Building trust and turning connections into relationships is crucial for establishing yourself as an authority in your niche. People buy from those they know, like, and trust, and this can be achieved by creating a strong community.
Your community will “Like, Know and Trust you”
You will gain all three factors when you genuinely show that their needs are important to you, and they believe they are part of your community and finally feel and know that they can trust that their needs will be met by being a member of your community. However, many people miss the mark by omitting the sense of community when building their network.
It is very important that you show up as you are, be the authentic person that you are. You will attract others with similar goals or beliefs as you. These people will relate to you. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine in your posts and content. Keep in mind this is a professional network platform. Don’t overshare (some people share a bit too much). This of course is different on each platform.
This is not Facebook. Keep in mind that Facebook is similar to being in your living room, and most people share way more personal information. LinkedIn is your professional networking platform where you will meet the CEO that will give you the business opportunity of your life. (If you have not yet optimized your profile, I highly encourage you to click HERE and learn all about optimizing your profile for success).
Be consistent with your message throughout all your social media accounts and content.
Engage
A community is not possible without conversation. This applies to both face-to-face networking and online networking. Don’t blast posts at your community; this will turn them away. Relationships require give and take from both sides, and conversations and engagement require two-way communication. (Think of it similar to a two-way street). The key to a vibrant community is conversation and engagement. Keep it strong by placing as much importance on the conversation as they do. Show them you care. “Give your community a reason to engage with you. Provide them with content that they need and will find valuable. Interaction can take the form of likes, shares, comments, and messages. If someone takes the time to comment (good or bad), it is incredibly important that you reply in a reasonable amount of time (I try to respond within 24 hours). Connect with your community on other social media platforms they are using. Get to know them and their businesses. Eventually, take the relationship offline.
Provide Value
Make sure that in every interaction with your community, you share some sort of value (something that will leave them feeling that it was worth their time talking with you).
It Is About Them
At the end of the day, people all think WIIFM (what’s in it for me) when they are looking at your content. Think about this from their perspective. If they don’t find any benefit for them, they will most likely turn their attention away from you. Ask them what they want to learn or discuss. Depending on the goal, industry, and audience, some great ways to provide your community with value is to create content such as:
- Give them what they want.
- Never Send The Default
