Fri 16 Dec 2011
Creditability for new marketers…..work at home….
Posted by Jim Gillum under Uncategorized[3] Comments
You are a new marketer…..how do you show creditability?………
This is one are that an off line marketer can gain some ground rather quickly. Depending of course, on the location of the offline business.
If your business allows for face to face contact with your prospects and customers….you have a leg up.
A neatly dressed smiling individual makes a better impression than a line of text.
We all have done business with the grumpy “clerk”….not much fun. But the pleasant, friendly helpful person is long remembered.
If they are providing a quality product or service to the customer. And doing so at a reasonable price, that all adds to the creditability factor.
When your customers have the chance to see and touch a product that is well made the reputation is easier to establish.
Years ago, when I sold my furniture at craft shows, many sales were made after the prospect felt the smooth finish of my products. As time passed and I returned to the particular area, customers would return to by more pieces. In some cases they would refer friends………
The establishment of creditability……….
It takes a little time and pays off well…………
Online Creditability………
That is a little different….and can be more difficult……..
You lose the value of the face to face…….
But you do not lose the value of the quality product….as long as you continue to produce that way…
Service and quick response is also a very positive factor………
Response to a prospect’s question can be quick and easy when you consider the speed of the net…..
The internet provides a few things that will really help an online business…..
For example, social networking………If you use it….remember your business image……
Friendly and professional……
A blog can be very effective……. (like this one….lol)……..
And so can forums……..I my opinion….the gold mine of creditability……
Find the ones that match your business and participate…..be active….help people….
Do not sell…..
For an example…Google search my name…..Jim Gillum…….I usually have a large number of results, with most of them connected to forums……
For marketing information from a small growing forum try www.marketingforums.net
And www.v7n.com/forums , which is one of the largest on the net. Both are very friendly and contain quite a bit of information.
Generally for new marketers, gaining a good reputation just takes a little time. It is something you should start building as soon as you decide to put together your own business…
Whether it is online or offline. Many of the basics are identical.
Good luck
Until next time
Jim Gillum
January 1st, 2012 at 1:44 pm
Thx for finding the time to describe the terminlogy to the newbies!
January 7th, 2012 at 2:45 pm
Hi Jim,
It’s my first time reading your blog but it will not be the last because you give great advise in simple terms that even a newbie can understand.
I like the comparison between credibility online and off line and your conclusion that credibility is the same online or off line is so true.
In a blog article that I did back in October 2011, I mentioned the importance of joining forums and making friends with other list builders.
May 2nd, 2012 at 9:29 am
Hi Jim, you are quite right.
Credibility is a hard-to-acquire asset online.
I have something to add:
When somebody shops for something in a physical store (as you pointed out), they can use all of their physical senses to make a buying decision. Online, they can only really use their eyes.
I recently ran a survey to test how online shoppers feel about poor spelling and grammar on a site. And guess what? More than 80% said that they wouldn’t buy because it indicated a lack of attention to detail, which in turn made them feel uncomfortable with security, logistics and after sales support. In other words: Poor spelling and grammar leads to a lack of credibility.
We should never underestimate consumers. I am sure everyone knows someone who is great at spelling and grammar. It is worthwhile asking them to cast an eye over your site to see that all is linguistically well.