How to Make Your Business Look Credible and Trustworthy Online

How to Make Your Business Look Credible and Trustworthy Online
#SmallBizChat – July 27, 2011
©KikScore

7/27 #SMALLBIZCHAT
Featured on tonight’s
©KikScore

7/27 #SMALLBIZCHAT
The SmallBiz Challenge
All small businesses face a challenge: demonstrating trustworthiness and credibility to their future customers
Oftentimes when potential clients visit a small business site, they do not have any indication whether they can trust that business or not
©KikScore

7/27 #SMALLBIZCHAT
Major Inhibitor of Ecommerce
A small online merchant thinks her web storefront conveys…
However, visitors to her storefront are unable to verify trustworthiness and think...
> 50%
of internet usersunwilling to shop onlinedue to SECURITYand TRUST concerns.
©KikScore

7/27 #SMALLBIZCHAT
Facts
92% of consumers are concerned about their security when shopping on new or unknown websites1
More than 63% of shoppers do not complete an online purchase because of security and trust concerns2
88% of online shoppers said that the protection of their personal data was their top concern3
7 out of every 10 shopping carts are abandoned
1. http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/resources/article.php/3827381
2. http://staysafeonline.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=54
3. http://us.mcafee.com/en-us/local/docs/LR-51384.pdf
4. http://www.fortune3.com/blog/2011/06/shopping-cart-abandonment-2011/
©KikScore

7/27 #SMALLBIZCHAT
Online Trust
If you are not showing that you are a trustworthy and reliable business, you are going to lose sales
Trust is a dynamic and ever changing factor in mind of customers
Must ensure that consumers do not have any reason to get concerned at any time, especially at the point of purchase
Websites featuring fresh and recent content such as blog posts, tweets, and customer feedback helps build credibility with shoppers
©KikScore

7/27 #SMALLBIZCHAT
How to Make Your Business Look Credible and Trustworthy Online
Make sure your website follows these tips and includes this information:
Management/Owner Information
Actively Engage Customers
Use Online Video to Virtually Introduce Yourself and Promote Your Business
The KikScore Solution – Trust Marks/Seals
©KikScore

7/27 #SMALLBIZCHAT
Management/Owner Information
Background information on each manager/owner provides shoppers with the comfort that there is a real person behind your business
Make your business accessible by prominently displaying contact information for customer service and management information
©KikScore

7/27 #SMALLBIZCHAT
“About Us” Page
Gives your customers transparency into your business
Tell your story as a small business
Consumers like stories and supporting underdogs
Make it personal
Let your visitors know you are authentic
Location
Don’t be scared of giving location; give at least the city of where you are located
Include picture of you and your team
Put a face behind the business
©KikScore

7/27 #SMALLBIZCHAT
Testimonials
Testimonials, case studies, summaries of results, and white papers are helpful to build credibility
Shoppers and website visitors want to make sure other people have used your business before and had a pleasurable experience
Every testimonial should include name, URL, and positive customer feedback that recommends your product
©KikScore

7/27 #SMALLBIZCHAT
Use social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to create a tangible brand and personality to engage customers
Humanize your Twitter photos and Facebook Profile pictures
Blogs allow conversations to occur between you and customers, giving shoppers a more complete, intimate look into your business
©KikScore

7/27 #SMALLBIZCHAT
However, dormant social media profiles can raise questions about whether or not you are still in business; either shut them down or reinvigorate them
Depending on your intended market, only focus on social media outlets where potential clients can be found and do not waste time on the others
©KikScore

7/27 #SMALLBIZCHAT
Introductory Online Video
The fresh, new trend online is using videos to introduce the management of your small business to potential customers
Personalizes visits and allows shoppers to virtually “meet” the management
Allows potential clients to see who they are about to do business with and gives you a boost of credibility
©KikScore

7/27 #SMALLBIZCHAT
Promotional Online Videos
Online videos can be used for a variety of reasons to demonstrate credibility, not solely introductions
Some examples include:
Product Video– it is more appealing to hear someone describe a product and highlight the key benefits
Customer Testimonial – short video from a customer promoting your business definitely builds trust
Educational Video – contain educational tips and research for customers, both building your brand and teaching your audience
Thought Leadership Video – upload conference speeches or panel sessions to demonstrate yourself and business as a thought leader in the industry
©KikScore

7/27 #SMALLBIZCHAT
Trust Marks/Seals
86% of online shoppers feel more confident about shopping on websites using security indicators, such as trust marks1
Validate online small businesses, solidifying the credibility and trustworthiness of a business
Many trust seals promote their own brand name, ensuring trust by association; by putting their brand name on your site, people will think your business is trustworthy
Yet more credible is the trust seal that emphasizes transparency to the customer, taking all of your important small business information into consideration
1. http://www.verisign.com/static/013506.pdf
©KikScore

7/27 #SMALLBIZCHAT
KikScore Confidence Badge
Permits small businesses to uses information about themselves, their business, and their track record of reliability and display it in a report card to shoppers
Includes a dynamic online trust score based on the information about your business
Trust through Transparency!
©KikScore

7/27 #SMALLBIZCHAT
Which Businesses Need to Show They are Trustworthy?
All small businesses, not just online stores
Bloggers
Realtors
Non-profits
Charities
Lawyers
Accountants
Plumbers
Contractors
Whether you’re selling online or just marketing your service, you should consider using trust seals
A trust seal that allows you to convey to shoppers that you are willing to be transparent about your business is vital for success
©KikScore

7/27 #SMALLBIZCHAT
Roadblocks to Demonstrating Trust
Lacks of transparency and information about a business present an immediate roadblock
Typos look terrible and reduce credibility
Websites that do not include the following look distrustful:
No contact information
No privacy policy
No return policy
No trust seals
©KikScore

7/27 #SMALLBIZCHAT
Three Steps to Take RIGHT NOW
Create an introduction video and make it visible it on your website to introduce yourself and your product or service to shoppers and website visitors
Put up a recent testimonial. Find one of your customers who loves your business. Approach them about either writing a testimonial or taking a short video, and put that on your website.
Construct a unique pledge to your customers and post it on your homepage. What do you pledge to do for your customers or the community? Whatever it is, put it on your homepage. A pledge can help show you are authentic, credible, and a business that not only can be trusted, but cares about their customers
©KikScore

7/27 #SMALLBIZCHAT
Questions and Comments
If you have any questions about the #SmallBizChat, this presentation, or KikScore, feel free to contact us at:
management@kikscore.com
1-877-KikScore
Twitter: @KikScore
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kikscore
Or if you just want to keep the conversation going, please visit our blog at blog.kikscore.com
©KikScore

Use SMALLBIZCHAT as a promotion code to get a 90 day free trial of KikScore!
THANK YOU!

http://blog.kikscore.com	385
http://feeds.feedburner.com	2
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com	1
http://admin.totalmarketing.com	1

How to Make Your Business Look Credible and Trustworthy Online

by KikScore on Jul 27, 2011

Accessibility

Categories

Tags

Upload Details

Usage Rights

4 Embeds 389

Statistics

How to Make Your Business Look Credible and Trustworthy Online — Presentation Transcript