When it comes to people’s businesses and livelihoods, it never ceases to shock me just how much faith is placed on third parties with little in the way of accountability. This behaviour seems to be much more apparent online than in the offline world. Much of this, I put down to people’s own perceptions about other people.
In the Internet marketing world, trust is a precious commodity. Trust will allow you more visitors to your website, more consumers of your product or service, more subscribers to your list. Yet many people will blindly place their trust without good reason. You might have done this yourself when you took a chance on an infoproduct or webhost on the basis of a recommendation from a complete stranger.
There are many examples of where we might misplace trust. Here are just a few:
Google AdSense
Building a Google AdSense empire and having any reliance placed upon it is probably one of the most risky ventures you can carry out because you become so dependant upon the whim of so few. As I’ve experienced, relatively small changes by Google or any of the search engines that feed my AdSense websites traffic can result in large movements in AdSense income.
It’s never been my intention to try to earn a living from Google AdSense, but that said, I have made a significant effort towards doing so and have benefitted from a decent return in the time I’ve been active in the programme. Since earlier this year, my thoughts have been to spread more of my revenue generation away from AdSense.
Does that mean I’m abandoning AdSense entirely? No, but it does mean the whole “Build, build, build!” mentality is out of the window. The process was becoming more like a job than an automated income stream and managing a large portfoilio of websites was becoming more of a nightmare.
Web Hosting
Finding a suitable web host has to be one of the most difficult things to do because there’s nothing like first-hand experience, but unfortunately, that takes time. Typically, when I’ve looked for a web host, I’ve looked for one with the intention of signing up in the near future. I simply didn’t have time to test a host, I took whatever input I could from various sources and made my decision. When that input comes from sources with little experience of their own then, again, it’s misplaced trust.
I see this kind of question being asked constantly in forums and the replies that usually come back are worse than useless because they misinform albeit often unintentionally. The problem isn’t helped when people don’t ask the right questions and neglect stating their most essential requirements.
My primary web host is one that I’ve settled on after years of whittling down my requirements to the point where I know what I want and what to expect. Does that mean that I can place my trust in them? Yes and no. As long as they continue to meet my requirements then I’ll continue to give them my custom, but it doesn’t mean that I won’t take my own precautions such as regular (automated) backups.
URL Shrinking Services
Many marketers, affiliates in particular, use free URL redirection services such as TinyURL and SnipURL to present shortened versions of links on web pages and emails. The obvious benefits of doing so include having shorter URLs that don’t wrap over several lines and the ability to count the number of clicks on those links.
The not-so-obvious disadvantage of using these services is that you relinquish control of your links. Should the service providers cease operating or perhaps start charging then there’s little you would be able to do if you’ve already distributed those links in ebooks etc.
The alternative is to use a self-hosted solution such as the Affiliate Link Redirector, which places the control of your links into your own hands.
Self-Proclaimed Gurus
There are many people for whom their own hype acts as a catalyst for their gains. To some degree, I’ve come to expect this, but there are those who make fantastic claims without even a scrap of evidence to back them up. What’s worse is that the lemmings then come along and swallow what they’re given no questions asked. Talk about no-brainers…
Trusting Less Gets More Trust
So am I saying that you shouldn’t trust anyone? No, but the next time you’re about to, ask yourself, “Why?” Better still, ask the person you’re about to place your trust upon, “Why should I trust you?” You might want to come across with a little more tact, but it’s the answer to that question you should be seeking. When you do come to depend on someone, it makes good business sense to put some sort of contigency in place. Ask yourself, “What will I do if things go wrong?” Your business will be more secure because of it and the people who come to trust you will be justified for doing so.
Technorati Tags: Trust, Google AdSense, URL redirection, tinyurl, snipurl, Web hosting, Gurus
Well, what you say mostly applies to ebooks, software and other such products which are sold for a price less than few hundred dollars. I also had bought such products just looking at the sales pitch and repented later. But I sell cars and trucks on the internet and these products have a value of several thousand dollars. And the only way people can buy from me without even seeing my face is when they get quality replies to their emails and phone calls. Emails and phone calls generate the trust and of course the quality of past service. This is essential for high value goods and services being sold on the internet.