Telling a better story about you and your organization is good. But it is not enough. For people to engage with you in a meaningful way, they need to go through 3 different stages of engagement. These are sequential and part of human psychology. Without mastering all three of them, you will not likely get too far.

First, people need to KNOW you.

What does that mean? While only family and close friends know us very well, those whom we want to engage need to understand what we are all about. For people to engage deeper with you, and, therefore, the brand you represent, the more transparent and approachable you seem to them, the more comfortable people will become with the idea that you can be a resource.

Then people need to LIKE you.

People do business with people they like. While you might be the most brilliant option, people will walk away if you are not likable. Have you ever met someone and liked them so much that you wanted to find a way to work with him? We all have.

The oppositive is also true. We all have met gifted people who came across as condescending or arrogant, and therefore, repelled our interest.

Only after people KNOW and LIKE can they TRUST you.

Trust is the ultimate vote of confidence. When someone trusts you and your brand, they are comfortable engaging, donating, buying, and following your lead. It’s hard to trust someone you don’t like. And it’s difficult to like someone you don’t know.

Know, like, and trust are building blocks of personal brands, consumer products, and missional organizations alike. Understanding how to walk your target audience through this sequence will make a massive difference in your conversions.

We help brands develop messaging and tools to get them to be known, liked, and trusted. If you want to learn more about working with us, click here.