So you’ve worked your tail off to get visitors and you can see them on your web stats report. But your phone doesn’t ring. What’s wrong?
While there are many boxes to tick, trust is a crucial ingredient. Even if a great prospect believes you can provide the product or service they need, you must win their trust. And if your web site does not ooze with credibility, they will probably call someone else. Here are 5 ways to make it ooze…
Brand
Branding is by far the most poorly executed aspect of web design, and one of the most important. Most web design companies just don’t get how important.
Your web site, business card, letterhead, vehicles and signage should all look the same.
If a potential customer does not recognise your web site because it looks different to your vehicle signage you’ve missed an opportunity to impress them and to help them remember you.
Think of a company that uses their logo inconsistently across different media – for example web site, vehicles or shop signage. Can’t remember them? It’s much easier to remember companies with consistent branding isn’t it?
Each exposure to your brand should build on the one before it. Each exposure is an opportunity to help your prospect to remember you and reinforce your message and your identity. If a prospective customer sees a web site that looks different to your business cards, signage or letterhead then you waste some of their precious attention on introducing yourself again instead of delivering and reinforcing your sales message.
So make sure your brand is consistent across your web site and everything that has your logo on it. People trust brands they know. Hold your business card and letterhead up next to your web site. Do they all look the same?
Fears & Objections
Fears & objections are what stop sizzling hot prospects from buying. Everybody has fears about using your product or service. And if you don’t overcome them they simply will not buy from you.
Lets take our favourite fictional business character, Joe’s lawn mowing for example. Joe has a prospective customer who had a bad experience with another lawn mowing company. This particular cowboy mowed over his favourite jandals that were left on the lawn.
This prospect will be wary of Joe until Joe can convince them he will never put them through the same problem.
Joe could add something like this to his FAQ page to overcome the problem:
Q: Will you move things or just mow around them or even worse mow over them and leave my property damaged and untidy?
A: We take great care and pride in mowing your lawn and we mow it as if it were our own. Our business is built on our reputation and we understand that if we don’t impress you and your visitors with an immaculate lawn each and every time you may not invite us back.
The more detail you give, the more likely you are to answer people’s fears and objections. So don’t hold back. And keep an eye out for those “annoying” questions people ask about your product or service. You’ll be rewarded for answering them well.
Be the Expert
Being perceived as an expert is the ultimate form of credibility. A transformation occurs. Where once you where perceived as just another supplier, you now are the ultimate trusted authority in your industry. Where once you were one of many choices, you are now at the top of the heap. The most desirable option, and your pricing can reflect this.
It’s easier than you might think to establish yourself as an expert. Most of your competitors think it’s too hard so they don’t bother.
A single article is enough to start your elevation. You don’t even have to come up with the content yourself. A quick Google search of your topic, blend the best info you find in your word processor and you have an article.
(Or you can ask your web company to do it for you. Hint, hint.)
A few articles and a few emails to your customers later, you’re well on your way. Before you know it you have enough material for a seminar and all of a sudden you are known as the leading industry expert in your area or niche.
Don’t you want to buy from the person who knows the most about how to help you?
Show off your best work
Once your future customer has established that you can provide the product or service they are looking for, they want to know if you’re any good. So show them with your best work.
If your products or service is visual, add a gallery to your web site. For a non-visual service, show a few case studies. Give what ever images you can and plenty of detail to answer all the fears and objections.
Testimonials
You need to tell prospects what you can do and how good you are. But your customers are always more convincing than you are.
Some people do believe testimonials more than others. A common objection I hear is “anyone can invent a testimonial”.
So give as much detail as you can about who gave the testimonial. With their permission of course. People won’t think you’ve faked a testimonial if you have the persons’ full name elow it.
Anyware Web Design is fortunate that we can also include a link to our customers’ web site below each testimonial. Any additional information you can give like this helps establish your credibility.
Written testimonials are a powerful way to gain trust. Something that’s even more compelling is a video testimonial. Like the one on our home page. If you have a happy customer who is willing to go on camera, I highly recommend it.
Exchange Endorsements
And finally number 6 (I never was very good at maths).
Just as powerful as a testimonial from your customer, is one from an expert in a related or complimentary industry.
What friends do you have in business that you can swap endorsements with?
Prosperous marketing,
Phil