What’s a simple and easy way to build instant trust and credibility with your site visitors? Photos of real people, real situations, real work!
One of my favorite sayings is “If a picture is worth a thousand words, then your web presence is worth a million dollars!” The two go hand-in-hand to help you establish credibility in the elusive and competitive online world.
The “No Surprises” rule of sales 101 was reviewed in part 1 of this series on Building Online Trust and Credibility. In this article, we will look at how photos can help you create instant online trust!
Photos Create Authenticity
Sharing pictures of real “people and things” sends an immediate message to your visitor that this site is run and managed by a real person and/or company. Pictures also provide an instant opportunity for your visitor to identify with other clients who use your services and/or products.
The whole exchange between your site visitor and website happens in less than 4 seconds. Photos scream authenticity and create a powerful opportunity to build virtual rapport with your visitor.
Say Cheeeese!
Wondering what kinds of photos to add? Here are 10 ideas to get you going!
- You
- Your Team (if you have one)
- Your Office Building (if you have one)
- Relevant Events that You Attend
- Events Where You are the Speaker
- Workshops that You’ve conducted
- Your Products
- Results of Your Product or Service (ie Caterer-Buffet Line; Hairstylist-New Hairdo; Interior Designer-Finished Room etc)
- Happy Customers
- Charity Event
Added Bonus
In addition to your website, you can spread the word with your photos by sharing them on other sites such as Facebook, Flickr, Photobucket, Twitter, industry networking sites etc. You photos will not only help you build trust on your site, but you can use them to leverage credibility across the web.
Don’t Forget to Do THIS!
Be sure and compress your photos for use on the web. This creates smaller files and faster loading web pages; another important aspect of building trust and making your site inviting!