The Digital Dialog Starts with Trust

When I first started talking about Building Sales With Your Digital Dialog, I discussed how the real version of you is complimented by the online version of you. When your customers opt to buy their printing from your website, is the online version of you as engaging as the real you? That’s certainly an important part of the Digital Dialog, but before that dialog can even start, you need to build trust. Without trust, your prospects and customers may not even start the online conversation. So, the million dollar question is: “How do you build trust online?”

Beautiful Visual Design

May I share a secret with you? There was a time in my life I thought beautiful website design was for the “other guys.” You know, big names like Apple, GMC, and Nike, to name just a few. As long as your website looked “acceptably” good, that’s all that mattered. After all, if you’re faced with the choice of making your website look great or work great, then “work great” wins, right?

The truth is, you need both. You need a website that’s both functional and beautiful. It’s convenient to repeat the tired, old phrase, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Deep down, though, we all know that’s just not true. When someone lands on your website, they’re making a judgment in a microsecond. They’re definitely judging your worth as a graphics professional; they are indeed judging a book/website by its cover whether you like it or not!

Design Equals Trust

If you believe, like me, that people do indeed judge books (and websites!) by their covers, then it’s a logical step to assume that if they are put off by what they see, their willingness to put their trust in you isn’t going to be as strong as it could be. Conversely, if they do judge your website’s appearance and end up with a positive reaction, you’ve just earned trust points.

If you could ask your website visitor in casual conversation why they decided to do business with you online, they may not be able to put their finger on exactly why they decided to make the important step from website visitor to website customer. But, if you pressed them enough they might indeed say you earned their business because you were trustworthy.

This Inc.com article, 11 Simple Techniques for Gaining Customers’ Trust Online, says it well:

…answer [this] question: If a prospective customer looked at [your] site, would they trust you enough to give you their money or credit card information?

That question makes it really easy to connect the dots: If you want your customers to spend money on your website, you have to earn their trust. If you want to earn their trust online, you have to have a beautifully designed website.

So…take an honest look at your website. Is it beautiful? Will it instill enough trust in your visitors to make them want to do business with you?

Two New Websites For Printers Website Designs

It’s time to bring this idea closer to home. Websites For Printers will soon be releasing two beautiful, brand new website designs, and you can get a sneak peek at them right now!