March 2, 2010

Web Line 7: RAP3: Belong (1)

Derived From
Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, Trust Agents
Previously
RAP2: Stand Out Part 2

RAP3: Belong
PROFIT : In you’re not one of us, we’re not going to listen. Game over. Be helpful, be human and be a good citizen to belong to your communities.

Building Trust
How we do it online may have changed. However, the foundations of trust have stayed the same. It’s built on:

Credibility : Are we who we say we are?
Reliability : What can we expect in the future?
Intimacy : Do I know them? Are they aloof and distant? Or, open, honest and human?
Self-orientation : The less you focus on yourself the better we’re likely to trust you.

Rehumanizing Business
Not so long ago, mechanical intrusive marketing was acceptable. It was kinda nice for someone to want our attention. Now we’re all busy. And, we’d rather eat our dinner than answer a call from someone we don’t know and don’t care about.

How to Be Human

Ask how others are doing.
Take the time to understand the culture of your community. What are the rules and standards?
Promote others.
Show a picture of yourself – show others you’re real.
When you mess up, Acknowledge it, Apologize and Act to clean it up.
Be a person first and a professional second. Share both sides of you.
Build relationships not campaigns.

Online Trust Signals
Now that we’re living in the virtual online cyber world, the signals of trust have changed. Here’s some online signals of trust to look out for…

Design : First impressions count. A basic and terrible design can be a turn-off compared to a chic one.
Longevity : Are they a fly-by-night or have they been around for a while?
Productivity : Consistent output is a guide they’re playing for the long haul.
Comments : If no one is commenting, perhaps they’re not part of a community.
Links : How did you find this site? Who recommended it?
Domain Name : An ‘official’ domain name carries more weight than a free one from Blogspot or WordPress.
About : What does their About page tell you?
Cross-channels : Check them out on Facebook and Twitter. Are they consistent across multiple channels?

Actions: Trust Check
Now that we’ve just listed some of the online signals of trust, review your operation to see how others may see you. Put a plan in place to overcome any trust weak spots.