Brainstorm Your Brand: Know. Like. Trust.

I’m sure you’ve heard the “know, like, and trust” fac­tor is one of the most impor­tant con­cepts to mas­ter as a solo or microbusi­ness own­er espe­cial­ly if you’re look­ing to build a strong brand iden­ti­ty. But do you real­ly know why that is? Basi­cal­ly, it’s because those are the three deci­sion-mak­ing stages that your tribe goes through before they decide to engage with your prod­uct or service.

Three Decisions

It goes with­out say­ing, but to begin with, your tribe needs to know that your brand even exists. This means that it must have a clear and rec­og­niz­able image, res­o­nant mes­sag­ing, and val­ues. They also need to know that it offers the type of trans­for­ma­tion they’re seek­ing. If your tribe doesn’t know about your brand and what it has to offer, they won’t be able to make a con­nec­tion with it.

Next, they need to like your brand. This is where things like brand per­son­al­i­ty, val­ues, and mes­sag­ing real­ly come into play. Your tribe must have a pos­i­tive atti­tude toward your brand. They also need to be cer­tain it res­onates with them. And, they feel good sup­port­ing it. This is why con­sis­tent, res­o­nant, and engag­ing mes­sag­ing is so very impor­tant. If your tribe feels good about your brand they’ll be more like­ly to con­tin­ue con­sid­er­ing your prod­ucts or services.

Your tribe also must trust your brand. This means that they believe it’s trust­wor­thy and depend­able and that you’ll deliv­er the trans­for­ma­tion they seek. Build­ing trust takes time but can be achieved through trans­par­ent and eth­i­cal busi­ness prac­tices, offer­ing guar­an­tees and war­ranties, and con­sis­tent­ly over-deliv­er­ing on your promises.

In a world where there are count­less options for just about any­thing you could want, a strong “know, like and trust” fac­tor is cru­cial for stand­ing apart and build­ing loy­al­ty. Once your tribe is loy­al to your brand, they’ll like­ly con­tin­ue to sup­port it over your com­pe­ti­tion. This trans­lates to cre­at­ing a rav­ing fan base that can take your brand to celebri­ty level.

Here are 5 tips that can help to create a strong KLT Factor with your tribe.

Be Authen­tic and Transparent

Be authen­tic and trans­par­ent. Your tribe wants to know who you are, what you stand for, and what your busi­ness is all about. They can spot a pho­ny scam­mer a mile away so be com­plete­ly hon­est about your back­ground, expe­ri­ence, and val­ues, and let your tribe know what sets your brand apart from your competition.

Pro­vide Value

Pro­vide val­ue. Whether it’s through pro­vid­ing high-qual­i­ty prod­ucts or offer­ing excep­tion­al ser­vice, make sure that your tribe knows that you’re com­mit­ted to pro­vid­ing them with the trans­for­ma­tion they seek.

Engage With Your Tribe

Engage with your tribe. Respond to their inquiries in a time­ly and pro­fes­sion­al man­ner, offer help­ful tips and advice, and be avail­able to answer any ques­tions or con­cerns they may have. Pro­vid­ing excep­tion­al ser­vice will help you build a strong and last­ing rela­tion­ship with your tribe and let them know that you care about their needs and wants.

Share Your Story

Share your sto­ry. Whether it’s through blog posts, videos, or social media, share your sto­ry with your tribe and let them know what inspired you to start your busi­ness, what chal­lenges you’ve faced, and how you’ve over­come them. This will help your tribe con­nect with you on a per­son­al lev­el and will also help to build their trust in your brand.

Build­ing a strong know, like, and trust fac­tor with your tribe is essen­tial to the suc­cess of your solo or microbusi­ness. By being authen­tic and trans­par­ent, engag­ing with your tribe, shar­ing your sto­ry, and deliv­er­ing the trans­for­ma­tion they seek you can build a rav­ing loy­al fan base and ensure the suc­cess and growth of your brand.

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