I think it was back in 2006.
That’s when I first came across the marketing idea of prospects and customers needing to feel they know you, like you, and trust you before they buy from you.
At the time, the idea seemed on point to me.
But over the years, it’s struck me that those three things alone are not enough.
At least, not any more.
Don’t get me wrong: they used to be enough, but these days, not so much.
There’s something else, something that’s missing—something that without which, if you don’t have it or can’t create and sustain it, you’re effectively sunk.
As much as you might thing that the missing thing is value, it’s not. Value needs to be baked into your offer from the beginning and if value isn’t right there, front and centre, you might want to review your whole business idea.
So no. It’s not value.
It’s belief.
Today, it's not enough to rely solely on customers knowing, liking, and trusting your brand.
While these are essential components of building a strong brand-customer relationship, belief in your brand signifies a deeper, emotional connection that transcends the transactional and fosters brand loyalty.
So, let’s look at why you need to start talking about belief in your messaging and why you need to start creating it and sustaining it—right there alongside the pillars of knowing, liking, and trusting your brand—and how this shift can transform customer relationships and brand success.
You MUST understand the evolution of consumer behavior.
Since about 2010, the landscape of consumer behavior has undergone a significant transformation. Today's consumers are more informed, discerning, and socially conscious. They’re looking for quality products or services AND brands that align with their personal values, principles, and worldview.
To connect with these consumers, marketers like you need to understand the evolving psychology of belief. Belief involves an emotional connection that goes beyond simple transactions and extends to people’s shared values and sense of purpose. The more your brand projects and connects with causes your customers support, the more your customers will support you.
2. You MUST understand the role of emotional resonance
Incorporating belief into your marketing is about creating emotional resonance. Belief transcends rational decision-making and taps into the heart of your consumer’s choice making processes.
Brands that evoke strong emotional connections are more likely to be remembered, recommended, and retained—READ THAT AGAIN—if you can’t do this, you’re in trouble. Emotional branding isn’t some airy-fairy nonsense.
Emotional resonance is something that powerfully reinforces a sense of identity and community, it’s something that fosters a long term, long-lasting sense of customer loyalty in a way that knowing, liking, and trusting alone cannot achieve.
3. You MUST understand the role of building a community of believers
People’s belief in your brand is something that has the power to create a community of passionate advocates. When customers trust AND believe in a brand, they become brand ambassadors, they become powerful advocates and apostles, gladly spreading your brand's message and values to the people in their networks. This organic, word-of-mouth marketing is a potent force that can significantly impact your brand's reach and influence.
4. You MUST understand the role of alignment with values and purpose
Customers today want something more that just merchandise, they’re looking for personal alignment with brands that reflect their values and that support important social, communal, or environmental causes.
A brand that stands for something beyond profit inspires belief in ways that a profit-focused brand won’t. These kinds of brands are not only liked and trusted but also revered for their contributions to a better world. This alignment with purpose is a powerful driver of belief.
5. You MUST understand the journey from awareness to belief
Making people aware of your brand or your products ISN’T ENOUGH!
You’ve got to SHOW people how your brand makes a difference.
And because 95% of today’s press, TV, and digital advertising does not do show people how the product makes a difference effectively enough, that’s why MOST of that advertising is a waste of time, effort, and client coin and why most of it is soulless garbage that does NOTHING to generate sales by making a difference.
Today’s marketing paths need to evolve to include the journey from awareness to belief. While the traditional messaging focuses on awareness, consideration, and purchase, modern customer journeys have got to extend to encompass belief. This journey recognizes that customers may engage with a brand multiple times before developing a deep belief in what it represents.
6. You MUST understand the importance of measuring belief in brands
Incorporating belief into your marketing means you’ve got to create new ways of measuring your results.
Traditional metrics like Net Promoter Score (NPS) or customer satisfaction surveys offer insights into trust and likability, but belief is a more nuanced concept.
NPS gauges how likely customers are to recommend your business to others. It uses a single survey question: "On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend [business] to a friend or colleague?" Based on their answer, customers are categorized as promoters (9-10, likely to recommend), passives (7-8, somewhat satisfied), or detractors (0-6, unhappy and likely to complain). Subtracting the percentage of detractors from the promoters gives your NPS score, ranging from -100 (all detractors) to +100 (all promoters). A higher score indicates a more loyal customer base.
As a marketer, you need to develop strategies to measure belief, such as tracking customer testimonials, social media sentiment, and brand loyalty over time.
7. You MUST understand the business impact of belief
Belief in your brand not only fosters loyalty but also has a direct impact on your bottom line. Loyal customers who believe in your brand are more likely to spend more, refer others, and remain committed to your products, good, and services over time, even in the face of competition. This results in higher customer lifetime value and, ultimately, greater business success.
Wrapping up.
While the concepts of knowing, liking, and trusting brands remain foundational in marketing, it’s vital that you recognize the transformative power of belief.
Belief represents a deeper, emotional connection between brands and customers, which, in today's landscape, can make all the difference.
Belief goes beyond transactional relationships to create communities of believers who advocate for brands, making them not just liked and trusted but revered.
As the way you market your products evolves and shifts over time—because you’re a smart marketer who reads SHAKING THE TREE, right?—your ability and willingness to acknowledge and foster belief in your brands will become an even more important part of moving toward lasting success and customer loyalty.
As always, thanks for reading.
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P.S. Next time on Shaking the Tree … How to become bulletproof.