The Art of Building Rapport Online

Building rapport online with your target audience is difficult. Without being able to communicate with them directly, it can be hard to ensure you’re making a good first impression. There are, however, a few steps you can take to build trust online and create connections with potential customers. It’s all about showing what you do, why you care, and why it matters in a way that forms a meaningful connection.

Build Rapport Online With These 5 Steps

#1 Maintain a relevant & modern online presence:

First and foremost you need to make sure your website and social media pages are up to date and informative. Out of date websites come across as untrustworthy, especially with the vast comparisons consumers see online. Have a schedule in place to freshen up your website with new pictures, and blog content so that you can keep your website active. The more active your website, the greater chance you have of reaching a potential customer.

#2 Market with personality:

People don’t make connections with companies, they make connections with other people. Creating marketing content that shows your brand personality will help you become a more personable and relatable brand. Using an emotional appeal in your marketing will help you paint a genuine picture to potential customers. Share details about your company culture, post about your employees, and share in a way that mirrors your overall brand values. Potential customers can understand and get behind marketing that’s genuine versus sales driven marketing campaigns. Consumers who feel apart of a community by connecting with your brand are the consumers that will remain loyal over time.

#3 Be conversational with your email content:

Connect with your email list in a way that’s to the point, useful, and conversational. Consumers are getting hundreds to thousands of emails each week and will skim through or more likely delete any emails that appear to be sales focussed and generic. Make emails personal by using the customers name, keeping your body content concise, and have an actual employee’s email in the reply area that they can respond to. Customers and potential customers are more likely to engage in your email content if they feel they are having a genuine conversation.

#4 Show customer praise and success:

Show real people who have had success working with your company through case studies and testimonials. This will allow you to maintain a level of trustworthy social proof. Make this content easily accessible on your website and social media pages. The more areas potential customers can find testimonials and success stories about your current customers, the more comfortable they will feel in trusting you as a brand. Other ways to show social proof are by showing growth in numbers on your site, and showing recognizable customer logos. This is the type of content that will help you be relatable to a variety of potential customers on a larger scale.

#5 Be genuine with your customer service:

Don’t send your potential customers on a scavenger hunt to find your contact information. Have contact forms, contact details, and an instant chat readily available to them. Maintaining an FAQ page on your site that answers common questions is a great idea as well. The easier you make it for consumers to contact you with their questions, the better and more timely your customer service efforts can be. Customer service is one of the main ways that consumers seek out speaking with your company, and it’s a great opportunity to build rapport.

Being mindful of these 5 different areas will allow you to build genuine rapport online with your potential customers. With the vast majority of consumers doing most of their shopping and connecting online, it’s imperative to keep your content and communication relevant and helpful. What are some other areas that are important to your business to build rapport online? Comment below!