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Know, Like, and Trust: The Framework Behind Every Buying Decision
We hear this term thrown around in marketing all the time. Recently, I was listening to a business podcast, and it got me thinking about whether or not people really know the meaning behind those three marketing buzzwords. So, I thought I would break it down into an easy-to-understand framework that anyone can apply. Before anyone buys from you, they have to know you, like you, and trust you. Sure, it sounds really simple and straightforward. But most business owners are missing at least one piece of this puzzle in their marketing. The Blueprint: Your Know, Like, and Trust Framework Create content designed for reach (Reels, short-form video, searchable posts) Optimize your bio to convert that first visit into a follow Show up consistently so dwell time and familiarity accumulate Offer an email opt-in to bring followers off the platform and into your world Nurture your email list with value-first content that builds the relationship Make it easy to take the next step with a clear, intentional link in bio Stay visible after the sale to build loyalty and referrals The Know, Like, and Trust framework isn’t a campaign you run once. It’s a relationship you tend over time. It’s the foundation of your strategy. Social media gets them in the door. Your email list keeps the conversation going. And consistency is what builds the trust that eventually leads to a yes. I break this down in more detail in my latest blog post, including how it actually plays out on social media today, why dwell time matters more than likes, why your bio is doing more heavy lifting than you think, and why your link in bio is the bridge between social media and your actual sales. Are you applying the Know, Like, and Trust framework in your marketing strategy? What can you do today to strengthen it? ELITE Advocate | Cindy Clearwater 1111.06.2026How a Nonprofit with One Marketing Guy Keeps Five Brands Running on Email
Jake Welk manages email for an entire organization. Here's how he stopped being the bottleneck. Jake Welk is one person. But he's responsible for the email communications of a national nonprofit with five distinct brands, a museum, a driving club, a workforce development foundation, a high-end donor society, and an events calendar that never really stops. That's America's Automotive Trust — a Tacoma, Washington-based organization dedicated to preserving automotive culture and keeping skilled trades alive for the next generation. "We are all about creating opportunities for future generations so the car world does not die," Jake said. It's a mission that hits close to home for a lot of people. Ask anyone who walks through the LeMay – America's Car Museum, one of the Trust's flagship brands, and they'll have a story. The '69 Camaro that was their first car. The station wagon their parents drove them around in. Cars carry memory. And Jake's job is to keep the people who care about those memories connected to the organization. The problem: he was doing it almost entirely by himself. The bottleneck was real Before switching tools, Jake's team was managing contact lists and campaigns manually. Their donor database and their email platform weren't talking to each other, which meant every campaign required exporting, tagging, re-uploading, and checking — over and over again. Unsubscribe requests were handled one by one. New contacts had to be manually added. And almost every email that went out from any department — education, events, volunteer coordination, membership — had to come through Jake first. "It was kind of like this Wizard of Oz behind-the-scenes thing," he said. For a team doing a lot with a little (small nonprofit budgets are real), that bottleneck was costly in the most precious currency a small team has: time. Fixing the foundation first The first thing that changed was the sync. Once their Blackbaud Raiser's Edge database was connected to Constant Contact, the manual list management work largely went away. New contacts flowed in automatically. Unsubscribes were handled without anyone hunting down individual records. "That bridge has now been created," Jake said. "It cut down significantly on the amount of manpower on the back end. Integrating new contacts now is a lot more simple." That kind of unglamorous infrastructure fix is easy to underestimate — until you've spent months doing it wrong. For Jake, it was the foundation that made everything else possible. Giving other people the keys (without losing control) The bigger shift was cultural. Once the Trust had templates and role-based access set up, Jake stopped being the only person who could send an email. Now, eight staff members across departments — education, private events, development, volunteer outreach — manage their own campaigns. They work within brand-controlled templates, so nothing goes out looking off-brand, but they're not waiting on Jake to do it for them. "There are now department heads in different areas who can now own their email sends themselves, which not only creates more collaboration but also makes them feel like they're a part of the messaging as well." That's a meaningful shift for anyone managing comms at a multi-department org. When the people closest to a program are also the ones communicating with its audience, the emails get sharper. The asks are more specific. The follow-up is faster. And for Jake? "Now it's not all on me and my team as the marketing team to carry the weight of the email for the entire organization." The part that actually moves tickets Here's the number that matters most for a nonprofit with events: Jake consistently sees a 20–35% increase in event RSVPs tied directly to email campaigns. One event in March broke an attendance record. Outside of web and social, email was the primary driver of clicks to the ticket page. For an organization that relies on events to generate revenue, build community, and advance its mission, that's not a minor metric. It's how the lights stay on and how the programs keep running. "If you look at it very black and white, the amount of money we spend subscribing to Constant Contact is significantly small compared to the amount of revenue we create and generate." What other small teams can take from this You don't have to run five brands for this story to apply to you. The core problem — one person carrying the email load for an entire organization, with systems that don't talk to each other — shows up constantly in small businesses and nonprofits. A few things Jake's experience points to: Fix the data connection first. If your CRM or contact database isn't synced with your email tool, you're doing double the work and introducing errors. That integration isn't exciting, but it's the thing that frees up everything else. Templates aren't just about design. They're how you give other people in your org the ability to send emails without creating a brand consistency nightmare. Build them once, and you've bought yourself back hours every month. The closer someone is to a program, the better their emails. When your events coordinator is writing the event email instead of routing it through marketing, you usually get a better email. Give them the tools to do it within guardrails. America's Automotive Trust serves the automotive community through the LeMay – America's Car Museum, Club Auto, the RPM Foundation, and other brands. Learn more at americasautomotivetrust.org. 1010.06.2026Own your biggest marketing bust of the year and let us learn from the carnage together.
The "shiny object" confession — What is the one marketing "bright idea" you poured money or time into this year that turned out to be a complete bust, and what did it teach you about your business? 2010.06.2026A true story about how email works best
Here's a piece of first hand experience about how email marketing actually worked for me. No, not as a sender, but instead, as a recipient. Here's the back story. My wife is a bone health coach. She writes about bone health in her weekly emails. (She writes them. I get them ready to send.) Having been diagnosed with osteoporosis several years ago, she regularly gets DEXA scans done to assess the quality of her bones. Recently, I read an article that said men should get DEXA scans, too, confirming what my wife already knew. So in one of her more recent emails, she encouraged men, too, to get a DEXA scan. She planted a seed I was unaware of! Coincidentally, I received an email from another trusted source about the same test. It was Vicky's email that put me over the edge - so I'm going to get a DEXA scan. The point of this info and approach to email campaigns is this: Vicky wasn't selling anything - she was educating. And positioning herself as the expert on bone health with her weekly emails. This is how you use email. Just like farming, you plant seeds. Then fertilize them. When they're ready, the seeds will germinate, and then blossom Then you harvest your crop. Translating this concept back to email campaigns — simply educate, educate, educate. Educating, not selling, positions you as an expert. Experts get credibility by educating. From there, the experts become magnets for more business. It's pretty simple. That's how the experts become winners. 4209.06.2026Your Email List: The Best Friend Your Business Didn't Know It Needed
It's National Best Friends Day, and I want to make a case for the most underappreciated best friend in your business: your email list. Here's what a best friend does. They show up consistently. They're there when things get tough. They don't disappear just because an algorithm changed. And they actually listen when you talk. That's your email list. Your social media following? That's more like a crowd at a party. Fun, energetic, and gone the second someone turns up the music in the next room. You don't own that crowd. The platform does. Your email list is different. Those people raised their hands and said, "Yes, I want to hear from you." And unlike social media, where maybe 5-10% of your followers see any given post, your email lands in 100% of inboxes. That is a best friend who actually picks up the phone. I've been working with small business owners on their email marketing for over a decade now, and the pattern I see over and over is this: the businesses that nurture their email list are the ones that weather the slow seasons, survive algorithm changes, and have clients reaching out saying, "I've been reading your emails for a while, and I'm finally ready." If you've been putting all your energy into social media and neglecting your list, this is your sign to send that list a little love this week. How would you describe your relationship with your email list right now? Thriving? Needs some attention? Haven't talked in a while? No judgment here. Just curious where folks are at. ELITE Advocate | Small Business Expert 3308.06.2026
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