Comfort

Ever notice how comfortable you are in a trusting relationship?

Whether business or personal, when you trust your partner, you don't spend a lot of time worrying about what's happening when you aren't there to participate or observe. There's a confidence that allows you to focus on doing things you need to do on your own instead of spending time fretting over what you can't control.

That level of comfort doesn't happen at the outset of the relationship; it builds over time. It is the result of repeated, faithful execution of responsibility. A few components of building that kind of trust include meeting (and exceeding) expectations; keeping up respective ends of a bargain; constant and open communication.

A major breach of trust can set back a relationship and potentially even put a relationship in jeopardy. Multiple smaller breaches of trust can have the same effect.

What constitutes a breach of trust? There are obvious things, but each relationship is different, and the key to knowing (as well as avoiding and enduring those events) is communication.

Social Media Marketing (but no trust?)

Flipped through a presentation from HubSpot, 100 Awesome Marketing Charts (registration required), which I found interesting, but one thing was missing: trust. No mention of trust which, in my experience, is often the critical ingredient to making a decision online.

However rigidly or loosely an individual determines trust, with all else being equal, the more trusted element - be it a search result, a targeted advertisement, a social media invite, a hot link, etc. - is the one that is most likely to be chosen.

If you are investing aggressively in an online, social, or behavioral marketing campaign, paying attention to the trust factor must be a consideration.

What do you think?