Robert Brecht’s Blog

In Part One of the subject of developing trust, I discussed the use of trust-inducing features and strategies as part of website design. Because Perceived Risk is part of the “trust equation” one should employ strategies to minimize that risk in the mind of initial visitors to websites. These strategies were also discussed in Part One.

Today I am going to address the role of Reputation in creating the perception of trust with online visitors that do not have first hand knowledge of your company. I will also suggest some trust inducing strategies relative to this factor that one should employ in any website design.

REPUTATION: Remember we are talking about the perceived organization reputation. A premise for this post is that the visitor does not have prior knowledge of the organization and is drawing his or her perception based on the website. Perceived reputation positively affects trust. Trust is a necessary antecedant to taking action. Therefore, we should incorporate trust-inducing reputation design elements into our website as part of our online marketing efforts.

Reputation is base on second hand knowledge. Our reputation is  based upon what others (third parties) say about us. With the rise of social media sites, reputation issues are very significant. These site allow one to disseminate “word of mouth” comments regarding a vendor to many connections through these sites. As a result, Internet reputation management has become another  marketing strategy many companies now employ. That is the subject for another time.

What are ways we can incorporate what others are saying about us into our website design and content?  Those that come quickly to mind include:

• Testimonials
• Memberships/adherence to Codes of Conduct
  
• Endorsements/Awards/Certifications

Testimonials: While many people utilize testimonials in their websites, they often utilize them in the wrong way. So often, testimonials are confined to a “Testimonials” page on the site. Remember that we are trying to build trust so that visitors will take certain actions on our website. Testimonials need to be part of the persuasive copy that get visitors to convert, i.e. to take the action we want them to take. Testimonials also should be placed next to “Call to Actions” to reassure users that the action that they are about to take will have positive outcomes.  Testimonials need to be:

• From people with whom the targeted market can identify
• Specific to the subject matter at hand.
• Personalized by providing information on the person providing the testimonial

So who should provide testimonials?  If I am a potential customer, previous customers’ experiences would be important to me. So would authorities in the subject matter or discipline.  As a visitor undergoes the subconscious mind game of  creating your reputation in their mind based on the website itself,what would you consider important in that process?

• Hearing from satisfied customers would be important. If they would be willing to be contacted, wouldn’t that engender trust even more? Such testimonials should be very specific. Avoid “hype” testimonials. Use them in context. A testimonial about support after the purchase should be utilized in the copy about your excellent customer service, not while you are describing product or service benefits.
• Hearing from authorities in the field. This could be a review of your product or service by a publication, organization, etc. or simply the opinion of a person who knows what they are talking about (in the visitor’s mind).
• Celebrity endorsements.  I am not a fan, but the marketing world loves such endorsements.

Memberships/Adherence to Codes of Conduct: Your participation in organizations and adherence to conduct or standards says a lot about you and reputation.  Of course, only if I the visitor think so.  I recommend that our clients join the Better Business Bureau and utilize that membership logo as a “trust-inducing reputation element on their websites. Can you think of others that would create a positive association in the minds of visitors? Stating that you subscribe to certain Codes of Conduct relative to the way you conduct business can also build your reputation, e.g.,  HON (health on the Net) Code for Medical and Health websites. You can create your own business Code of Conduct with a prominent link to it utilizing some official looking seal as a means to increase trust. This not only increases your reputation, but also helps minimize risk in the mind of the visitor. If not a Code of Conduct, then at least a Performance Guarantee with no small print!

Endorsements/Awards/Certifications: All of these are third party indicators of your company’s reputation. If you are marketing a product or service, they can be very important in increasing your reputation in the minds of consumers. Use them prominently as part of your website persuasive copy and design.

In  my next post, I will discuss the importance of Site Quality in developing trust.

As always, your comments are appreciated.

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Tags: Brand + Technology, Internet Marketing, Non Linear Internet Marketing, Website Design

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 at 3:10 pm and is filed under Internet Marketing, Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.