Home Based Business Articles

Credibility and Trust - Keys to Online Success

by Loren Beckart

 

New people make their first online purchase every day. Even when the purchase is something minor, the visitor's decision whether to buy from your website always involves establishing your credibility and inspiring their trust. After all, the buyer is taking a leap of faith that when they hand over their credit card information, address, and so on, they are actually going to get something in return. Even to a sophisticated online buyer, first time purchases from an unfamiliar website can feel risky.

There are several ways to establish your credibility so that prospects feel confident they are making a legitimate purchase and won't end up being hoodwinked or disappointed in the end.

The foundation for establishing trust is simple: make sure that every bit of your sales copy is truthful. When what you say is true, it just sounds true. Certainly, you want to be persuasive in describing your offer and benefits, but resist any temptation to exaggerate or evade.

Then there are the details that make you believable because they are real and sound real. For example, rather than rounding off or estimating when using numbers, be specific. Instead of saying, "More than 60," say the exact amount, "67."

Include a human presence on the site such as a personal photograph. Also, give contact information, and so forth.

Give verifiable evidence of your expertise. This includes references to any credentials you hold that are related to the offer. For example, if you're selling an ebook about growing orchids and you are a Master Gardener, say so. Also, refer to any articles you might have written and published on topics related to the offer.

If you have favorable materials from 3rd party sources, use them. This would include reviews from magazines, awards, independent test results, or quotes from experts about the benefits and value of the type of product or service you are offering. These are effective evidence of legitimacy.

And finally, use testimonials. Online, these should come early in the sales copy. Audio is proven and tested to increase results, but if text is what you've got, use them. If you haven't been collecting testimonials, start now. A good way to begin is to ask people who are already your customers for feedback. If it is a new product, give a fr`ee trial with no strings attached, and ask them to give you a testimonial only if they feel it is deserved.

Characteristics of good testimonials include the following. First and last name: Fred W. isn't as credible as Fred Walters. When possible, include city, state, type of business or business name. But don't include a link to their site or a tag-line. That smacks of exchanging fr~ee advertising for the testimony. Also, the testimonial should be brief, focusing on a single aspect. As much as possible, only use those that talk about measurable results.

Use some or all of these strategies to establish credibility and trust, and you will greatly enhance your sales. In the end, it doesn't matter if your offer is terrific and your product is miraculous unless the prospect believes in you.

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Author and business consultant Loren Beckart is Marketing Vice President for ClickTracs, a premier advertising service, specializing in driving highly targeted visitors to web sites. For additional articles and information to help you promote your internet business, visit: www.ClickTracs.com __________________________________________________________________________