Trust on the Web, encouraging e-mail opt-ins and more
E-COMMERCE
How can online retailers assure shoppers that a Web site is trustworthy?
“As a growing number of consumers go online, e-tailers need to be able to instill trust immediately,” says Tim Callan, VP of authentication at VeriSign.
“Trust can be communicated through visual cues that symbolize the various security measures, certifications, approvals or ratings the company has undergone.”
For example, Callan says, the green address bars triggered by an Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificate and high security browser is a very obvious signal to online shoppers that the Web site is secure — meaning the information transmitted is encrypted, and the e-tailer went through a rigorous process to prove its authenticity. “In other words, if you see the green address bar on myfavoritestore.com, you have come to the official myfavoritestore.com site and not an impostor site,” Callan explains.
MOBILE
How can a company promote its products while enhancing its brand image?
“The mobile channel is still new enough that your existing consumers will recognize the innovative nature of any campaign that incorporates mobile,” answers Eric Holmen, president of SmartReply. “By using an exceptionally effective marketing channel for a promotion, you are building your brand image.
Moreover, mobile allows you to establish direct communication with your core customers, giving you an avenue to discover their preferences and their impressions of your brand.”
Holmen also adds, “Mobile marketing is being widely touted as the future of marketing because of its success in reaching consumers,” citing a July survey by the Direct Marketing Association. SMS campaigns were found to be the most successful mobile campaigns: 70% of respondents had responded to a marketing text message, whereas only 41% had responded to a survey and 30% to e-mail offers.
How can a company encourage e-mail opt-ins?
“E-mail is still a superb marketing tool, but we need to learn to garner our recipients carefully by sending prospecting e-mails to people who are interested in receiving them,” notes Per Lofgren, director of EuroContactPool. “Encouraging prospects to provide their address in exchange for something, such as a free download. Alternatively, you can use telemarketing to prospect, and then follow-up with opt-in offers.”
Lofgren also recommends using search landing pages to encourage prospects to opt-in to e-mail communications and encouraging e-mail contact in response to a direct mailer. Lastly, he recommends marketers ensure that e-mail addresses are harvested by the company’s different in-house departments, including customer inquiries, sales and admin. “Taking this opt-in approach may mean that you end up sending out 500 prospecting e-mails rather than 50,000, but those 500 will generate a higher-quality lead.”
