The people making the most money online all have this in common: they share the HUMAN behind their brand.
They show up as themselves and invite their audience into their world—they understand that connection only exists when humans are present (not just a brand). And that connection is a requirement for building trust, and trust is a requirement for selling.
Connection is the key to selling. If you can’t connect with your audience, they will never care about your offer (spoiler: this is why connection is the second lever in the Reveal Brain-Based Buying Framework©).
This is science. And the proof is all over if you look for it—including here. Keep reading to learn HOW and WHY connection works, and how you can use it, too.
Connection Builds Trust, Trust Makes Sales: The 2nd Lever of Reveal’s Brain-Based Buying Framework©
Connection is the lever you pull to take your brand from transactional to relatable. It shifts the message from “this is for me” to “this is about me” and makes your audience’s brain think, “you get me, I’m safe here.”
Attention, the first lever of Reveal’s Brain-Based Buying Framework© (a simple and scientific 5-step framework that will take your audience from “I’ve never heard of you” to “I’m your new favorite customer”), is getting you seen and making someone listen. Connection is making them feel safe with you.
When ‘pulling’ connection, you want to trigger understanding, empathy, and belonging. You’re giving your audience the feeling that you ‘get them’ through your marketing.
How to Build Connection with Your Audience
Rule no. 1: You can’t fake it.
You also can’t pop in once a month, share your founder story, and call it a day—it doesn’t work like that, or, to be more specific, it’s not enough.
You’re not Nike, Gucci, or other faceless brands. You’re a human selling to other humans, and you need to exist within your business, your emails, and your social media (and beyond your About page—although it does help).
Connection is created by sharing the things that make you human, just strategically.
It’s sharing your routines, documenting your to-do lists, building in public, talking on stories—all in a way that relates back to your brand.
For example, let’s pretend your audience is all moms, so it would make sense to share the behind-the-scenes of being a working mom. But, if your audience was, say, full of young men, the sneaks of mom content probably wouldn’t make much sense (to them, at least).
One scenario (mom content → mom audience) builds connection, one scenario (mom content → young men) builds confusion.
You’re showing up as yourself, you’re inviting your audience into your world, and by creating this connection, your audience’s brain is telling them they’re safe here, they belong here, and what this person (YOU) has to say and share matters to them.
How to Tell if You’re Neglecting Connection in Your Marketing (Even If It’s Unintentional)
You know the how, the why, and the where—now here’s what to look out for if you feel like it’s not working, OR you’re trying to figure out if you’re already there (and building connection with your content).
There are two common signs to look out for:
First, your testimonials. If your clients love the work you do (and the offers you create) BUT they ghost when you ask for a review…you’re likely not creating connections.
The next one is as simple as no one really ‘getting’ you—you feel isolated. You can’t remember the last time someone invited you on their podcast or brought the convo into the DMs. And if they ARE in your DMs, it’s rarely (if ever) about your offers or what you do.
When you’re regularly noticing one—or both—of these things, the way you’re building connection might need a little TLC.
Think you’re building a connection, but not seeing the result? Get the Sales & Copy Bestie (my custom GPT trained on the Reveal Brain-Based Buying Framework©) and she’ll tell you why your content isn’t connecting AND how to fix it.
Your Audience Craves Connection—Give it to Them!
Your audience prefers to spend time, money, and energy on people and brands they trust—be that for them! It’s difficult to trust something that makes you feel misunderstood or just like another dollar sign.
They want connection.
And you have the ability to pull that lever (and more) and build the trust they need to be invested in your brand and offers—it’s literally proven by science.Ready to apply this ASAP, but want to learn more about Reveal’s Brain-Based Buying Framework©, Sales Psychology, and how to sell? Get the textbook: This is How You Sell.
