How to get your customers to trust your article PR
by Glenn Murray | SEO Copywriter & Article Submission specialist *
Research reveals three important facts:
- The Internet is one of the most important sources of information.
- The trustworthiness of the Internet is declining.
- Customers will be loyal if they trust you.
In the face of a declining trust in the Internet, there's definitely value in writing free reprint articles that readers feel they can trust. But how do you do it? That's what this article is all about.
But first, the research…
According to a recent major study, "Ten Years, Ten Trends", conducted by the Center for the Digital Future (http://www.digitalcenter.org), a leading authority on the impact of the Internet, the Internet is still seen as one of the most important sources of information, but people are placing less faith in the reliability of that information.
These findings are supported by earlier research. American Express found that 73% of people use the Internet to gather information, and Lyra Research found that 48% of people use the Internet to find work-related information as opposed to 7% who use magazines. When it comes to reliability of information, A.T. Kearney found that workers take so long trying to find information that it costs organisations $750 billion annually!
But never fear! All is not lost. It is possible to stem the tide - at least as far as your own content is concerned. According to Nielsen NetRatings, helpful content develops loyalty. The average person visits no more than 19 websites in the entire month in order to avoid information overload - they tend to rely on the sites that they can trust to help them.
So how do you inspire trust in your readers?
The answer is simple - make your free reprint article trustworthy!
Following are 8 steps that'll put you on the road to a trustworthy article submission.
STEP 1 - Know it & Show it
It's not enough that you know what you're talking about. Your readers have to know you know it! This normally means including a little bit of technical information or some other titbit that potential customers will recognise as expertise. (And always check your facts before publishing. If possible, include statistics or some other form of research results.)
STEP 2 - Something for nothing
Nothing inspires trust more than an offer of something for nothing. But you have to make sure that 'something' is helpful. And make it doubly clear that it really is obligation-free. Nothing undermines credibility faster than the suspicion that there's a hidden catch.
STEP 3 - Avoid advertorial style article submissions
Don't go on and on, page after page, repeating the same thing using different words. Make your point and make it quickly. Don't insult your visitors' intelligence by implying that they'll believe you if you just say it often enough! If you use advertorial style copy in your free reprint article submission, you'll seem more interested in yourself than the business solution you're offering your client.
STEP 4 - Avoid hard-sell copy
Once again, don't insult your readers' intelligence. Hard-sell article submissions can give the impression that you're more interested in the sale than the business solution. Sure, create a sense of urgency with your copy, but don't overdo it.
STEP 5 - Talk benefits not features
When you talk features, you're talking about your product or service - you're talking about you. When you talk benefits, you're showing that you're interested in what the customer needs. Talking benefits is one of the best ways to engage your customer. (For more information on writing about benefits, see see www.divinewrite.com/benefits.htm and www.divinewrite.com/webbenefitwriting.htm.)
STEP 6 - Write well
Make sure you write your free reprint article submission well. Your writing reflects on the quality of your product or service and on the credibility and authority of your business. Don't risk bad writing!
Free reprint article submissions can be a great way to engage your customers and make sales. But you have to make sure your readers trust what you say. And that means getting your copy right.
Happy writing!
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