Why do you like things? It’s because we are conditioned to conform. Even you, the non-conformist is conforming to non-conformity. We all look for permission to like what we like from something. We do it consciously and subconsciously. As herd animals, we like to run with our herd and that requires we behave accordingly.
Think about how you decide certain things. Most of us figure out how to like what we like. Most things we don’t even like the 1st time we see it, in time we figure out how. When we get the confidence to rock the newest look, it is mostly due to the coolest guy we subscribe to giving us permission. Please don’t fight me on this because it is really the truth.
Whoever you are and whatever you like has been crafted by conditioning. We do choose what we allow to condition us but we are all conditioned over time. Look at what you are wearing, you are subscribing to a style. Your hair is also conforming to a look. Your choice of music, your love for certain foods, the books you read, the car you drive, the shows you watch…. All of it is a result of conditioning. Sorry, but it is true because we are human and this is how the human condition functions.
Once you accept this, you are now free to build a better business. Now you get that influence is important because it gives permission to the consumer to like you. The brand you trust comes out with new stuff. At 1st you are hesitant, but in time you figure out how to like it, buy it, and eventually love it. Or the brand goes completely off the rails and you are offended by its move and you don’t just dislike it, you now hate it and refuse to trust it.
Famous people sell tons of stuff because the mass market aspires to be these people or have some of what they have. You consume what the stars tell you so you can create the illusion that you are experience what they do, if even a simple moment. When nobody knows you, having somebody that is trusted and known rock your brand, you hijack the ambassadors trust and make it your own. This is what endorsement deals are all about.
Every person in this world is a potential influencer for you. Every person knows somebody and is known. If you can figure out how to use other people’s relationships to create trust for your brand, you have grown your business. This is the power of influence that gives permission to people you don’t know to like you.
The reason social media is so powerful is because it is a massive engine for influence, giving permission, and manufacturing the idea of trust. You don’t need a TV commercial to grow, you need likes, shares, check-ins, and posts about you by others. You can get a market to trust you because the right person or people tell the market they trust you. You can be the person that everyone is figuring out how to like because somebody conditioned them to do it.
Anyone that has woken up to this reality can use it to build a brand. Take specific actions to build trust and thrive or keep wasting money just pumping out content and hoping it will stick. The choice is yours and the money is real.
Brian Wright