocation: We’re more likely to do something for someone who does something for us. Why? Because we feel like we owe the people who give us stuff something in return

Consistency: We like working with or buying from people who allow us to remain consistent with our values and commitments.

Scarcity: The more someone tells us we can’t have something – or that it’s “rare,” the more we want it.

Likability: The more we like someone, the more we want to say “yes” to them.

Social proof: We need other people to tell us if someone’s worth our trust. (This is where the whole “popularity” angle comes in)

Authority: We trust people who seem to know more about something than we do.

In view of the above, it is essential that we create more likeability in our business, because people tend to say “yes” to those they like. The challenge many businesses have found is that developing likeability as a business is difficult. Every business has to find its preferred and exclusive way of engaging with its customers that helps to showcase its unique value proposition.

Jonathan Chan said, “in a UCLA study that reviewed 500 adjectives based on how they related to likeability, the most associated words were “sincerity, transparency, and understanding.” If you want to be more likable as a business, then you should follow the same rules on how to be more likable as a person. In other words, display your company as an honest, straight-forward, and sincere entity. The question is how many businesses really portray themselves in this light. They say it, but do they really act it or do it if push comes to shove.”

According to Chan, under listed are ways you can start to work on being likeable as a businesses.

Get Involved with Customers

Your leads like to know that you care about them. Ask them questions, get involved with what they’re doing, and help them to feel more involved in your business. You’ll quickly find that your potential customers start to take notice.

Don’t be an Attention Hog

Nobody likes the guy that’s desperate for attention all of the time. If someone feels like they’ve engaged with your brand because of their own choices, chances are they will have a far more positive opinion of you. On the other hand, if they feel like you’ve bullied them into being your friend, you’re not going to get much loyalty.

Act like a Real Human Being

Finally, your customers don’t want you to be a big all-knowing business – they want you to be their friend. A solution to their problems and someone that can offer fantastic deals to them when they need it most. Act like a human being, be dependable, transparent, and interesting, and you’ll generate a much bigger social following.

Simple additions like friendly, engaging images and relaxed language will work well for your brand to make them more likeable.

Make Yourself More Popular

Use customer reviews and testimonials that can prove not only that you’ve had customers in the past (that’s a big selling point), but also that those customers were happy with the service or product they got from you. Customer testimonials feature relatable and real people – which helps to showcase your personality. What’s more, good testimonials should:

• Feature people who are relatable to your target audience
• Showcase specific value points for your service or product
• Be specific – showing metrics that look similar to case studies for that extra touch of authority

Using Influence

Besides testimonials, another way to provide social proof and become more popular is to back yourself up with someone your customer recognizes. You can do this by working with social influencers. Influencers are key experts within a chosen niche or industry who have already taken the time to build a rapport with your audience. In simple terms, they’re the social celebrities your customers trust most, and working with them can give you instant authority.

When using influencers:

• Choose influencers that are naturally linked to your target audience, have similar interests and who would be interested in your brand. Find people who your customers respond to easily.
• Don’t underestimate “micro” influencers. Sometimes people with a few thousand followers can still have a positive impact when it comes to building social proof.
• Build strong relationships with these influencers and get them connected to your brand.

Chan says, “popularity and likeability can take time – particularly if it’s authentic. But without the right traffic and popularity, you’ll never be able to establish yourself as a trustworthy business.

And in a world of skeptical consumers – it’s the trustworthy bird that gets the worm. If you can build trust and a positive relationship with your customers, your loyal following will grow right along with your profits.”

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Marie-Therese Phido, CEO, Elevato, Strategy, Innovation & Marketing Expert and Business Coach