Online customers are becoming more and more savvy, critical, and skeptical. What can merchants and affiliates do to put an end to their moderately successful storming of the bastion of the end-users’ hears and minds, and really start convincing their target audiences?
Eric Brantner, a business copywriter, has put together an excellent post on the topic today. In it he listed 7 tips on how to convince the modern-day customer. Out of his 7 advises I’ve picked 5:
1. Flee from gimmicky sales copies
2. Offer testimonials, and lists of clients (where appropriate)
3. Incorporate statistics in your copy (you want to make it convincing when necessary)
4. Eliminate the risk which is the root of skepticism
5. Don’t just tell, show! [details in Brantner’s post here]
To the above five I would also add:
6. Stand out from the crowd (offer someone no one else does)
7. Show that you genuinely care (it should beam through everything on your website: design, structure, tools, text, etc)
8. Remember that they’ve landed on your website with one of 2 needs (to solve a problem or to be entertained), and satisfy the need(s)
9. Provide stellar customer service
10. At all times, do not treat them they way you want to be treated, but rather the way they want to be treated.
To figure the latter (and the most important) part out, read, interview/survey/poll your existing customers, talk to your friends and family, stay open and flexible. Continuously perfect things, and measure effectiveness to arrive at the most optimal solution.
I can’t say how many times the support over at AWeber has won over a customer simply by giving them genuine and live, “non-robotic” support 🙂
There is a level of trust and understanding that is developed. Plus a customers perception of your company’s overall competence in enhanced.
They know if they are in need of anything else, they can always call back and will be assisted in timely manner.
Right now, I am waiting on a response for a very simple support issue. I will not mention the company, but I know they can do WAAAYYY better than this.
I will certainly think twice about referring them to anyone else for sure.
Four days ago CopyBlogger.com posted an article on the same topic, and I feel it’s necessary to link to it from here: How to Motivate People to Buy. Good read!