
- Image by moriza via Flickr
Unfortunately, we’ve all bought a product or two that didn’t stand up to the advertising hype. That’s what we get for watching late night infomercials. Keep in mind that any online business consulting firm will tell you that if you want your online business venture to be around in three years, build real relationships through integrity.
Integrity
It’s a word that some online business owners know nothing about. They would promote any product or service to get a quick buck. Often times, what happens after the customer pays their money is immaterial to them. More than most of us would like, their websites pop up one week and disappear when the heat gets to be too much, only to resurface under another name.
There is a reason for that. They know exactly what people are looking for, but instead of trying to provide it, they exploit it for the money instead. We see this time and again when we come across those sites that sell the dream of making millions in a short space of time, online.
Integrity means that you have to keep your promise in business terms. It may not seem like it, but readers scrutinise website businesses. We tend to look a little closer, as there’s no physical embodiment to associate with this company. The end result would have been the same: those that do not come through will end up losing both readers and sales.
Readers are very concerned about the misuse of their personal information. If they opt-in for an email newsletter, don’t sell their names to mailing lists and by all means, don’t spam them. You won’t get what you want from these people by treating them this way.
Testing, Testing, Testing
Are you selling products on your website? If you sell a physical product, you have a lot to take into account. Before you start, you should test the market to see if people actually want such a new product. No market means… no money. This is a crucial step which you should never overlook.
With digital products testing comes in the form of knowing that the advice inside will work for the person buying it. If you sell an eBook about how to set up your own affiliate program in one day (example only) then every customer should be able to duplicate your process.
Consider this also for affiliate marketing. Only upsell affiliate products or services that you know are legitimate and deliver what is promised. The money that you make will not help if your reputation is in tatters. If you’d like some help to get things moving fast, hire a virtual assistant now!
Make Sure The Content is Truthful
Before readers become customers, they will visit your site over and over again. They will read your content. Everything needs to be true and unique to your site. You certainly can’t build a relationship based on trust if you provide false information and there is enough rubbish floating around, as we know.
Don’t suggest anything that you cannot follow through on, but do make good on what you offer. This kind of trust takes time to build up, but the relationship will survive between you and your readers for many years.





















September 6, 2010
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