Can I Trust You?
Earning the Trust of Your Email List
On a scale of one to ten, how high would you rank the importance of trust in a relationship? Would you agree that without trust it's next to impossible to build a meaningful friendship with another person? This same principle applies to your relationship with the members of your email list.
When someone gives you their email address, they are trusting you - but only a little. They are providing you with a small window, a brief opportunity, for you to prove that you are worthy of that trust and possibly even more.
Author and marketing guru Seth Godin says that permission marketing is all about turning strangers into friends and friends into customers. So how do you turn a stranger into a friend? By treating them in a way that builds their trust in you.
How to Build Trust
Think about the emails you receive from businesses or organizations. I'm sure some do a better job at winning your trust than others. Here are some of the trust-building characteristics I have observed:
Respect-The number one ingredient in building trust is respect. In the case of email marketing, you can show respect by not bombarding your receivers with messages and by making sure that what you are sending them is well thought out and relevant. Email is so easy to use that we can take a casual attitude towards what we send. For your email campaigns to be effective they can't be "off the cuff." Your customers deserve better than that, and they know it!
Another way to show respect (and to follow the law) is by using a permission reminder in your emails, which reminds your list members, up front, that they are receiving your newsletter or announcement because they asked for it. It also gives them an easy way to unsubscribe if they so choose.
Connect-You don't want to over communicate, but it is equally important that you consistently connect with your list in order to get the best results. How can I trust you if I haven't heard from you for months and months?
Listen-How do you feel about a friend who really listens to you? That's how you want your customers and members to feel about you. Listening goes a long way in building trust. Ask those on your list what kinds of messages they want to receive from you. Give them options-do they want to receive announcements and your newsletter or just the announcements? You can also survey them to learn more about who they are and what they are looking for from you. The more you can give them what they want, the more effective your email marketing will be.
How to Erode Trust
Here are some ways, big and small, to erode trust or stop it from ever being built:
- Irrelevant messages-Every time you send a message that is irrelevant to the sender, you are wasting their time and damaging their confidence in your product, service, or organization.
- Broken links-When a receiver clicks on a link that is broken, it tells them something about you and your business. Whether it's true or not, you can be perceived as careless. Make sure to check all of your links before sending a campaign.
- Bad writing-It's very important to proofread and spell check your campaigns before sending. Even better, have someone else (preferably someone with writing skills) read them before they go out. Typos and poor grammar do not build confidence in the professionalism of your business or organization.
- Too much information-When someone talks your ear off every time they call, chances are you might stop picking up the phone. Your readers will stop being interested in what you have to say if you overwhelm them with too much information. Always remember the "less is more" rule.
Mail from Trusted Senders Gets Opened
Make it your goal in life (at least in your email marketing program) to be a trusted sender. You want to be a "friend" to your customers, not just someone who is trying to sell them something. If you've taken the appropriate steps to build a bond with them, they will actually be glad to hear from you. We all have senders that we have positive feelings towards when we see their messages in our inbox. We want to know what they have to say. Why? Because we've come to trust them. Do everything in your power to make sure that is how your receivers feel about you.
