Imagine you’re walking down Covent Garden, your belly is rumbling, and you know lunchtime is approaching, then someone offers you a cart with a free kebab in their new restaurant. You go and get one of the vegetarian options. You love it. -Anyways you were about to get lunch- (It happened to me). You feel grateful for the free sample and are now willing to return for more because you feel a ‘sweet-kind-of-debt’.

That is reciprocity in action!

In this personal experience, I show you how the person giving me the cart with a free sample is using reciprocity marketing to encourage you to try the product and become a regular.

In this post, you’ll learn about reciprocity's impact on your sales. And what you can do to apply it in your small business. 

As the new year is here, you have been looking for ways to increase sales. You want to make a difference. You looked back in 2024 and thought you did well, but the numbers tell you otherwise. You feel that your business is not keeping up with your most desired ambitions. 

So what about the hours you spent scrolling online, reading blogs, watching YouTube trainings, and social media experts, but still nothing clear to help you land more clients without adding more to your plate? 

What you need to succeed are the principles of marketing. Such as reciprocity.  

What is reciprocity?

Is the act of returning kindness. It means acknowledging and appreciating positive actions from others by responding with similar kindness or helpfulness. Essentially, it's about showing gratitude and fostering mutually beneficial relationships. You must be familiar with it.

Remember the story I told you at the beginning? Did you notice that they offered me that cart when I was about to get lunch?

Don’t you love it when you have that type of friendship, when you’re in need they come (*6)with it without you even mentioning it.

Friend: “No worries, I knew you were going to need this”🥹-

Type of thing.

That should be you with your clients.

Reciprocity is essential to engage and convert people! 

There are many ways to add value without giving it all away.

(Because it is not your fault that there is so much information out there that you can’t decide which one is right for you.) 💅

3 Ways to Use The Power of Reciprocity in your Marketing.

1. Show your clients how much you know them.

Make use of your customer journey.  

Yes, that one.

I know you have it somewhere on your laptop 👀 Your customer journey helps you see when your client needs your solution. This act creates a response: Reciprocity.

We see many businesses still ignoring this important tool, leaving their clients hiding at the back of their marketing, developing a negative experience of their personal brand and business. 

When you make good use of your customer’s journey, you use your client’s real needs. You show them that you really did the work, resulting on crafting a highly relevant message they feel slightly indebted to you.

2. Listening,

Studies have shown that 96% of customers would leave your business If you deliver a bad customer experience. 

Your audience doesn’t want to hear about you unless you are giving a reason that would solve their problem. Let’s look at Fitbit; they are using their community page- set up as a forum-where customers talk to each other and communicate their experiences with the product and concerns. 

They use it to improve their product and, in turn, share the process with their users. This is important as it relates to the power of reciprocity. When we demonstrate an interest in their reality and consider their feelings, they are more likely to listen to you.

3. Nevertheless, what can you do to share valuable information that gets your audience engaged, wanting more and becoming your best clients?

Giving valuable content? Umm…

“Valuable content does not equal educational content”

Therefore, if what you want is more followers and consistent clients through your socials, your content should speak about:

Their problems. 

WHAT they need to fix them… Avoiding the HOW, as this one goes inside your offer.

Show your values and inspire them but always show how your offer is going to help them solve their problem.

Make them aware of their mistakes.

And why YOU and not your competitors

Cultivate a Reciprocity mindset in your business.

When you apply the principle of reciprocity, listening and providing value to your ideal client. This makes it easy for them to buy.

Why relying only on advertisement doesn’t work? It’s not a long-term sustainable game. And it doesn’t nurture your audience. Is a short-term game that requires a lot of money.

In the same way, your brother or sister gives you a favour, and immediately, you know that they are about to ask you something in return -Is your audience. Reciprocity is a long game.

Content marketing helps you build relationships, like evergreen trees that later would grand you fruits. In other words, look for every opportunity to add value to your future clients.