The Trust Factor: Building Stronger Online Bonds for Success

As businesses navigate the ever-changing landscape of online marketing, understanding and developing social trust has become paramount.

In this interview, we discuss the intricate art of building trust in the digital world with Deb Coman , a content conversation strategist and copywriter. This interview explores strategies Deb uses with her clients, provides insightful real-world examples, and offers actionable items to not only connect with your audience but to build enduring trust in the online sphere.? It’s a conversation that goes beyond tactics and into the heart of what makes a community truly resonate in the digital age.

Before we begin, here’s a quick bio:

Deb Coman is a Content Conversion Strategist and founder of the Six Figure Content Lab. Deb guides impact-driven service providers and healers to create content that converts. By developing and deploying trust-building email and social media posts, service providers discover a faster way to attract and enroll their next 3 - 5 ideal clients each month.

Deb was featured in BuzzSumo's “Top 100 Content Marketers to Follow Right Now” as well as NOW Marketing Group’s “Top 113 Digital Marketing Experts to Follow.” You can find her on your favorite social media platform and at DebComan.com.

1. Can you explain the concept of social trust and its significance in building an online community?

Social trust is the relationship currency we earn through meaningful conversations. Online, this happens on social media and in our email marketing, two key ways to reach our ideal clients.

Building social trust on social media occurs not only through conversation about our own content. In fact, we build it faster when we share and engage with other people’s content. The way we communicate, support, and help others informs not only the person we’re engaging with. The observers are impacted and making decisions about us, even when simply watching from the sidelines, often in silence.

As we earn social trust, the people we engage with, and those watching, who find the conversation meaningful, are more likely to engage with our future content, too. They often visit our profile, choose to connect, follow, or even subscribe to our email community if they feel they’ll benefit from connecting with us.

This is how we build community based on trust, one person and one interaction at a time.

2. What are some key strategies or techniques to establish trust with an online audience?

Establish trust with your online audience by engaging with and sharing the content that they create as much as, or even more than, you invite them to engage with your own. Be helpful by sharing high-value, actionable content. Answer questions. Make introductions and invite others into conversations to enrich the experience for all involved.

Share authority- and credibility-building content that demonstrates your expertise. This includes:

• Speaking and podcast interviews, guest writing, and other ways you’re featured.
• Your own articles and blog, podcast or show, trainings and masterclasses.
• Testimonials, case studies, and other outcome-based content related to your services.

Be intentional when posting and engaging online and find opportunities to share your:

• Values and beliefs, including your big WHY.
• Behind the scenes of your business.
• Personal stories to the extent you’re comfortable.

3. How does social trust affect customer loyalty and retention in an online community?

When you’ve earned and established social trust with customers, they want to be loyal and will often choose to work with you long-term (or come back!), refer others, and share about their positive experiences with you. All of this results in building even more trust in you and your brand and the positive ripple effect expands into new audiences, helping them make a decision to work with you, too.

4. Can you share some examples of successful businesses or brands that have effectively used social trust to build a strong online community?

Chewy, an online store for pet-parents, has a reputation for building trust. In fact, the "About" section of their website states, “At Chewy, our mission is to be the most trusted and convenient destination for pet parents and partners, everywhere.” On social media, the brand actively posts engaging content inviting people to participate in fun polls and other questions. They promptly respond to comments and when they’re tagged on platforms. They’re known for excellent customer service and responsiveness that raving fans often share about on social media. Even their Twitter/X profile invites people to share and tag them.

5. What role does transparency play in building trust with an online audience? How can businesses effectively communicate transparency in their marketing efforts?

Transparency is key to building trust and the more a brand can share authentically and vulnerably, the faster and stronger trust builds. Brands that share their challenges, and not just wins, are more relatable and approachable.

Some ways to communicate transparency as a business owner or brand include:

• Share behind the scenes of your business content.
• Post personal content to the extent you’re comfortable including how you enjoy spending time when not working.
• Show your face and show up on video.
• Talk about challenges and how you’ve dealt with them.
• Take responsibility and admit when you make mistakes.

6. In the context of online communities, what are some common mistakes or pitfalls that businesses should avoid when trying to build trust?

While it seems quite obvious, don’t say things you don’t mean or that aren’t true. Less impressive but accurate outcomes and achievements are more impactful than exaggerated ones, and often, people can see through the smoke and mirrors. In fact, exaggerating or inflating results can erode trust.

Also, when you’ve created an active online presence with a community of connections who regularly engage with you, be consistent in your activity. A common pitfall to avoid is drumming up conversation and then disappearing and not responding.

To the best of your ability, respond when people tag you; when they answer your questions; and otherwise engage with your content. And this means more than a like, thumbs up, or single emoji. Take a little time to craft a meaningful response, even if it’s short.

Building trust doesn’t have to take a lot of time. In fact, I teach busy business owners and brands how to accomplish this in under 30 minutes a day on social media.

7. What role does content marketing play in building social trust? How can businesses create valuable and trustworthy content for their online communities?

Building social trust is accelerated by creating content and engaging in ways that demonstrate not only your expertise, but your trustworthiness. There are a number of ways to ensure you’re creating what your ideal audience needs from you. Your content needs to:

• Demonstrate that you understand the challenges your ideal client deals with and why you’re the person or brand to help them solve it.
• Be based on topics that relate to specific aspects and components of your services.
• Show up in content formats and mediums your audience prefers.
• Be delivered in ways that you can shine best whether that’s video, audio, images, infographics, writing or a combination.
• Include some degree of who you are as a business owner (your values, beliefs, behind-the-scenes, non-work activities).
• Incorporate stories from your clients, your challenges and successes, and your life, in general.
• Showcase your credibility including when you and your work are featured by other businesses and brands.

8. Can you share any actionable tips or advice for businesses that are just starting to build an online community and want to prioritize trust as a foundational element?

I have a 4-Part Roadmap for building trust that generates sales and the first phase of it is about engagement. Before we expect people to engage with the content we create, we need to spend time engaging with other people’s content. When we enter online conversations with value and grace, we gain meaningful visibility and opportunities to connect. My TRUST steps describe how to start building trust, even before we post on social media.

The TRUST steps are:

T - Take account. Open the social media platform where your ideal audience hangs out and first take account of the people, topics, and conversations already happening where you can contribute in a meaningful way.

R - Reflect. Before reacting and jumping in with a comment, take a moment to consider how the post you settled on sits with you. What does it make you think of? How does it make you feel? What might you contribute here that would be helpful?

U - Unleash creativity. A big part of building trust is letting people get to know you. How you show up in online conversations impacts how people consider, and ultimately decide whether to trust, you. What does this post seem to call for? Is this a highly sensitive topic that requires a serious response? Does this call for you to use your humor or something lighthearted? Allow you and your creativity to enter the conversation.

S - Set an intention for connection. We may be using social media to get clients and sales, but this is not step one when building relationships based on trust. Instead, set an intention to connect in a meaningful way with new people and/or to strengthen the bond and relationship with people you already know. Clients and sales will come, but connection needs to happen first. Leave links for another time.

T - Take action. It’s only now after taking a few moments to work through the prior steps that we’re ready to post a response or share someone else’s post while adding something meaningful to the conversation. Now it’s time to share your thoughts in a way that is uniquely yours so that you can begin to build trust and relationships that lead to sales, clients, and more opportunities.

9. Finally, can you provide any additional resources or recommended readings for further exploring the topic of building trust in online communities?

In addition to my programs and services, I do have additional resources for building trust online.

My 11 Reasons You’re Not Getting 3 - 5 New Clients a Month … Yet! is a great resource.

This scorecard helps you identify what you’re doing well and what needs attention when it comes to both social media and email marketing that build trust. And when you download it at DebComan.com/11Reasons you’ll also get immediate access to a short mini training on how to start fixing the highest priority for the greatest return.

The TRUST steps I shared above are part one of my 4-Part Trust-Building Roadmap for Success and video training How to Start Trust-Building Conversations That Ignite Sales. It includes three additional step-by-step processes for engaging, nurturing relationships, and moving conversations from the social media platform to one-on-one interactions that lead to sales, clients, and more opportunities. It’s available at DebComan.com/Conversations

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Thank you Deb Coman for sharing valuable insights into the importance of using social trust to build a thriving online community. I appreciate your time and commitment to helping others succeed.

Follow Deb on LinkedIn and get more from her at: DebComan.com

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