To understand how your target market will behave, you first need to be able to identify who they are, what they need or want, and build trust with them.

Consumer buying decisions are based on both conscious and unconscious emotions.

Human Behavior and Psychology

To succeed in your business, you must have a basic understanding of human behavior and psychology.

Whether your company sells services or products, the chances that a potential customer will purchase are higher if they feel some psychological connection.

Many marketers try to create a sense of urgency and scarcity to increase sales, such as:

• Limited number
• One of a kind
• Today only

These are samples of triggers designed to encourage people to purchase quickly so they don’t lose out or miss the special.

However, when it comes to content marketing, businesses must also consider the trust factor.

They must make sure they are working towards building a trusting relationship with their potential customers.

The better you understand what makes your target market tick, the better your chances of creating compelling, persuasive, and triggering campaigns and making more sales.

Position Yourself as Your Industry Expert to Build Trust

Finding information on the Internet today is not difficult. However, determining what is valuable and truthful information versus what is only clickbait is not as easy.

Your goal as a business owner is to prove to your audience that your brand is trustworthy, reliable, and valuable.

There are many ways businesses show their authority. For example, sports, clothing, and makeup companies often use celebrities as influencers to talk about their products, giving them authenticity and authority.

There are other ways you can show your authority, such as:

• If you have received industry awards, display them prominently on your website.
• Write a whitepaper or e-book to show your expertise. This will let your target market know that your business offerings are the solutions to their problems or answers to their questions.
• Get to know other authorities in your industry and ask if you can supply a guest post.
• Hobnob with others in your niche by attending as many events as possible.
• In addition to citing other authorities’ research data, conduct and publish your own research.
• Try to get your information in front of as many media resources as possible.

Tell Your Story to Build Trust

People have been telling stories that are passed on for thousands of years. Why?

Hearing stories triggers emotions by activating brain parts associated with movement, sight, taste, and sound.

Hearing stories, like watching movies or reading books, allows us to feel part of an experience without actually being there.

Sad, exciting, and emotional movies or books can transport us into the world of the story.

This influences our emotional brains. And it is our emotional brains that help us make our purchase decisions.

Tap Into Emotions

Business owners want to be able to tap into the emotional brain of their target market.

When telling your business story, select the emotions that relate to your product or service.

For example, if you are a company selling age-defying face cream, you want to stimulate the feelings of women over 40.

Address how your product will help keep their skin looking young.

For this reason, connecting with your customers on a very elemental, fundamental level is essential and builds trust.

When you tell an emotional story, you can tap into a psychological trigger in your potential customers.

The emotions that go viral more than others are awe, positivity, happiness, fear, anxiety, and anger. Suggestions on how to get to these triggers are:

• Make them laugh. Telling funny stories grabs people’s attention by appealing to their funny bones.
• Tell stories about successful people or businesses. This will show your potential customers that they can be successful when they purchase your products or services.
• Talk about your target’s problems or questions and show that you are the solution and have the right answers.

Pique Their Curiosity

People, by nature, are curious. Have you ever heard the expression, “Inquiring minds want to know?”

By making your target market curious, you can keep them engaged.

If you are launching a new product or releasing a new album, use teasers to keep them engaged and interested in seeing what you will be announcing or releasing.

Show them a bit to entice them, and keep posting updates to let them know of the progress with a few more teasers until you are ready to launch.

Be as creative as possible with your messages, and use engaging photos and videos to make them look forward to your next post, email, or message.

Provide Value

Whatever you do, you must provide value to your potential customers to build trust.

If you aren’t answering their questions or solving their problems, why would they even pay attention to you?

If possible, offer free content such as an e-book or relevant and helpful whitepaper.

Build Trust With Social Proof

People like to do business with people they know, like, and trust.

They also want to do business with companies their friends, family, and co-workers like and trust.

This is precisely why word-of-mouth advertising is a powerful marketing tool.

Use this social proof by encouraging and including reviews and testimonials to help build trust and persuade others to purchase from your company.

If you want to build trust with your target market and increase sales, you must fully understand the “why” behind your brand and thoroughly understand the values of your potential customers.

When marketing your company, hit the psychological triggers to get your target market to trust your brand and come back to learn more about your products or services.

Final Thoughts About Using Psychological Triggers to Build Trust

To effectively build trust with a target market, businesses must first identify their audience, what they need or want, and how to connect with them emotionally.

Consumer buying decisions are influenced by conscious and unconscious emotions, making it essential for marketers to understand consumer behavior and psychology.

Creating a sense of urgency and scarcity can encourage quick purchasing decisions.

Examples include limited availability, one-of-a-kind offers, or time-sensitive promotions.

However, while these tactics can drive sales, they must be balanced with efforts to build a trusting relationship with potential customers.

Understanding the psychological triggers that resonate with your target market can lead to more compelling and persuasive marketing campaigns.

Storytelling is a powerful marketing tool, as it engages emotions and creates a connection with the audience.

Stories can evoke feelings associated with movement, sight, taste, and sound, influencing purchase decisions.

By selecting emotions that align with their products or services, businesses can effectively tap into their customers’ emotional brains.

Curiosity is another psychological trigger that can keep the target market engaged.

Businesses can pique interest and encourage anticipation by using teasers for new product launches or announcements.

Creative messaging and engaging visuals can enhance this curiosity and keep the audience looking forward to future updates.

Providing value is essential for capturing the attention of potential customers.

Businesses must address their audience’s questions and problems, offering solutions through valuable content such as e-books, informative whitepapers, or a free video.

This approach not only demonstrates expertise but also builds trust.

Social proof plays a significant role in consumer behavior, as people prefer to engage with brands trusted by their peers.

Word-of-mouth advertising remains a powerful marketing tool, reinforcing the importance of trust in business relationships.

To successfully build trust and increase sales, businesses must understand the underlying motivations behind their brand and the values of their potential customers.

By leveraging psychological triggers, companies can foster a sense of trust and encourage repeat engagement with their products or services.

Originally published November 12, 2019; republished October 11, 2023 to update content and add video. Republished again on October 1, 2024 to update content.