“On the Internet nobody knows you are a dog” is an adage which began as a caption of a cartoon by Peter Steiner and published in the “New Yorker” on July 5, 1993.
The potentially anonymous nature of the internet makes it difficult for a person to know if you are real or not and whether they should trust you and consequently buy that product or service online from you.
Your job as an online brand is to provide multiple ways to create and nuture trust when dealing with potential customers on the web with your personal and business brand.
So what are 10 ways you can build that trust online?
1. Responsiveness
If a potential customer asks you a question online and they are requesting more information and you either don’t get back to them or you take a week to respond, it is sending the wrong signals to your potential customer or reader.
2. Thought Leader
Especially in the B2B space with complicated or high value purchases there is a need to postion you and your company as experts and thought leaders to create trust that you are the company to deal with because you know what you are talking about and are passionate about your industry. An expert according to the Edelman Study is more likely to be trusted. A blog with great unique content and articles will help you with creating a position as an expert
3. Everywhere
If customers search for you on Google and they find your brand everywhere such as your website, blog, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter and referenced on other sites then it creates a feeling of substance and presence that takes trust to a new level. Surveys have revealed that people need to to hear something about your company 3-5 times before they believe its veracity. If they can’t find you or there are very few references to you online then trust will be low.
4. Online Video
Video provides a way for people to see the personal side of your organisation and your employees that you cannot easily fake. It provides an insight into your brand and takes the trust factor up another notch. Video bloggers such as Gary Vaynerchuk and Ian Watt display the passion and personaility that a text blog can never achieve.
5. Recommended
If a top blogger or expert in your industry recommends you and your company then that make a large difference in creating trust. You see this all the time as bloggers and authors appear are interviewed on social and mainstream media to vouch for the authors new book or product.
6. Association
Hanging with other established people and brands creates trust. So appearing at a speaking engagement or being associated in different ways with other respected people will go a long way to building trust.
7. Using Trusted Payment Services
Paypal have created a global business by taking the risk out of people buying online from you if you are an online store. They provide a trust factor where they take the risk out of the buying transaction from an ecommerce transaction around the corner or from the other side of the world.
8. Attention Quantification
Social media provides a means of quantifying attention. Attention quantification can be evidenced by how many times your blog post has been reetweeted or Facebook shared by having these buttons on your blog or website. This social proof provides another layer of trust by displaying your brands popularity.
9. Awards
Awards that are exhibited on your site that are linked to the award site go a long way towards building trust. Nothing like a bit of obvious respect from your peers and independent associations to create another brick in the wall of trust.
10. Be Patient and Persistent Like Santa
Remember Santa didn’t become trusted and famous overnight, it has taken him a couple of hundred years. So start building that trust now and persist. Santa built trust by delivering presents on time, every year.
How have you built trust online?
The potentially anonymous nature of the internet makes it difficult for a person to know if you are real or not and whether they should trust you and consequently buy that product or service online from you.
Your job as an online brand is to provide multiple ways to create and nuture trust when dealing with potential customers on the web with your personal and business brand.
So what are 10 ways you can build that trust online?
1. Responsiveness
If a potential customer asks you a question online and they are requesting more information and you either don’t get back to them or you take a week to respond, it is sending the wrong signals to your potential customer or reader.
2. Thought Leader
Especially in the B2B space with complicated or high value purchases there is a need to postion you and your company as experts and thought leaders to create trust that you are the company to deal with because you know what you are talking about and are passionate about your industry. An expert according to the Edelman Study is more likely to be trusted. A blog with great unique content and articles will help you with creating a position as an expert
3. Everywhere
If customers search for you on Google and they find your brand everywhere such as your website, blog, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter and referenced on other sites then it creates a feeling of substance and presence that takes trust to a new level. Surveys have revealed that people need to to hear something about your company 3-5 times before they believe its veracity. If they can’t find you or there are very few references to you online then trust will be low.
4. Online Video
Video provides a way for people to see the personal side of your organisation and your employees that you cannot easily fake. It provides an insight into your brand and takes the trust factor up another notch. Video bloggers such as Gary Vaynerchuk and Ian Watt display the passion and personaility that a text blog can never achieve.
5. Recommended
If a top blogger or expert in your industry recommends you and your company then that make a large difference in creating trust. You see this all the time as bloggers and authors appear are interviewed on social and mainstream media to vouch for the authors new book or product.
6. Association
Hanging with other established people and brands creates trust. So appearing at a speaking engagement or being associated in different ways with other respected people will go a long way to building trust.
7. Using Trusted Payment Services
Paypal have created a global business by taking the risk out of people buying online from you if you are an online store. They provide a trust factor where they take the risk out of the buying transaction from an ecommerce transaction around the corner or from the other side of the world.
8. Attention Quantification
Social media provides a means of quantifying attention. Attention quantification can be evidenced by how many times your blog post has been reetweeted or Facebook shared by having these buttons on your blog or website. This social proof provides another layer of trust by displaying your brands popularity.
9. Awards
Awards that are exhibited on your site that are linked to the award site go a long way towards building trust. Nothing like a bit of obvious respect from your peers and independent associations to create another brick in the wall of trust.
10. Be Patient and Persistent Like Santa
Remember Santa didn’t become trusted and famous overnight, it has taken him a couple of hundred years. So start building that trust now and persist. Santa built trust by delivering presents on time, every year.
How have you built trust online?
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