Given a choice to purchase a book from an online bookstore, which store would you choose to buy the book from, Amazon.com or SomeUnheardBookStore.com?
Ofcourse your PREFFERED choice would always be Amazon.com.
OK. Most of you would go for Amazon.
But what’s that magic which pulls you from a wide variety of colorful jazzy and snazzy Web sites all around you, with all sort of mumbo jumbo offers on them to the simple three colored Amazon?
Without a doubt, its CREDIBILITY. The Trust Factor!
The online bookstore giant has earned the reputation of being supremely credible in the eyes of its customers.
As a result Amazon.com makes massive amount of sales, both spot sales and repeat sales over and over again.
But how would a small guy with a small business makes the plunge from an obscure small e-shop to achieve the level of credibility Amazon enjoys… Is it possible?
Ofcourse it is possible. And thats what this marketing tip is all about.
First off, understand that building credibility is not an overnight process. It requires consistent hard work and a firm commitment towards providing value added products or services to your customers in a specific direction.
Second, what I’ve noticed over the period, especially on the Net is most businesses loose credibility on the spot, simply because they fail to give an impression of being credible.
For example, most Web sites I visit on the Net, starting from their very first page makes huge ridiculous claims that leaves the visitor either confused, or carried away.. which severely shakes believability.
Next, the visitor gets bombarded by blatant sales pitches forcing her to buy the product even if she doesn’t needs it.
Due to this malpractice, the visitor senses the element of *greed* in the Web copy visualizing that she is being deceived by the seller just to make a quick buck. This is what I call the “quick buck mentality” which is a very common disease on the Net, and which is the number one reason people do not make a single sale.
So whats the solution, Amin? You ask.
Simple. Reverse the process, i.e.,
– Scan and eliminate every element of greed from your Web copy
– Make a realistic claim with a benefit oriented opening
– Be as much specific as possible when presenting your main offer
– Use testimonials (preferably from trusted sources) to help build believability
– Inject your personality and make a positive effort to make your visitor feel that you really care for her
– Offer powerful guarantees to strip off any risk for your customer
– Time to time take an honest approach. Reason: Honesty sells
Ah! Here comes my favorite part.
If you have a niche, the process of building credibility gets even more easy, and can be achieved within a short period of time. Why?…
Well, there are a number of ways credibility can be achieved in a niche business. One way is to create a strong brand within your own unique business niche. Brands help tremendously in boosting credibility. Generally, competition is low in specialized niches compared to a competitive and crowded marketplace. Therefore establishing a brand doesn’t take much in these concentric areas of interest, as it would have taken if you were in perfect competition.
So if you’re successful in building credibility by using the checklist I’ve mentioned above, you have your customers for life 🙂
Isn’t it wonderful?
Incorporating the above checklist tactfully on your Web site is the sure-fire way to boost credibility. Ofcourse, the above checklist can further be broken down and elaborated, but due to the allowable length of this article, it can’t be described in a greater detail here.
Maybe someday when I’ll be in creative mood, I might consider writing them individually the way I feel they should be written.
Remember, it takes time and effort to build credibility. Don’t be in a rush trying to make a quick buck. Simply follow the above techniques, and I guarantee that you will eventually make money.
Lots and pots of money.
Amin Khan of http://www.NicheChallenge.com is the active soul for helping you develop a successful niche based business. Subscribe his FREE ezine ‘The LASER’ to join the select group of pros who are driving the Net for success. Send a blank email to: majordomo@NicheChallenge.com with the word “subscribe laser” (without quotes) in the body of your email.
