Issue#2: Trust is built
Recently I observed something within Christopher Penn’s newsletter. Whenever there’s a sales pitch to sell Trust Insight’s course (where he’s the co-founder), they’d add this sub head - “This is a Sales Pitch.” or “Blatant Sales Pitch” ?? and then goes on to talk about their course with a link to buy the course.
Now, this is the very tactic he applies to each of his personal newsletter, if you read it carefully. He has a big Unsubscribe button, he says, most people say the unsubscribe button is hidden in the newsletter. I’m making it easy for you to unsubscribe to me.
It goes like this:
Unsubscribe Here
Hey, according to my records, you’re subscribed to this newsletter at this email: [email protected]
Too many email marketers make unsubscribe buttons/links difficult to find. So we’re clear, this is the unsubscribe button:
Be sure to use the email you’re subscribed with, [email protected], when you use the form above.
If for some reason that doesn’t work, reply to this email with the subject line Unsubscribe and I’ll remove you manually.
Can you believe it? An actual person would do this?
By being transparent about their sales pitches, Penn builds trust that he is not trying to mislead his audience. His easy unsubscribe option also shows that he values their freedom to leave whenever they choose. Over time, this approach helps to foster loyalty from readers who appreciate his honesty and respect for their autonomy.
Now imagine how would these oft-overlooked stuffs make a huge difference when building trust and loyalty with your audience over the long run.
Compare this with…..
ADOBE Softwares!
Wait. Did I just ruffle some feathers because of taking this $17B giant? Don’t worry, I’m a legit subscriber and I love their products. BUT I still have to call a spade a spade.
Adobe softwares cunningly add their really exorbitantly priced stock templates in their programs, without letting the user know that they will be charged when used.
So think for moment how this instance would do for building trust over long time?
Sometimes to make ends meet, (read: Product manager’s or Marketing’s KPI) users fall into these type revenue generating tactics.
However,
I'll remain an Adobe subscriber because the trade-off for me is pretty negligible when their software's usability is concerned.
Here's the Columbia Obstruction Device experiment that quite fits in the puzzle of the whole business of trade-offs. It says and I quote -
The parallel with users and usability is natural.
Either maximize the cheese (make your application compelling),
or minimize the shock (make your application easy to use.)
The science behind this:
In order to ensure a great customer experience, brands need to look at ways they can satisfy, PLUS delight, a customer.
领英推荐
Linking Cognitive, affect and behaviour (CAB) studies to trust and loyalty, it suggests that customers are involved in a rational assessment of their past, present and imagined future experience. They use this information to determine their behavioural intentions.
According to CAB, people base their decision process on a sequential rational assessment of expectations vs outcomes. (e.g. Gronroos 1997.) Put simply - the sum of all the experience you have had with a brand, will help make judgement to buy from the brand next or not.
To conclude, trust is built through consistency and integrity over time. By being transparent in their messaging and providing easy ways for readers to leave if they choose, companies can foster loyalty from audiences who appreciate their honesty.
In contrast, misleading practices or hidden fees damage trust and ultimately undermine a business's success. Make sure you have a good leverage to justify your action. Just like Adobe's usable products. ;)
On to this week’s hoardings:
?? Human Factors International’s ROI Calculator:
Your CEO’s favorite word, “ROI” - is such a pain in the bum.
Specially when people are involved to create something tangible from the intangible.
UX Design, Community management professionals, they all struggle to prove the ROI.
We cannot always bring in revenue, if that would have been the case, we would all have been in Sales. But if we are in professions that requires expertise, yet we do not bring direct revenue, then we are SAVING COSTS.
One of my favorite takeaways from the HFI’s CUA course is about how to showcase you’re actually providing value to the company.
Recommended read: The Basics of ROI in Human-Centered Design
(Want to discuss more about this? Inbox me!)
(Disclaimer - some of his links to his musing goes directly to his community. Which was quite a little frustrating at first, but joining it was worth it. So, be prepared to join the group of 10k+ service designers.)
by Gagan Preety Sahni
From the archives:
Besides, perfection is the enemy of done.
On that note, I loved this post by Smriti Swamination. It’s right here.
To summarise - build trust by doing the right thing. Be outcome driven.
See you next time.