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Earning and Keeping Trust in Internet Marketing |
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Wednesday, 04 February 2009 |
By Mike McCoy
 Trust isn't given, it's earned. You've likely heard this expression several times before. It's a statement that holds as true, perhaps even truer, in Internet marketing as it does everywhere else in life. But how, as a marketer, do you build this trust? And how do you keep from losing it?
One of the best ways to build trust in Internet marketing is to give something of real value to your potential customers. Showing that you're not just out to take money from them will do a lot to increase their trust in you. They'll have even more faith in you if what you provide is something they can use to improve their lives, even if only a small bit.
While it's true that first and foremost, you want to establish consumer faith in who you are, you also want to build trust for any products that you might own. Testimonials go a long way towards making potential buyers feel secure about what you're offering. Other types of proof, such as screen shots or videos
of your product can prove invaluable as well.
Perhaps the best way to build trust in what you have to sell is to give away free samples of the product. if you're selling niche e-books, then give away reports in those niches. This will let people see the kind of quality you're promoting. Got a membership site? Give away a free week or two to interested prospects. If your site is any good at all, this will lead to more subscribers and fewer refunds.
Trust is also very important when you're running an email marketing list. This is true regardless of whether you own your own products or not. In fact, if you have an email list, you probably shouldn't just be pushing your own products all the time, or even most of the time.
And it follows that your readers will have the most faith in you if you only recommend good products to them. One crap product recommendation can really ruin your credibility in your list's eyes.
Of course, we do all make mistakes from time to time, and most of the people on your list accept this. If you ever recommend a crap product and people complain, just admit your mistake and offer an apology. This doesn't just go for inadvertently advertising a bad product. It's a good rule to follow any time you make a mistake. Rather than hurting yourself, you'll really build your credibility by being big enough to admit when you screwed up.
And speaking of honesty... When you review products, be sure and point out the bad. No product is perfect, so don't try and fool any of your readers into believing otherwise (they won't). Your reviews will carry a lot more weight if they are realistic and mention the bad, as well as the good.
Of course, the core of trust-building whether in Internet marketing, your personal life, or anywhere else is simply to tell the truth. Don't lie. Your readers will eventually find you out, and then they won't buy from you anymore. Even if you don't care about betraying that trust for its own sake, you should at least care that it will drastically reduce your online income!
I started my first internet business in 1999. Since then, I have generated over 2,000,000 leads and sold over 160,000 customers in 119 countries. Referred to as the "Big Dog" of internet marketing. www.ShawnCasey.com
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