Become a voice of trust – Marcus Sheridan

Our clients at ActionCOACH Exeter are no stranger to Marcus Sheridan, the author of They Ask You Answer and his content marketing methodology.  We took a busload of businesspeople to hear him in Bristol last year and this April we were able to take a group of clients to BizX from 10 local companies.  On the first day of the conference, at the London ExCel, Marcus spoke on the Battle for Trust and how it can be won. On the second he spoke about the Power of Video. Both were riveting presentations and in this post we attempt to share some of what we learned.

The Battle for Trust

Marcus believes trust is something that is fundamental to every successful business. “The battle you are in is a battle for trust,” he says, and “I want to show you how you can be the most trusted voice in your space.” He maintains that if you want to ‘become a voice of trust’ the following three things are essential:

1. You must be willing to talk about what others do not in your space;
2. You must be willing to show what others do not in your space; and
3. You must be willing to sell in a way others won’t sell in your space.

This in effect means your website needs to address the fundamental questions people are asking about your product or service, in order to deflect worries and fears potential clients may have. Providing content on these three points also enables you to reduce doubt and build trust.

“Frustration is the ‘f word’ of the Internet,” Marcus quips. “If people can’t find the information they are looking for, they aren’t going to stick around. They will simply move on the the next site.”

The reality therefore is that the first company to provide the information people are looking for is more likely to get the business.  Another Marcus Sheridan nugget is that nowadays people are about 80% through the buying journey before they make contact with you, hence the importance of having sufficient content.

According to the Marcus Sheridan marketing model, buyers only really care about five subjects when making a decision to purchase from you. These are: cost, problems, comparisons, reviews and what is best in class. The big question we all need to answer is what is the percentage of information our websites carry relating to these topics?

1. Cost –Many people don’t talk about price because they feel they have a bespoke or customised solution. However this is an opportunity to explain the variables of your industry including factors that may drive the cost up or down. Marcus insists you don’t wait until people ask what you charge as by that point you may have lost a client. Rather have the information clearly available on your website. If you don’t teach your clients then your competitor will.
2. Problems – Most companies are afraid they will lose business if they talk about problems concerning their products, services or industry. However one can drive potential customers away when you don’t address such issues. This is what Marcus means about answering the tough questions others won’t touch!
3. Comparisons – Marcus believes we should take the bull by the horns and compare ourselves to our competition before someone does it for us. This is because people want to know the difference between products and services, and they want to know what sets your company apart from the rest.
4. Reviews – Ask for customer reviews and share as many authentic reviews of your products and services as possible.
5. Best of or Top# – Describe to your customers the best possible options available to them and why they are better than anything else.

In summary, listen to your customers and answer their questions along the lines of these five subjects. ie What does X cost? What are the problems with X; How does X compare with Y?; Has X been reviewed? and What is the best type of X?

“Honest and transparent content is the greatest sales and trust building tool in the world. Period.”  Marcus Sheridan.

The Power of Video

In order to become a trusted voice in your space, Marcus believes you will need three pieces of content per week over an 18 month period. These should focus on the above topics and be roughly 1,200 to 1,500 words each. However you also need  at least two videos a week.

In his second presentation Marcus spoke about turning your website into a fully fledged Leaning Centre through the power of video. He asked why people don’t see the significance of publishing video content. This may be because of lack of time or budget or fear of being judged. However we make time for the things that we value and video should be something we prioritise because it delivers such incredible results. “Don’t be held back by the three percent of people who may criticise your videos,” he says. “Choose to let that three percent go!” He also stresses the need for many companies to have a full time videographer or at least have access to video training and production. One of clients, Kevin Aires of Cadence Video Academy could be a helpful contact in this regard. Listen to Andy Davies interview with Kevin on why businesses should be creating video content.

While brag videos about yourself don’t work, creating video content explaining the seven to 10 most questions you are asked will. Plus Marcus believes every web page should have a video, even a bio page, explaining why that person is special. He also recommends putting videos on email signatures!

Finally Marcus believes companies should make a specific video on each of the five topics already mentioned for each of their products and services.

Discover the magic of Marcus Sheridan

If you have never heard Marcus talk, you can experience a glimpse into his work as a world-calls speaker in the video below:

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