What’s the key to a successful Internet business?
Is it marketing acumen? A huge opt in list? Numerous joint venture partners? A keen hand at the fine art of SEO? (Search Engine Optimization). Efficient utilization of social media tactics?
Nope. It’s none of these. It’s trust. Or more definitively, the establishing of trust between you and your audience. It is, without a doubt, the most important element in building a successful online business.
That’s more the case today than ever; not only is money tight, but the number of people offering an “instant Internet cash riches” solution for “just $39.99″ has exploded. Whose offer is genuine? Who knows?
Without trust, your business is doomed. As an affiliate, for instance, your product recommendations will not be heeded. Selling your own product? You’ll fare no better. Monetizing via advertising? Visitors will not return to your site, and they won’t click on your in context ads while reading your material.
So what really is “trust” when it comes to the Internet? And how do you build it? The answer?…
It’s addressing the best interests of your customers/visitors. It’s ensuring their needs are first and foremost in priority, and not your need to generate revenue.
Practically, it’s knowing your products, your audience and their needs and being completely up front and truthful about everything. Believe me, this is still relatively rare on the Net, and doing so will immediately differentiate you from your competitors, regardless of your niche.
On my UltimateFatBurner.com supplement review web site, for instance, that means deconstructing product claims, and revealing the supporting science (or lack therof) behind each product’s ingredients.
The majority of my competitors do not do this; instead they wax lyrical on almost everything, and earn huge commissions on referred sales. In the short term, they make tons of money; in the long term, they jeopardize their business, as none of their visitors will ever heed a recommendation again.
Some might argue that there is an almost unlimited customer base online, and you can alienate a large percentage of people without doing damage to your business.
I disagree.
Not only is such practice morally and ethically bankrupt, but you’d be surprised at the damage a couple of jilted customers can do by posting negative comments at various forums and blogs. Bad word of mouth can spread like wildfire online.
Building trust means that your visitors will heed your recommendations if and when you make them. It takes longer and it’s more work, but it’s immensely satisfying. And, in today’s tough economy, where money is tight and everyone and his or her dog is offering you the opportunity to get really rich, really quick, it’s trust that separates the successful from the failures.
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