Building trust online is just like any other kind of web marketing: it’s a marathon, not a sprint. You build your social capital one interaction at a time. If you’re personal, personable and genuine every time you meet somebody on the web, you’ll go a long way toward earning their trust. Here’s a list of ways to make strangers into friends and friends into a customers online.
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Treat online customers as if they’re standing in front of you. The anonymity of the web sometimes makes us behave less personably to our fellow netizens. When interacting with others online‚ particularly when you receive criticism‚ ask yourself how you would react if they were in your office in a bricks and mortar business.
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Abandon the superlatives and spin. The more intelligent your customer, the more heightened their distaste for unearned self-praise. Tell people what your product is, and why it’s good. Praise works much better when it comes from a third-party; that’s why media relations and user testimonials work so well.
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Respect people’s time. Brevity is the soul of wit. Your customers will thank for not wasting their precious time.
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Tell the truth. If you lie, you’ll get caught eventually‚ everybody does. Plus, the Internet never forgets. If you don’t believe me, if you did a search for “Kryptonite locks,” you’d find this article about how people can open it with a ballpoint pen from 2004.
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Speak as individual humans. You can earn trust and calm critics by behaving like a person instead a company. Identify yourself and your staff on social media channels, so that customers are interacting with real people.
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Obey the cocktail party rule. If we meet at a party, and I only talk about how awesome I am, you’re going to scurry away as soon as you can. Instead, talk mostly about other people, organizations and trends. Earn each opportunity to talk about yourself.
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Pull back the kimono. When you talk about yourself, discuss the ‘how’ – manufacturing processes, marketing strategies and business models – as often as you talk about the ‘what’. You’ll be surprised how much people are interested in what transpires behind the scenes, and what drives decision-making.
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Acknowledge every mention. Especially when you’re a small business, it’s important to recognize every time somebody mentions you online. Whether in a blog post, on Facebook or Twitter, ensure that you take the time to comment or reply. Online creators love this, and it’s an easy way to turn the ambivalent into advocates for you and your organization.
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Embrace a sense of scale. Too often, companies apply a generic approach to their online news. A new Vice President of Marketing gets the same treatment as an exciting new product line. Stand back and evaluate your news with a cool head. Save your social capital for when you’ve legitimately got a great announcement.
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Recognize your audience’s affinity. This is a corollary of the previous tip. Remember that it took that user just one click to join your Facebook group. They’ve expressed a tiny bit of affinity for your brand. You need to foster, not smother, that relationship. And remember that, sometimes, they’re just not that into you.
Darren Barefoot is the co-founder of Capulet Communications. He’s the co-author of Friends With Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook, which isn’t as naughty as it sounds. You can also read his blog and follow him @DBarefoot on Twitter.