The top 10% of small businesses are marketing completely differently than everyone else. They’re building trust faster, getting more customers, and spending less on ads.
The strategy? They put a real person at the front of their business instead of hiding behind a logo. They show up consistently across multiple platforms. And they create content that people actually want to see.
Here’s exactly what they’re doing and why it works.
Why Most Small Businesses Struggle to Build Trust
Your potential customers need about 7 touchpoints with your brand before they trust you enough to buy. A recent study from Neil Patel suggests it might be as high as 11 touchpoints.
What does this mean? Unless you’re selling a commodity, people aren’t buying the first time they see your business. They need to interact with you 7-11 times before they’re ready.
These touchpoints can happen anywhere. On social media. Through Google. In your emails. Or even offline.
The problem is that most small businesses only show up in one or two places. They have a website and maybe a Facebook page that hasn’t been updated in six months. That’s not enough touchpoints to build trust.
Meanwhile, your competitors who understand this are showing up everywhere. And they’re winning.
People Trust People, Not Logos
Here’s what makes the top 10% different: they understand that 92% of decision-makers trust an individual more than a corporate brand.
Think about how you make buying decisions. You trust recommendations from real people. You watch YouTube reviews from actual humans. You read posts from business owners, not companies.
82% of consumers say they trust companies led by strong personal brands. And 77% of people are more likely to support a business when its founder’s personal brand aligns with their values.
People connect with people. Not businesses.
This is why the founder being the face of the company is so powerful. It gives customers someone to know, like, and trust. It turns your business from a faceless entity into something relatable.
What Top Performers Do Differently
The top 10% of small businesses aren’t doing anything complicated. They’re just willing to show their face.
They record simple videos answering customer questions. They post behind-the-scenes content showing how they work. They share their expertise and opinions on social media.
Here’s the thing: 90% of businesses are not doing this well. Most stick with generic branding and never put a real person in front of the camera.
But that 10% who are doing it? They’re raising everyone’s expectations. Customers now expect to go to TikTok or Instagram and learn about the people behind a business. They expect to see the owner’s personality and values.
The good news? It’s really easy to become part of that 10%. Most of your competitors aren’t even trying.
Why Being the Face of Your Business Works
When you become the face of your business, three things happen.
You build trust faster. Customers see who’s behind the brand. They get to know your personality and values. This creates an emotional connection that a logo never could.
You stand out. Most small businesses in your industry are using the same generic stock photos and corporate language. A real person instantly differentiates you. The human-scale interaction is something big companies can’t match.
You prove your expertise. When customers watch you demonstrate your knowledge in a video or read your insights in a post, it reinforces credibility. They can see you know what you’re talking about.
Where Top Businesses Show Up
The top 10% understand that customers are looking for them on social media. 58% of consumers first discover new businesses on social platforms. And 72% of people say social media allows them to interact with companies on a deeper level.
The platforms that matter most:
Instagram: 83% of Instagram users report discovering new brands on the platform. Use it for photos, Stories, and Reels that introduce yourself and your products.
TikTok: Perfect for quick videos. TikTok highlights how small businesses thrive by “sharing their unique stories, promoting their products, and taking us behind the scenes”. People across TikTok are discovering new businesses daily.
YouTube: Many customers expect to find longer how-to content here. Use it for tutorials or Q&As that show your expertise.
These platforms aren’t optional anymore. If you’re not there, your competitors are. And that’s where customers are looking.
How to Create Content Without Overthinking It
The mistake most business owners make is thinking content needs to be perfect. It doesn’t.
Customers don’t want polished corporate videos. They want authentic content from real people. Modern audiences explicitly “don’t want perfect – they want real”.
Here’s what works:
Film quick tips. Answer a common customer question in 30 seconds. Record yourself on your phone. No editing needed.
Show behind-the-scenes moments. A time-lapse of your morning setup. How you assemble a product. What a typical day looks like.
Share useful insights. Anytime you think of something that would help your customers, make a quick video or write a post.
Capture customer reactions. If a customer just had a great experience, ask them to say a few words on camera. These testimonials are gold.
The key is usefulness over production quality. A shaky 30-second tip filmed on your phone will outperform a glossy corporate ad when it comes to building trust.
Getting Started When You’re Camera-Shy
Most business owners tell me they don’t want to be on camera. I get it. Being on camera feels uncomfortable at first.
But here’s what you need to know: authenticity matters more than polish. Viewers will forgive shaky video or simple production as long as your message is genuine.
You don’t have to star on-screen if you really can’t do it. Here are alternatives:
Screen recordings with voiceover. Record a tutorial on your computer while you narrate. Use free tools like Loom.
Narrated slideshows. Make a simple PowerPoint answering an FAQ. Record your voice explaining each slide.
Hands-only videos. Film your hands working on something while you explain what you’re doing. This works great for service businesses.
Have someone else film you. Ask a partner or employee to interview you briefly. Even 15 seconds of introducing yourself can work.
Start small. Your first videos don’t need to be perfect. Just answer one customer question or share one quick insight. Over time, you’ll get more comfortable simply by doing it.
The audience rewards you for being helpful and authentic, not for having a perfect production.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Let me show you what the top 10% actually do with their content.
They record one short video per week. Just five minutes talking into their phone camera. Maybe they answer a common question. Maybe they share an insight about their industry. Maybe they show a quick behind-the-scenes moment.
Then they post that video to Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Some also post to Facebook and LinkedIn.
But here’s where it gets powerful: they repurpose that same video. The transcript becomes a blog post. It becomes a social media post for platforms like Reddit. It becomes email content.
One five-minute video turns into content for 8-10 different platforms. This is how they create those 7-11 touchpoints customers need without spending hours every day on marketing.
The most successful small businesses I work with are doing exactly this. They’re not spending huge budgets on ads. They’re just consistently showing up as themselves across multiple platforms.
Why This Strategy Works Long-Term
This approach isn’t just effective now. It’s future-proof.
AI is changing how people search. More people are using ChatGPT instead of Google. Google itself is becoming an AI search engine. But AI platforms still need to pull information from somewhere.
When you create authentic video content and repurpose it into text, you’re building the kind of content that AI platforms love to recommend. You’re providing unique insights from firsthand experience. That’s exactly what search engines and AI platforms are trying to surface.
Plus, people still want to see real humans on video. Even as AI gets better at creating content, audiences will continue valuing authentic videos from real business owners.
Start Today
You don’t need a big plan. You don’t need expensive equipment. You just need to start.
Tomorrow, film a 30-second video on your phone. Answer one question your customers always ask. Post it to Instagram and TikTok.
That’s it. That’s how you become part of the top 10%.
Do that once a week for a month. You’ll start seeing results. Do it consistently for three months, and you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner.
The businesses dominating your industry aren’t doing anything complicated. They’re just willing to show their face and share what they know.
Your competitors are already out there building connections with your potential customers. Every day you wait is another day they’re getting ahead.
Ready to join the top 10% but need help repurposing your content? At TJ Digital, we help small businesses turn one simple video into content for 8-10 platforms. We handle the editing, distribution, and repurposing so you just focus on recording. Learn more about our content repurposing services.