21st century word-of-mouth marketing starts here.

Archives : branding with design

Brand Trust Advice for Start-up E-Commerce Sites

February 4th, 2009

By Josh Caba

Brand trust is simply defined by the general opinion that people have of your company and whether or not they believe you will deliver a quality product. Having brand trust is vital to the importance of every business. The task of creating brand trust in an online world can be exceptionally challenging because your customers are buying a product that they can’t hold and touch, from a company they can’t see. For this reason, the importance of brand trust is even more crucial when marketing on the web.

Here are three major aspects to consider when creating your brand trust strategy:

For startup websites, the most important factor in establishing brand trust is quality graphic design. Through graphic design, a one man shop can automatically give the impression of a multi-million dollar operation merely by having a website with a professional look. This is a huge advantage in the online world that every start-up should take full advantage of. Have an experienced proficient graphic designer create a dynamic design for your website. It will be well worth the investment.

Note: It can also help conversion rates to have security logos from the BBB or your SSL provider tactfully placed within your design.

The second important aspect to consider is customer service. It is essential to have contact information that is easily accessible and complete on your website. A 1-800 number is a must, as it allows someone to be contacted immediately if the customer has a question. If you do not plan on having someone answer the phone full time, provide an answering machine. Physical addresses, emails, and even contact forms displayed visibly on your website will increase your level of trust with potential buyers. Also, be sure to fulfill orders quickly and update customers with email notifications when their items have been shipped. Failing to complete orders in a timely fashion and allowing delayed product arrival to the customer will encourage them to look elsewhere next time they shop.

Finally, consider your website information. Customer reviews for your products, blogs, articles, and various other forms of content can help communicate information and knowledge about your industry to its consumers. It can also increase your ranking in the search engines and drive traffic to your site. Organizing all of this information in a user-friendly way is imperative so that customers can find what they are looking for. Clutter is bad, so always make sure that your designer is analyzing each page on your site to ensure that the content stays within design guidelines.

Establishing brand trust is not always easy or intuitive, but if it’s done right it can help set the foundation of future online success.