Making Genuine, Long-Lasting Connections with Your Customers: A Primer

One of the hardest parts of running your own online marketing business is making genuine connections with your customers. Once you can build trust, you can develop a list of loyal customers who will buy from you again and again.

You can outsource your list building by hiring an inexpensive telemarketing service or by hiring a virtual assistant at one of the freelance hiring websites, such as ODesk, Guru or Elance.

Here you can find lots of skilled, talented people who are willing to do the grunt work of finding leads for you organically for very little money. The best part is you can set a budget for the job you want done and then let prospective contractors bid on the job.

Then you can simply hire the person, give them the parameters of the job you want done, set a deadline and let them go to work. Usually, the freelance hiring site will take care of all the administrative tasks for you, like supervising their work and making sure you get what you paid for.

Where to Buy Leads Safely

If you are going to buy leads, just about the only safe places to buy lists from are reputable solo ad providers.

Buying solo ads is the best way to get around the risks associated with buying lists. That’s because when you buy a list form solo ad from a provider, you already know that the people on that list want to hear about the types of offer you are promoting.

They already know the provider and have agreed to receive their emails, so they aren’t going to mark your emails as spam, in all likelihood. They also probably aren’t going to delete your email out of hand.

Benefits of Ad Swaps

Ad swaps are another legitimate way to accomplish the same objective that you are attempting to achieve with buying lists … namely, getting your sales message in front of an entirely new group of prospective customers who are open to the types of products you are promoting.

Except with solo ad and ad swaps you don’t have to worry about the dark downside that comes with buying lists.

Think about it. Let’s say you have purchased products from an Internet marketer in the past and look forward to receiving emails from that person because they consistently provide you with things you can use … either free information you can use or offers that are of interest to you.

That marketer sells a solo ad to another marketer, so you get an email from them that says, “Hey, check out this internet marketer. They have great products and offers and I highly recommend them.”

The email comes with a link to your squeeze page or an opt-in box right there on the email. Either way, you probably are going to opt-in to that marketer and be open to receiving emails from them. You probably are going to pay attention to their offer and, hopefully, act on it and get something of value.

Contrast that with getting an email from that very same marketer who has purchased our email address from a list clearinghouse. It could be exactly the same offer that you received via the solo ad route … same subject line, same text, same everything.

But in all likelihood you are going to delete that message without reading it simply because it was unsolicited.

Getting People to Trust You

People aren’t going to open your unsolicited emails because there’s just too much risk with computer viruses and other malware these days to open emails from people you don’t know. The last thing anybody wants is for their hard drive to crash.

So instead of buying lists from companies you don’t know, the better option is to buy solo ads from people you trust and who can put you in touch directly with the types of customers who already are going to be open to buying the types of products you are promoting.

Building genuine loyalty bonds with your customers is essential to your long-term success. If you’d like to have access to even more powerful marketing tips, as well as a way to generate conversion-ready Internet marketing prospects each month, click here to learn about my done-for-you system.

How to Establish Trust with Your Target Demographic

Trust is generally low among consumers. In fact, about 32% of consumers have trust for businesses and only about 13% trust advertising. So, if people don’t trust advertisements who do they trust? Their family, friends, and co-workers.

You can take advantage of this trust. By establishing trust with your target demographic and making it a priority, you can dramatically increase referrals and word of mouth advertising.

Why should you prioritise customer trust? Because it’s key to repeat business. This is one of the top factors that lead customers to either stay or leave a business.

Make Sure That You’ve Got a Quality Product or Service

Customers want quality. If you’re purchasing a pair of pants and find that they’re uncomfortable, you probably wouldn’t purchase the same brand in the future. This applies to your products or services.

It’s hard to be impartial about the quality of your own products or services. The best way to find out if they’re living up to the expectations of your customers is to get their feedback. When you send a “thank you” email following a purchase, include a link to a simple online survey.

Keep track of the input that you get from customers. When the time comes to revise or update your products or services or release a new item, you can use this feedback to improve the quality. You may even find additional features that your customers want that you wouldn’t have considered.

Don’t Use Misleading Claims in Your Sales Copy

Your sales copy impacts your conversions. But, it also impacts customer trust. Don’t use misleading claims or promises that you can’t deliver in your sales copy. If you expect customers to trust you, you need to be truthful.

Truthful sales copy is beneficial for both you and your customer. By giving honest claims, stats, and figures, you’re setting realistic expectations for your products or services.

Solve Customer Complaints As Soon As Possible

When a customer has a problem with a purchase, you should resolve the issue as soon as possible. This helps you establish a positive relationship with a customer that may otherwise take their business elsewhere and damage your online reputation.

Contact the customer as soon as you discover their complaint. Respond promptly. Use their first name, if possible. Don’t make excuses and don’t try to pass the blame onto the customer. You simply need to fix the problem in any way possible—even if this means giving a refund.

Don’t Bad Mouth Your Competition

If you’re discussing your competition, either directly to a customer or in your sales copy, don’t be disrespectful. Customers are smart. They see trash-talking as a method to make your products look better than the competition.

Instead of focusing on your competition, you should focus on your own qualities. If you can highlight the strengths of your products or services, there’s no reason to bad mouth your competition.

Always Stick to Your Promises

The final suggestion for establishing trust is to always stick to your promises. When you make a guarantee, you need to stand by it. The same is true of any claims that you include in your sales copy, promises that you use in marketing and personal guarantees that you give to customers.

When you say that your product or service can deliver a specific result, you need to ensure that you can keep that promise.

Establishing trust with your customers doesn’t need to be difficult. Keep these tips in mind. If you want access to more powerful marketing tips, as well as a way to generate conversion-ready marketing prospects every month, then click here to learn about my done-for-you system.