Visiting your Web site is a lonely experience, especially in the age of social media, where people are used to interacting on sites where there’s a constant stream of activity (like Twitter and Facebook). In fact, people are now relying more on the opinions of friends and peers before making decisions. So it’s not easy for them to make a decision in isolation on your Web site. You can help them by providing “social proof” – that is, the opinions of other people – on your Web site.

Look for ways to show your site visitor that people just like them have gained benefits from your products and services. Choose people with the same background, same demographics, and same needs as your ideal customer.

Here are some five ways to use the power of social proof on your Web site.

1. Written testimonials

This is probably the most common example. It simply involves a written note from somebody who has used your product, and speaks positively about it.

The most powerful testimonials are:

• Verifiable: They use the person’s real name (which could be checked if desired) and possibly even a photograph
• Results-based: They describe the results and benefits of using the product
• Specific: They mention specific results (for example, “a 300% increase in profit in 6 months”)
• Relevant: They appear on the page that describes that product (rather than only being on a separate Testimonials page)

2. Testimonial video

A written testimonial is good, but a video testimonial is even more authentic. It conveys enthusiasm, sincerity and is less likely to be fake.

It used to be difficult to create good video, but now it’s a cinch because modern smartphones have very good video capabilities. Record your customer testimonials, upload them to YouTube, and then embed them on your site.

All the points previously mentioned (verifiable, results-based, specific and relevant) apply to video testimonials as well.

3. Case study

You can also tell a more detailed story of how a customer or client used your product successfully. First describe their problem, and then explain how they used your product to solve it – and of course be specific about the results as well.

Case studies take more work than testimonials, but they can be just as powerful, so use both if possible. Case studies can also be used in situations where testimonials are not appropriate (for example, if you work in a sensitive area where customers don’t want to be identified).

4. Customer comments

Allow your customers to add their comments, feedback and product reviews to your site, to describe in their own words how they like your product. This is a double-edged sword, of course, because they might post negative comments! But if your products are high quality, the positive reviews should outweigh the few negative comments.

For example, Amazon does this with the books on their site, allowing customers to add their own reviews, and even allowing them to rate the book from 1-5.

5. Social media ratings

If appropriate, allow site visitors to share the page on social media platforms. Your Web developer should be able to provide you with a “widget” that makes this easy for site visitors, and the widget shows the number of times it’s been shared. Of course, this is not the same as the number of people who bought your products. But high numbers do help site visitors know that many other people liked the page enough to share it.

Does your Web site visitor have any unhelpful preconceived notions about you, your business or your industry? If so, overcome them as soon as possible so they don’t become a distraction or an obstacle.

Most people who visit your Web site have some idea about what to expect. Even if they don’t know you or your business personally, they might have dealt with other businesses and Web sites like yours, and that colours their perception of what they will find on your site. If that’s a negative perception, it puts you on the back foot immediately – even before they have engaged with you at all. Of course, that’s not fair, but fairness doesn’t matter in this case. If you know they might have this perception, it’s your job to change it.

For example, one of the barriers to online shopping is the price of postage and shipping. The online book store The Book Depository knows this, so one of their big points of difference is that they offer free shipping worldwide. But not only do they offer it, they also advertise it prominently on their Web site.

Apply the same principle to your own products and services. If there is an obvious glaring question most people will ask – the metaphorical “elephant in the room” – don’t pretend it doesn’t exist. If your Web site visitors think most financial planners are crooks, most accountants can’t see beyond the numbers, most academics don’t know anything about the real world, or most technology is difficult to use, that stereotype will influence their behaviour unless you do something about it.

Here are four ways to address these bad first impressions.

1. Acknowledge the problem

Don’t ignore the problem – instead, address it openly and directly. After all, if you know this is likely to be a question in your site visitor’s mind, there’s no point ignoring it. It’s far better to tell them you know about it.

For example, you can use phrases like these:

• “Many business owners think accountants only care about the numbers …”
• “You might think a university professor doesn’t know anything about the real world …”
• “Some people think mortgage brokers only care about their own commission …”

2. Be different!

After you acknowledge the problem, explain why you’re different. Of course, this means you do have to be different – but that’s the point, because you’re setting yourself apart from your competitors.

To explain why you’re different, add “but” to the phrases above and then complete the sentence – for example:

• “Many business owners think accountants only care about the numbers, but we care first about your lifestyle.”
• “You might think a university professor doesn’t know anything about the real world, but I’m different because I have worked in the mining industry for 20 years.”
• “Some people think mortgage brokers only care about their own commission, but we’re different because we pass on our commissions to you – so you get an even better rate!”

3. Prove it!

When The Book Depository states that it offers free shipping, that’s enough to state their point of difference. They don’t need to do any more to demonstrate it or prove their point, because customers know they have to stick by that offer.

It’s not always that obvious, though. Sometimes just stating your point of difference isn’t enough – you have to prove it. You can do this in a number of ways – with guarantees, testimonials, case studies, extracts from bank statements, and so on.

4. Use the Feel / Felt / Found technique

Another way to support your point of difference is to use a three-step sales process known as “Feel / Felt / Found”:

1. Yes, we know how you feel.
2. In fact, other customers have also felt the same way.
3. (But) what they found was that …

You then follow this with some sort of proof or evidence, as described earlier.

For example, if you’re selling small-size violins to parents for their children to use in music classes, it can be a difficult sale because the parents know the child will soon outgrow the violin (so they would rather hire it than buy it outright). So you might say something like this on your Web site:

“We understand that you might feel this is a big expense for such a short time. Some of our other customers have felt the same way. But when they saw just how much their child loved having their own instrument, they realised it was just a small investment.”

What first impressions do YOU have to overcome?

It’s easy to forget about negative first impressions of your business, because of course you only see all the benefits. But don’t ignore them! Instead, acknowledge them and address them, and you’ll make more sales.

Want to know more about making more sales on your Web site?

This article is an extract from my e-book “The Busy Entrepreneur’s Guide to Making More Sales on Your Web Site”, which gives you even more ideas and practical techniques for improving your Web site results.

If you’re launching a Web site, launching a new product or service, not getting enough sales from your Web site, or planning a new marketing campaign, read this book. It’s also for you if you’re busy running your business, and don’t have time to become an Internet marketer! So you need some simple things you can do to improve your results – without taking a lot of time, and without needing technical skills.

We live in an ever-changing world, and it can be difficult to understand just how all the changes affect us. If you can demonstrate to your Web site visitors that their environment has changed in such a way that your product or service is now more important than ever before, it can convince them that they need it now – even if they had previously decided against it.

For example:

• A fitness trainer could say, “In these times, it’s almost impossible for busy executives to stay fit with diet alone.”
• An investment adviser could say, “There’s never been a better time to invest in property”, based on the strength of the property market.”
• An environmental activist could say, “We have only 18 months before the effects of climate change become irreversible.”
• An accountant could say, “The new tax laws could cost you thousands of dollars.”
• A restaurant owner could say, “The economy is booming – come in and celebrate with your friends!”
• A business consultant could say, “The Internet is making it easier for competitors to put you out of business.”

Follow this four-step process to use this principle on your Web site.

1. Know their problems

The first step is to understand your target market, and understand their most pressing problems (or biggest aspirations). What’s keeping them up at night (problems) or keeping them motivated during the day (goals)?

This is an important first step, because if you don’t correctly identify these issues, you won’t be able to address them in the following steps.

2. Find the environmental pressure points

Look at each of the issues you identified in the previous step, and consider what’s changed in the environment that makes these issues even more challenging.

For example, if you’re a recruitment consultant targeting employers who are hiring new graduates, you might note that Generation Y employees want different things from a job than older generations did. This could be an important issue for employers who are struggling to recruit – and keep – this sort of employee.

Do the same for your target market. Here are some common environmental changes to consider:

• The global financial crisis
• Terrorism and security concerns
• Climate change
• A change of government
• New legislation in an industry
• Changing attitudes of consumers towards money, work, health, etc.
• New technology
• Major life changes – marriage, children, divorce, death, etc.
• Internet technology, such as Google, Facebook and mobile devices

3. Explain why it’s important

You have identified the pressure point yourself, but your customer might not realise it. Even when they do realise it, they might not understand how much it’s costing them. So help them by listing the costs and consequences of the problem – and the benefits of solving it.

For example, the recruitment consultant should be able to quantify the cost of hiring a new staff member – including the up-front costs, the training costs, and the productivity costs.

4. Offer your solution

Finally, you can present your product or service that solves the problem. This is the standard marketing material that you would use to promote the product or service.

Want to know more about making more sales on your Web site?

This article is an extract from my e-book “The Busy Entrepreneur’s Guide to Making More Sales on Your Web Site”, which gives you even more ideas and practical techniques for improving your Web site results.

If you’re launching a Web site, launching a new product or service, not getting enough sales from your Web site, or planning a new marketing campaign, read this book. It’s also for you if you’re busy running your business, and don’t have time to become an Internet marketer! So you need some simple things you can do to improve your results – without taking a lot of time, and without needing technical skills.

Although people find round numbers easier to understand, they find specific numbers more believable. When you’re more specific, you sound more credible and authoritative, so use this in your Web site marketing.

For example, some time management experts advise you to schedule meetings at an odd time, such as 8.05am, rather than a “round number” like 8.00am or 8.15am. The round number allows people to assume it’s an estimate, so they don’t give it much importance – and might dawdle and wander in 10 minutes late. On the other hand, when you announce an unusual time, such as 8.05am, it forces people to sit up and take notice. By being more specific, you’re giving greater importance to the number, and it encourages people to attend on time.

You can use the same principle on your Web site. By being specific and giving more detail, you give the information greater weight in your site visitor’s mind.

You do have to be careful, though, that you’re realistic; otherwise, you can lose credibility. This reminds me of the joke about the young child talking to his father at a museum:

Child: These dinosaurs lived 30 million and 3 years ago.

Father: How do you know it so precisely?

Child: Well, the sign here says they lived 30 million years ago, and the museum opened 3 years ago.

Joking aside, here are four ways to use the principle of specificity on your Web site:

1. Use more precise numbers

Examine your Web site for examples of round numbers, and – if appropriate – replace them with more precise numbers.

For example, compare these two statements:

1. “We have worked with 100 of the Fortune 500 companies.”
2. “We have worked with 97 of the Fortune 500 companies.”

The first number looks like an estimate (even if it’s not), while the second looks more precise and is more credible.

Note: You should only do this with round numbers that you’re using to demonstrate credibility – as in this example. When you’re using numbers for clarity and explanation, a round number is usually better (for example, you would say “The city has a 30,000-seat stadium” rather than “The city has a 31,238-seat stadium”).

2. Tell them what’s in the package

When selling a bundle, set or collection of products, list each item in the bundle and describe it in detail. For example, if you’re selling a drill set for the home handyman, you would describe the contents of the set. The level of detail depends on what’s appropriate for your market. For example, if you’re selling to the general public, you probably don’t need to list the size of every drill bit; it’s enough to say something like, “12 drill bits ranging from X to Y”.

When you do this, you do have to be careful not to overwhelm the customer. If you think this is a problem, put the details on a separate page and give them the option to view them if they want to do so.

3. Tell them what it’s worth

If you’re bundling products together and offering the bundle at a special price (that is, less than the cost of buying each product individually), show the individual prices and their total, so the Web site visitor can see the discount with their own eyes. Listing the price of each item is more credible than simply stating the discount, because the site visitor knows they can verify the details if they wish.

3. Point out the most useful bit

In some cases, it’s useful to single out specific items as being more useful than others – for example:

“For most of our clients, the most useful part of the package is the two-hour consulting session with one of our coaches.”

This doesn’t diminish the value of the other items in the package; it simply highlights the specific items that other people have found most useful.

Want to know more about making more sales on your Web site?

This article is an extract from my e-book “The Busy Entrepreneur’s Guide to Making More Sales on Your Web Site”, which gives you even more ideas and practical techniques for improving your Web site results.

If you’re launching a Web site, launching a new product or service, not getting enough sales from your Web site, or planning a new marketing campaign, read this book. It’s also for you if you’re busy running your business, and don’t have time to become an Internet marketer! So you need some simple things you can do to improve your results – without taking a lot of time, and without needing technical skills.

When evaluating your product or service, your Web site visitor is influenced by the opinions of people in authority and what they say about you, your business and your products and services. If you can tap into this authority, it helps your site visitor make their decision, and increases the chances of them taking action.

There is a natural human tendency for us to rely on authority figures to help make decisions. We don’t have all the information at our fingertips, and sometimes the information is too complex to understand anyway. So we turn to authorities for guidance – for example, doctors for medical advice, political commentators for voting advice, and movie critics for entertainment advice. These external authorities have a lot of influence on our decision making, especially when we don’t have enough skill or knowledge to make the decision ourselves.

You can use the same principle on your Web site, especially when promoting a complex product or service that the Web site visitor can’t evaluate on their own. Here are three ways to use the power of authority in this way.

1. Direct endorsements

If well-respected authority figures have endorsed you, your business, or your product, take advantage of this by promoting this clearly and prominently on your site. This is the most powerful form of authority endorsement, because the authority has specifically endorsed you. The endorsement could be in the form of a testimonial, a product review, or even a favorable mention in passing.

The “authority” could be a specific person (for example, “Neil Armstrong says …”), but it could also be a group or other organisation (for example, “Forbes magazine says …”). They do need to be somebody recognised and respected by your site visitor, of course.

2. Indirect endorsements

If you don’t have testimonials or reviews for your product itself, look for reviews or testimonials that endorse the general product category. For example, if you’re selling a brand of low-fat sweeteners, it’s useful to quote health experts who recommend low-fat sweeteners in general, even if they aren’t specifically recommending your product.

This is not as powerful as the direct endorsement, because you still have to convince your Web site visitor that your product is their best choice. However, it still gives authority to your general category of products.

3. Published research

For some products and services, it helps to quote published research backing the claims you make. Sometimes this can take the form of scientific research – for example, when making claims about medicine, health and fitness. But it doesn’t always have to be as formal, as long as it’s still seen as credible – for example, surveys conducted by a reputable market research company.

If you do quote this type of research, be careful not to overwhelm your site visitor with too much information. It’s usually enough to quote the source of the research and the results, and assume the site visitor can do a Google search for more information if they really need it.

Want to know more about making more sales on your Web site?

This article is an extract from my e-book “The Busy Entrepreneur’s Guide to Making More Sales on Your Web Site”, which gives you even more ideas and practical techniques for improving your Web site results.

If you’re launching a Web site, launching a new product or service, not getting enough sales from your Web site, or planning a new marketing campaign, read this book. It’s also for you if you’re busy running your business, and don’t have time to become an Internet marketer! So you need some simple things you can do to improve your results – without taking a lot of time, and without needing technical skills.

If you’re selling multiple products on your Web site, or offering multiple options when customers buy your products, you run the risk of confusing your customers – and confused customers won’t buy. Any time you give your Web site visitors a choice, make sure you also give them very clear directions on how to make the best choice for their circumstances.

Here’s a story that illustrates this point …

When Sheena Ivengar, now Professor of Business at the Columbia Business University, was a graduate student in 1995, she conducted a social psychology experiment about choice. She asked a supermarket store manager to set up a kiosk outside his store, with samples of different jams. She then conducted two versions of the experiment: one with 24 varieties of jam on display in the kiosk, and another with just six. She discovered shoppers were more attracted to the display of 24 jams, because it looked more interesting. But when it came to actual purchases, they were ten times more likely to buy when they had only six choices.

At first glance, this doesn’t make sense, because logic says additional choices can’t make things any worse (because we still have all the original options from which to choose). However, people’s emotions get the better of them, and decision-making becomes more complicated – because we agonise over the right decision, look for even more choices, aren’t as happy with our eventual choice, experience more regret and remorse after choosing, and sometimes don’t even make a choice at all because it’s all too hard!

So giving people more choice isn’t always a good thing. Sometimes, as the research shows, increasing options reduces the likelihood of taking action.

The same applies on your Web site.

If you only offer one product or service, and don’t give the customer any options for ordering it, you don’t need to worry about confusing them with too many choices. However, most Web sites offer multiple products, or multiple options when ordering the products. In this case, you do face the risk of confusing your Web site visitor.

Here are five ways to minimise their confusion – and increase your sales.

1. Offer fewer products.

Consider whether you’re offering too many products – or perhaps too many variations of a few core products. It might be possible to combine some products or even eliminate some altogether. This is the strategy Steve Jobs adopted when he returned to the helm at Apple, simplifying their offerings to just a few products. It not only makes it easier for your customers, it can also simplify your internal operations.

2. Offer fewer product options.

Do you really need to offer three bulk ordering discount options and two postage and shipping rates and an option for gift wrapping and three insurance options? It might seem helpful to offer your customers as many options as possible, but this can sometimes confuse them. Customers generally want their online ordering process to be as simple as possible, and only a few will appreciate having all these options available. It’s far better to offer fewer options, either by eliminating some or by bundling them together.

3. If you must give them choices, give them guidance as well.

When you give them multiple choices, explain which one choice is the most appropriate for them, depending on their circumstances – for example:

• “If you have never joined a gym before, we recommend you choose the First Timers Plan.”
• “If you want delivery by Christmas, tick the Express Post option on the order form.”
• “If you live in Sydney, join the Live program; otherwise, join the Virtual program.”

4. Don’t distract them during the sale.

When somebody visits your Web site, they might visit a number of other pages before they end up on a product page. But when they get to that page, keep them there. Don’t send them off to other pages that could potentially distract them. For example, if you want to show a testimonial for your product, show it on that page itself rather than sending them to a separate Testimonials page.

5. Create separate Web sites for each product.

You can take this even one step further by creating a separate Web site for each product – or at least, for each of your core products. This ensures that everything on each Web site can be about that product alone, and it prevents your Web site visitor becoming distracted or confused.

Want to know more about making more sales on your Web site?

This article is an extract from my e-book “The Busy Entrepreneur’s Guide to Making More Sales on Your Web Site”, which gives you even more ideas and practical techniques for improving your Web site results.

If you’re launching a Web site, launching a new product or service, not getting enough sales from your Web site, or planning a new marketing campaign, read this book. It’s also for you if you’re busy running your business, and don’t have time to become an Internet marketer! So you need some simple things you can do to improve your results – without taking a lot of time, and without needing technical skills.

Some people won’t buy your products because they have tried similar products in the past – and failed. But this is often because of things outside their control, even though they might blame themselves. If you can explain how external factors might have caused their failure in the past – and that they can overcome these factors now – you can persuade them to buy your products and services.

When somebody visits your Web site seeking a solution to their problem, don’t ignore their past attempts at finding a solution. Unfortunately, they might have had negative experiences in the past, and that could be stopping them from using your product. Even if they have taken the step of looking for a solution – and have even found your Web site – it doesn’t mean they will necessarily take the next step and buy from you.

Nobody wants to be told they are a failure! That just puts them on the defensive and makes them less likely to buy.

For example, in the TV comedy Friends, Jennifer Aniston’s character Rachel talked about starting a make-up business for babies and toddlers. She soon gave up, though, telling her friends, “Apparently parents don’t like being told their babies are ugly”.

In the same way, you probably won’t succeed if you persist in telling your site visitors they are wrong, or by making them feel bad. Don’t blame them for their past; instead, help them recognise they no longer need to be bound by it.

Consider whether their failures in the past could have been due to external factors, rather than their own inadequacies. This is particularly relevant if you’re selling training, coaching, consulting, mentoring or some other kind of educational material. Your Web site visitor might be thinking they won’t succeed because of the kind of person they are, but in fact you can explain that it’s more due to a lack of skills and knowledge. If you can convince them this is true, you can then move on to the next step of persuading them that you can provide them with the skills or knowledge.

Here are some examples of using this in your marketing:

• “Our parents, no matter how much they cared about us, probably didn’t teach us about wealth and financial independence.”
• “We’re bombarded by so much advertising and negative messages; it’s no surprise we acted this way … until now.”
• “There’s no shame in not being wealthy – only in remaining that way, especially when you know how to do it differently.”
• “It’s like opening a safe. If you can’t open it, it’s not because you’re weak or stupid – it’s because you don’t have the combination.”

All these examples apply to selling services, but you can apply the same principle to selling products. For example, if you’re selling a new brand of dog food that keeps dogs healthier, you could say: “Until now, you probably didn’t know there was a dog food that could increase your pet’s life by years. But new research shows …”

Whether you’re selling products or services, use this simple process to put this principle into practice:

1. Identify the problem you’re solving for your Web site visitor.
2. Recognize they might have tried to solve this problem – unsuccessfully – in the past.
3. Consider external factors that might have caused them to fail.
4. Explain these factors in your marketing.

Want to know more about making more sales on your Web site?

This article is an extract from my e-book “The Busy Entrepreneur’s Guide to Making More Sales on Your Web Site”, which gives you even more ideas and practical techniques for improving your Web site results.

If you’re launching a Web site, launching a new product or service, not getting enough sales from your Web site, or planning a new marketing campaign, read this book. It’s also for you if you’re busy running your business, and don’t have time to become an Internet marketer! So you need some simple things you can do to improve your results – without taking a lot of time, and without needing technical skills.