Why Trust is Key in Online Marketing
I saw research recently that showed fully 90% of onliners mistrusted online marketing and websites. This is no great surprise, because too many sites and messages aren’t what they appear to be.
In this medium, where trust is at a premium, marketers and e-commerce sites alike need to go out of their way to convince the prospect they are legitimate. A slick interface or email message isn’t enough.
Lots of inbound links from respected sites can help. Real testimonials from real people help. Citizen reviews saying good things about you and your product help.
Convincing prospects of your good intentions is the job of branding, some would say. Maybe, in part, that is true. But branding messages that speak of your good intentions aren’t going to be nearly as effective as others who say good things about you.
In tough times, prospects are going to be hypersensitive to whether you are going to deliver the goods or not. “Can I trust you with my money?” is what many prospects are asking themselves.
At the end of the day, I believe people will place a higher value on trust than on the lowest price out there. In short, whether you’re in b2b or b2c, you can’t commoditize trust. That is good news for trustworthy marketers and e-commerce sites alike.
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