4 levels of belief; 5 ways to market

Promise Phelon, CEO of the Phelon Group recently spoke at the fall WITI Conference in Santa Clara during a session called “the Changing Customer Conversation”, and introduced these 4 levels of belief.
People are most likely to believe, in this order, from these sources:
#1. Their own experience
#2. Peers / someone they can validate
#3. 3rd party experts
#4. Companies, directly
I agree with this model.
When you’re doing marketing are you doing mostly company-focused speak, or are you doing what works:
– giving people the ability to “try” what you have,
– to hear from others (ala video testimonial),
– engaging in real conversations via blogs and 2-way forums,
– asking for referrals from existing customers,
– and, working with key influencers in your market.
Cause those things, my friend, are the keys to growth. Spend time and money according to these belief hierarchies.