Building Relationships: How To Build Trust In Your Community

You can hire a public relations company to organize a marketing campaign to build community awareness about your company or if money is sparse, the following low-cost techniques can be implemented:

1. Sharing with your community
Sharing what you know is an effective way to build your credibility. Your goal is to become the contact choice when people within your community need help. Whether they are in need of finding a good press release service or the best place to consider a mortgage—you’ll be the person who supplies this information to them.

On the Internet: You could offer a database filled with valuable web sites essential for business success or other links similar to your type of industry.

2. Offer free workshops
In this information age, people love to receive advice, especially when it pertains to their needs. If you sell custom gift baskets or own a yarn emporium, why not offer “craft” workshops after normal business hours? If you’re a commercial printer, you could offer a free brochure design workshop or teach business owners how to properly convey a business identity through logo design.

On the Internet: You could offer a weekly teleseminar tailored to your specific community.

3. Give away something valuable
We expressed how to share information in order to build trust, so why not give away an item to help people improve their lives? If you sell lawnmowers, you can give customers a lawn-care or gardening booklet. If we revert back to the commercial printing business, you can give customers a design booklet, a typeface guide or an instruction manual on how to design print newsletters.

On the Internet: You can provide the same valuable information by publishing an e-book and making it available as a free download from your web site. Provide permission for other web masters to place the book on their web pages and watch your credibility rise with each download.

4. Be a good neighbor
You may be able to attract the attention of the media by presenting a special promotional event to raise money for a charitable organization. Plan the event to include the local businesses within your community and offer a golf outing, car wash day, or talent show for your neighbors to enjoy.

Contact food vendors and arrange for them to participate and agree to donate a portion of the proceeds to charity. Consider sending the collected money to Jerry’s kids, the Cancer Society, or the local women’s abuse center.

What local newspaper is in your area? Prepare a press release and send it to the editor. You’ll never know if they’ll pick up the story unless you try!

On the Internet: Attract a crowd by offering a web site hunting spree or contest that involves donating $1 of your proceeds to charity for every click to a certain page on your web site. This allows your community to receive pleasure in participating, as their click means a local charity will receive funds, and it’s a great way to bring awareness to your products, programs, and services.

Successful entrepreneurs put a lot of hard work into building their credibility within the community, and with good reason. Rather than try to build trust with mere words, they let actions speak their loudest voice!

How do you build trust with your customers? Feel free to comment below.