Build trust by giving it straight
Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2025 9:47 am
It can be tempting to make things sound more sophisticated than they really are, but the key is to speak to people in a way that makes it easier for them to understand what you’re saying. This creates trust.
“I trust people when I can understand them, as opposed to someone who always seems like they’re trying to talk over me. When someone’s always trying to speak above me, it doesn’t create that feeling of trust,” Fleming points out.
This doesn’t mean that content must be dumbed down, or that you can’t address the pressing needs of your readers who want to delve beneath the surface or approach problems from a more sophisticated angle. It just means that you want to create content that can serve the needs of readers at various levels of experience and skill, so that they can all benefit from the information you are providing.
How casual is too casual?
It can be tempting to get very casual with your content, especially if you see your colleagues doing the same. However, it’s important to consider the needs of your audience first.
“It’s not a matter of casual just for the heck of it,” Fleming says. “It’s senegal whatsapp number database speaking in a way that resonates with your audience.”
The words you use can be entirely different depending on who you are speaking to, even if your company has different content for different demographics.
“A group of brain surgeons can speak conversationally, in simplistic ways to their audience, but they’re not going to be overly casual,” Fleming explains. “Think of it like a cocktail party. What kind of cocktail party discussion would you have with your ideal customer outside of work?” It may be casual, but not overly casual, or it may be a little more formal, depending on who is attending. The key, Fleming says, is learning how to resonate with your ideal customer.
Seek feedback
The best way to know whether your tone and voice is resonating with your clients and prospects is to see how they respond to the information. Are they asking questions about posts that you thought were self-explanatory? This can help you see whether or not you are on the right track.
Using qualitative feedback and other metrics to track audience response can be helpful. Specifically, look for social media shares and comments, blog comments and dialogue around your content to see whether or not your users are responding to your voice.
This post contributed by guest author, Yael Grauer. Grauer is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer and editor. Find her online at Yaelwrites.com.
“I trust people when I can understand them, as opposed to someone who always seems like they’re trying to talk over me. When someone’s always trying to speak above me, it doesn’t create that feeling of trust,” Fleming points out.
This doesn’t mean that content must be dumbed down, or that you can’t address the pressing needs of your readers who want to delve beneath the surface or approach problems from a more sophisticated angle. It just means that you want to create content that can serve the needs of readers at various levels of experience and skill, so that they can all benefit from the information you are providing.
How casual is too casual?
It can be tempting to get very casual with your content, especially if you see your colleagues doing the same. However, it’s important to consider the needs of your audience first.
“It’s not a matter of casual just for the heck of it,” Fleming says. “It’s senegal whatsapp number database speaking in a way that resonates with your audience.”
The words you use can be entirely different depending on who you are speaking to, even if your company has different content for different demographics.
“A group of brain surgeons can speak conversationally, in simplistic ways to their audience, but they’re not going to be overly casual,” Fleming explains. “Think of it like a cocktail party. What kind of cocktail party discussion would you have with your ideal customer outside of work?” It may be casual, but not overly casual, or it may be a little more formal, depending on who is attending. The key, Fleming says, is learning how to resonate with your ideal customer.
Seek feedback
The best way to know whether your tone and voice is resonating with your clients and prospects is to see how they respond to the information. Are they asking questions about posts that you thought were self-explanatory? This can help you see whether or not you are on the right track.
Using qualitative feedback and other metrics to track audience response can be helpful. Specifically, look for social media shares and comments, blog comments and dialogue around your content to see whether or not your users are responding to your voice.
This post contributed by guest author, Yael Grauer. Grauer is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer and editor. Find her online at Yaelwrites.com.