| |
| |
|
Internet Marketing Information |
|
|
|
How To Build a Successful Online Reputation
After running an online business (web site design) for a number of years I built a reputation online that helps me to gain and retain a continuous flow of customers. I had no online reputation when beginning my business, but was able to build it up step by step over the last few years. Why is building your reputation important for your online business? People tend to purchase services or products only from people they trust. For example you may have hired a contractor do a repair on your house, that did not deliver on what was promised leaving you very disappointed in his service. So how can you build a reputation online which creates trust between you and your customers providing you with repeat business? 10 effective ways to build your reputation online 1. Provide courteous customer service - always be polite with each customer, greeting them (ie Hi, Hello, Dear) first and ending your communication appropriately (ie Best Regards, Sincerely, All the Best). I always try to do this in my email communication and postings in online forums. 2. Over deliver on your products - this is a great way to gain extra credit with your customers. People often take short cuts due to lack of time or impatience and therefore under deliver on their service, leaving the customer unhappy. A good example of over delivering is to provide quality bonus products when a customer purchases your e-book. Another effective way is to offer extra quality advice even after the client has purchased your service or product. 3. Become an expert - writing articles about my business and publishing it on the Web has been a very successful way to build trust and loyalty. I try to make the information easy to read, and provide the necessary steps to put the knowledge into practice. This saves a lot of time and frustration for people who want to find quality information quickly. 4. Display your full name, company name and contact information - when I visit a web site I want to know who is behind it and what they have to offer before I will make a purchase. Within your web site, include your full name, a picture of yourself, and contact information. Include a telephone number as well. I often have customers who call me instead of using email. They want to be sure there is a live person behind the web site (not just an autoresponder) that they can talk to personally. This helps build trust immediately by clarifying customers questions who may have hesitated to communicate with email. 5. Create a clean, navigable, and fast loading web site. You only have 10-20 seconds to get the attention of your web site visitors. Create a design that is easy to read with web copy focused on the benefits of your business. Don't try to wow them with a flashy design. Most visitors are simply looking for targeted information. 6. Be an active web participant - participate in online forums by offering quality advice, asking questions, giving testimonials and being courteous. When people see that you frequently help others in the forum, they will visit your own site (you can leave a link to your site at the bottom of each post, if they wish to contact you). You may even want to create your own online discussion forum. This creates a supportive environment for people to share ideas and ask questions related to your business. This helps you to gain a lot of repeat customers. 7. Provide testimonials - ask for testimonies from satisfied customers and put them on your web site. Visitors are more apt to buy from you, if they can read about others' experiences that worked with you. Be sure to include their email and/or web site address so the testimony is believable. Don't create false testimonies (with no qualifying email or web site address). It only reduces your credibility. 8. Provide quality products and services - if you offer a high quality product or service, your customers are more likely to return in the future to do more business with you. 9. Keep in constant contact with your customers - send out a bi-weekly newsletter, create an online forum, use autoresponders, or other methods to stay in touch with your customers. Most people these days are simply too busy to remember to return to your web site for the new information you wish to share with them. Constant communication with your customers creates long term relationships that leads to building a strong reputation. 10. Be personable - be interested in what your customer is trying to achieve with your service or product. Don't try to take advantage of their inexperience and just sell them something. That action will come back to bite you later. Always be honest and upfront with your customers and you will reap many rewards. Building your reputation online doesn't happen overnight. Therefore be consistent and patient in your efforts. This will create a solid pillar for establishing a successful business online for years to come. Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW) owner and author of http://www.iSiteBuild.com Affordable Web Site Design and Web Hosting. Subscribe to his "Marketing Tips" newsletter for more original articles at subscribe@isitebuild.com. You can read more of his in-depth articles at: http://www.isitebuild.com/articles
MORE RESOURCES:
Internet-Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How to Leverage the Internet in MLM Most people who try to leverage the Internet to build their MLM business wake up to the rude awakening that Network Marketing in the Internet age requires a whole lot more than just having a web site.Your marketing system should fulfill four critical functions in order to peek the interest of your prospect to the point where they either come back to you for more information, or they remove themselves from the prospect pool. Internet Marketing Simplified! 2 Pillars For Achieving Massive Results Are you confused by the flood of information on how to improve your internet marketing results?Mastering the search engines, pay-per-click advertising, affiliate marketing, website design, writing articles, and on it goes.Doesn't it seem more and more complicated to focus in on what really works and what doesn't?After working to build many businesses from the ground up over the last 10 years, it's more clear than ever that there are 2 main principles that will largely dictate your success in any business. The Struggling Internet Marketer Instead of giving you advice on how to make a million bucks, and pretending to be famous and wealthy, I would like to talk about all the net-prenuers who aren't making a living on the information superhighway.Everytime you turn around, someone is trying to sell you the next sliced bread, or the answer to your prayers. E-marketplace - Facts and Fictions Not long ago, industry pundits were touting B2B marketplaces or exchanges as Internet era panacea for productivity and cost-cutting problems of corporate world. Buoyed by excessive investor interest and driven by a desire to cash in on the enormous dot-com valuations of late 90s, marketplaces were sprouting like autumn mushrooms. HOLY TRINITY: The Three Focal Points Of A Successful Online Venture "For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?" - Luke 14:28Business is once again thriving in the online scene. It has successfully rebounded from the tragedy of the dotcom bubble burst during the millennium's turn. The Google Toolbar & Search Engine Optimization Like many other useful toolbars out there so is the Google Toolbar. I consider this toolbar a must have for any serious search engine optimizer and anyone who searches the internet on a regular basis. 8 Excellent Ways to Sell Your Back-end Products More Successfully! A back-end product is a product that you attempt to sell to your customers after they have recently purchased a related item from your business. Selling back-end products is an extremely effective way of boosting your profits. 3 Simple Steps To Get Free Original Content for Your Website As a web business owner you will be well aware that content for your website is good. The more content the better, but of course it must be relevant and of high quality. 9 Secrets to Kick Your Internet Marketing Efforts into Overdrive Let's face it, most of us know the basics of Internet Marketing or how to promote websites and products on the Internet. There are plenty of ebooks on the subject if you aren't familiar. What is So Exciting about Money and the Internet? I believe it is a principle of human nature that has always been there. You see it in kids digging in the woods for that 'hidden treasure'. How To Profit Using Public Domain Works The public domain is full of books, journals, literary works, videos, audio, music sheets, software and government works that you can use any way you choose and create unlimited wealth with a little creativity.Several ways you can profit using public domain works are:1. The Internet F-Word For the last several months I've been collecting and organizing links for the free Christian Resource Center. Now that the public area is up and the members' area is well under construction, I'm running into one problem: the Internet F-word. The Internet and Network Marketing After years of gut wrenching work and stress the home based business building process has finally been chopped down to size. The casualties from this type of business building are horrendous and rightfully so. What is Pay Per Call? How does it work? Pay Per Call is the next wave of advertising on the Internet. Similar to a Pay-Per-Click advertising. 5 Steps to Achieving Success in Marketing 1 Planning:When starting your marketing strategy, it is wise to plan ahead for what you will need.This is important, both for the finance you have available, the time and the resources you need. How Internet Marketeres Can Create Their Own Powerful Niche... Even In an Over-Crowded Industry! For some reason, people who look to the internet to make more money or start their own online business are drawn to the internet marketing or home business industries. Ironically, these marketers (and I was one of them!) become affiliates for "make money from home" products, or buy reprint rights for the same, and thus try to sell something they have no experience in. Dont Treat Your Business Like a Casino It's amazing how many people are jumping into the internet marketing business. The good news is that the pie is pretty unlimited so we can all get a nice slice. How Can You Can Go From Zero To Hero Overnight? Viral Marketing! Everyone has heard about viral marketing but what is it and how long will it survive?Viral Marketing is the creation of a message that is self-perpetuating and hence distributed exponentially after its release. The Internet is full of many classic examples, the most famous one being that of the free email company - Hotmail. The Power Of Free Free can set you free.. Online Paid Survey Basic IdeaAround the world, companies spend over $250 billion dollars a year trying to convince consumers to buy their products and services. And about $800 million dollars is devoted to market research.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
