Fly on the E-Commerce Cyberwall

YOU CAN TRUST THIS POST!!!! -- Yeah, sure!
I had to chuckle when I checked my email just now. Among the deluge of spam that accumulates overnight was one that used as its sender's name "YOU CAN TRUST THIS EMAIL!!!"

Now I'm supposed to trust a piece of what is obviously spam and buy whatever they tell me I absolutely have to have simply because they say I should trust whatever they say? Yeah, sure!

It shows, though, that there's more to gaining your target audience's trust than just telling them to trust you. What do you need to do?

First, lose the hype. Screaming capital letters and lots of exclamation points immediately raise defenses. People don't want to feel manipulated and hype that tries to generate a phony sense of excitement about a product tells people that this is not someone to be trusted.

Secondly, make sure you focus not on what you want or on what you think of your product, but on the problem your target audience is trying to solve. Show that you understand what they're looking for and they'll be more likely to believe that your product will actually help them.

Finally, understand the doubts they're likely to have. They will always have doubts: "Will this really work for MY specific problem?" "Can I return it if it doesn't work?" "Will it get to me safely?" "If I buy from this business, will they carry through on what they promised?" The better you understand the doubts they will experience, the better you can weave in answers that will alleviate those doubts into your sales copy.

You don't gain trust by shouting people into submission. You gain it by taking the time to understand their needs and by showing that you have anticipated and answered their nagging questions.
Jeff

P.S. If you're interested in more tips on how to better understand your customers and get them to buy, check out the index of my other articles and tools for building a buying relationship with your visitors.

Labels: building relationships, copywriting