Internet Marketing And The Power of Trust

April 13, 2009

At my last mastermind meetup here in Tampa, I was talking with some people afterward. One of my local readers (JR Griggs) made an interesting comment. And it got me thinking…

He had purchased 3DayMoney. I’m sure he’s going to get a lot of value from the course, however what he said about his decision to buy was very interesting. I’m paraphrasing, but he said something like:

I would never have purchased it if I didn’t know you and didn’t trust you.

This statement is actually pretty profound in the lessons it has for anybody trying to market anything on the Internet (or even offline).

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Forming a Relationship

One of the reasons blogging can be such big business is because you have the opportunity to really bond with your audience. You provide a lot of value to your readers and you can also interact with them via comments and your email list.

I started this blog in mid 2008. My entire emphasis was just on providing value. I wasn’t trying to monetize this blog. I wasn’t littering it with Adsense and some of the other typical things. I was just helping you.

Now, am I just being altruistic? Yes and no. Yes, my aim is to help each and every one of my readers become better and richer bloggers. I truly enjoy this. However, at the same time, my inner marketer knows that if I invest the time to create a relationship and provide a lot of value with my audience (while growing the audience), it’ll be a LOT easier to sell things to you later. Right?

When I launched 3DayMoney privately to this site’s email list, the conversion rate was through the roof. Why? Because you guys know me.

Being REAL

JR Griggs has also met me in person and we’ve talked quite a bit in person. That’s a level of reality that many of my readers can’t have because they don’t live in the Tampa area. But, what does this say for marketing? Again, it comes down to reality and trust. I’m a real dude!

Now, if you don’t have the opportunity to meet your audience in person, there are online ways to be real to them. Perhaps a live Ustream show. More online videos so they can see you and get a better feel for what you’re like. Using the power of empathy (not forced, but real).

Simply Making an Offer Isn’t Enough

Pretty much all of internet marketing pretty much boils down to one simple phrase: Find a market, find out what they need and want, and sell it to them.

But, simply making the right offer isn’t everything. Especially on the Internet where the noise level is high and people are naturally distracted. Taking the time to build a real relationship with your audience and a level of trust will propel your efforts down the road rapidly.

It is good business. Not only that, you begin to think of your readers as friends.

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3 Day Money - Making Money Online As a ProBlogger

  • That's exactly why I bought I the 3 Day Money course too. (OBTW it was a great course) I had been reading your blog for about a month and I felt like I could trust you without really knowing you. I would have never bought a product like that that I just stumbled upon on randomly.
  • In some way, I think this is the beauty of adding video content to your site, to anyone's site. Having a face to associate with the words of a site, even if it's pre-recorded, can go a long way to making an audience feel like the "know" someone - and it's easier to trust those whom you know.
  • Trust is an essential element in the "sales process" these days which is why a blog is such a powerful marketing tool.

    Week in, week out - you show up here and share great information. People show up, consume the tasty (salty) tidbits of information. When you offer a nice, cool refreshing drink - in the form of a product or service - visitors happily order because they know they can trust you as their bartender.

    That's why blogging doesn't "work" if you post one or two blog posts and then wait for the traffic to beat down your door. It's all about building trust and trust takes time.

    Then again, you already knew that!! :)
  • There is a great book I have been reading called "The Speed of Trust" by Stephen Covey. One of the main points in the book is to concentrate on delivering trust by delivering results. I am a big blogger myself, but have never seen it done this well. Because you talk to us like a real person and not someone "selling us" something, it makes me want to come back and see what else you have posted. Keep up the good work.
  • I agree with you all the way. Building a relationship is the key to internet marketing. I have always bought from a friend instead of someone I don't know.
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