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Legitimate concerns prevent people from trusting online information providers and business operators. Identify their worries and discover strategies to allay their fears:
People are worried that information could be erroneous or out-dated. In some instances, it could have serious consequences: academics could lose their reputation by quoting unreliable data; business owners could take regrettable commercial decisions based on groundless advice; people could endanger their life by trying unproven or dated remedies. Make sure your web content is fresh and well-researched. When necessary, quote the source of your information, insert the date when your content was last updated and add a disclaimer. People don’t like to be duped or mislead by biased information. Any affiliation or sponsorship should be disclosed. Differentiate objective content from advertisements by grouping adverts under headings such as ‘paid advertisements’ or ‘sponsored links’. People are worried of fly-by-nights, business owners that offer false promises and disappear into cyberspace once they have obtained people’s information or money. People fear being left without customer support or after-sales service. Dissipate their fears by giving your physical address and phone number. An email address is not sufficient. Respond promptly to emails and phone calls. People are hesitant to disclose their personal details. They worry that the confidential information could be sold and they would receive loads of spam messages. Display a concise privacy policy statement beside each web form requesting information from your visitors. This policy should state that the information solicited will not be disclosed to third parties and that it will be used for the sole purpose for which it was requested. Be fair. A permission to download a freebie is not a permission to subscribe to your newsletter unless clearly stated otherwise. People are uneasy to disclose their credit card details for fear the information could be misused. Reassure customers by explaining your security measures, such as the transfer of data through a secure server and the safe storage of their trusted information. People are frightened to download files that could damage their computer. Choose file formats that are relatively safe to download, such as PDF files, and avoid Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and .exe files because they are notorious for nasties. People dread having an error message or losing the information while completing a survey, contact form or order form. A well designed and maintained site will reassure people who are disclosing their confidential information. Professionalism goes hand-in-hand with trustworthiness. Once people are on your website, build their trust by allaying their fears and win their business.
© 2005 Henriette Martel-Lawson
Henriette Martel-Lawson is a website strategist and author of
200 Marketing Ideas for Your
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