“Online readers like numbers because they believe the numbers
represent facts,” Rick said.
“And facts will get you to Trust,” I responded.
We were sitting on the deck. I was stirring lemon into an iced tea.
Rick took a sip of his Pale Ale and went on, “But it depends
on how you use ‘em. Here’s five ways I think are really important:
- They
help you be specific. Saying you have 3 models from 7 different brands
says you have selection better than saying you have ‘superb selection’.
More Trust. Less confusion.
- They
are quick. I just flat get ‘em without having to think about it. If I use
the numbers In 2 for 1 versus the words, Two for One it is much easier to
see and comprehend. Trust without a long commitment.
- They
are easy to test. Changing from a word to a number in a headline or
subject line or a teaser on an envelope can be done quickly and easily and
you won’t believe the lift sometimes. And price testing. It is so easy on
line. And you can Trust the answers you get.
- They
can enhance credibility of the benefits you cite. Say you make a robot with a placement
accuracy of 2 nanometers and a .002/second cycle rate. You and I ay not
completely understand those number but the engineers that need the machine
will want to know more. They will trust you to supply the data they need.
- They
adjust to demographics. I pricing in particular you can skew how a product
is perceived. Look at the difference in a price of $10 versus one of
$10.00 where the cents are included. The higher the price, the more the
high-end buyer wants to see the cents as well as the dollars. They
Trust you more if you give them information in the form they prefer.
People believe you can’t shade meanings with numbers so they
trust them more than words. You can take that to the bank.”
Jerry Fletcher has built a consulting practice on
Trust-based Marketing. Get more information a www.JerryFletcher.com
Jerry’s keynote The Trust Goldmine is noted on is
speaking web site. www.NetworkingNinja.com