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Your Sales Depend On Your Credibility: Proving Your Case
You want to inspire trust and create that all-important sense of credibility, but what do consumers need to hear (or read!) to crush their doubts? With all the crazy claims and offers being thrown at them day in and day out, what can you do to let them know you are sincere and that your product really is that good? In his book, ‘Influence’ Professor Robert Cialdini looks at six major factors of influence and persuasion, one of these six area is “social proof”. Consumers love “social proof”. Social proof is the psychological phenomenon that occurs when we look to the choices and actions of others to guide our own. “Keeping up with the Jones” is the well-known cliché that demonstrates the power of social proof. Two key types of social proof you'll want to incorporate when it comes to internet marketing for small businesses is to include statistical information and testimonials. The inclusion of sales statistics like “1 billion sold,” “the number one dealership in the tri-state area,” or “9 in 10 customers prefer” give consumers confidence in that the product they are considering is tried and true and well-liked by others. Additionally, they enjoy the implication of being a part of the “in crowd.” It is important to ad that if you use statistics you must make sure that you can back the claim up if challenged. Every few things will damage your business more than lying. In Guerrilla Marketing we talk about the importance of testimonials. Testimonials are a powerful and often emotionally-charged form of social proof that can provide dramatic results. However, testimonials must be carefully crafted to create the greatest impact. The trick to obtaining and sharing a strong, credible testimonial rests in authenticity. Resist the urge to over-edit. A genuine testimonial should reflect the satisfied customer's real language and conversation flow. Don't forget to tease out specifics! The testimonials you select should provide detailed information that demonstrates the benefits of your product in a way that motivates other customers to purchase. “I made so much money with Acme Work at Home Company” has little impact, but “I made $500 my first day working with Acme Work at Home Company” will get potential customers' attention! Again make sure that you can back these testimonials up. Don’t make them up, have them available for view if called upon, and if you have them on your website then link the testimonial back to the persons own website, creating even more social proof. If you really want to seal the deal, consider including physical proof like screen shots, before and after photos, and videos. Nothing boosts your credibility like proof that the customer can see with his or her own eyes. The inclusion of physical proof not only excites the customer but also serves to reinforce the validity of the social proof you've provided. Testimonials and statistics are areas of marketing that are overlooked and when it come to local internet marketing you want to make sure you are not overlooking those things that prove what you can do and deliver. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Nathan is an expert in local internet marketing and marketing for small businesses through both successfully turning failing businesses around and being an accredited coach for the most successful marketing series in history, Guerrilla Marketing. Nathan provides small businesses with marketing strategies and internet marketing methodologies that can help any business, regardless of its size, to expand their client base, drive more traffic to their websites and multiply their profits. |
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