People don’t buy from your website (whether via e-commerce, or by picking up the phone) because they’re worried about something. They’re unsure about doing business with you.
I’ve talked to you before about building trust with your online content. But it’s worth talking about again as it’s such an important topic. I can’t stress enough how much of a game changer trustworthiness is.
Fear is the biggest buying barrier you have to deal with. So you should spend more time thinking about your customer’s fears and then overcoming them. One at a time if necessary.
It’s the secret weapon of the copywriter. If at every point your customer thinks, ‘Yeah, but…’ you’re there with a calm, reassuring and persuasive comment about why they do not need to worry. You’re going to sell more gear.
So what do these fears look like? Well, these are the things your online customers are thinking when they’re on your site:
“What if this company goes out of business next week?”
“What if my husband doesn’t like what I’ve just bought?”
“What if I click ‘continue’ and I can’t go back?”
“What if my credit card details are stolen?”
And the list goes on and on. Can you see what you need to do? That’s right, you need to reassure.
Think about all the stages in the buying process and write down all the concerns your customers might have. Even if you know them to be untrue (if you have a secure credit card payment system, it doesn’t mean people will have no concern about credit card fraud – they will).
You have to remember one thing about selling online. You’re not there with a sincere look, a firm handshake and a warm smile to reassure a wavering buyer
So the words on your website need to build that trust for you – all on their own.
