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How The "Trust Factor" Affects Your Web Business...
Do
a search at google.com for "internet marketing expert" and you'll find more than fifty-four million (yes, that's 54,000,000)
web pages listed.
Wow. That's a lot of experts. I wonder how many of those 54 million really know their stuff.
Heck,
do a google search for anything you need or want and you'll find thousands, if not millions of choices.
So which
experts do you believe? And more importantly, which merchants can you trust?
That's the question millions of potential customers
want to know! Who can they believe? Who can they trust?
What website will not rip them off or leave them for dead
after they get their money?
As a web business owner myself, I hate to have to admit this, but... making purchases from
unknown vendors on the web can be a real crap shoot. There are far too many cons, scams, cheats, hacks and just plain old
bad businesses on the web.
And because of that, TRUST is probably the biggest obstacle any website owner has to instill
in their visitors. Yes, trust is the first thing you have to earn in order to make sales on the web.
Is your site doing
a good job of instilling trust in the minds of visitors? Do you even know what it takes to really get the job done.
Here's an example of how...
Go to amazon.com - one of the web's largest Internet-only based retailers, and look for any product you might
be interested in. When you get to the product page, more than likely you'll find one thing prominently displayed...
Customer
comments.
Why does Amazon.com include these with nearly everything they sell? It's a simple theory. People are
more comfortable purchasing when they can first read what people like themselves think about the product. It makes them feel
more at ease knowing not only that other folks like them bought it already, but exactly what they thought of it.
Simply put, a few good customer testimonials can increase sales literally overnight. But you have
to do it right. Here are some tips on using "customer comments" at your website...
 Make sure testimonials at your site are specific and not generic in nature. Generic testimonials are not as believable
as detailed comments.
Be sure to get permission from your customers to use the testimonials.
Include the customer's full name and some contact info if they'll let you.
Use customer comments everywhere. Sprinkle them throughout your website, sales letters and ezines. Set up a whole page
of letters like I have here - and then take your very best one or two testimonials and put them on your most prominent pages. I did this recently
at my bizweb2000.com home page and saw an instant increase in conversion.
Consider the top three or four reasons your potential customers may be hesitant to order. Then get customer comments up that
address those issues. Getting testimonials is not hard if you have a good product or service.
Consider using audio and video testimonials. When people can hear or see other customers explain why they liked your
product, it packs an extra punch. More and more sites are finding that audio and video testimonials can increase sales sharply.
If you are an affiliate marketer recommending products and services, you can and should still use testimonials. And
you can get them directly from the merchant's product sales page. You should get permission from the merchant first but that
should not be a problem.
OK, let's wrap today's tip up with a quick summary...
The web is still like the wild
west of old -- full of snake oil salesmen. If you want to establish your web business and earn steady, reliable income, you
need to earn the trust of your potential customers. And letting them read great comments from your best customers is a great
way to do that. So do it, and do it over and over. You may be surprised at the results.
* Article by Jim Daniels of JDD Publishing, visit Jim's ezWebBusinessBuilder.com to start your own Internet Business Today. Reprinting this article is permitted with this footer included.
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