Trust is a very important key to success in online selling. If the customer has a belief in and reason to trust his merchant, he will be more apt to buy a product or service. If there is any reason why the customer is hesitant, not quite sure about the reputation of the seller, or unsure about the security of the financial transaction, the sale will surely fail.
In this discussion we're going to look at one of the best methods of becoming a niche expert. It has to do with the reputation that you garner around the Internet at the web sites that you frequent.
Because you will be dealing in a niche business as a small solo business owner, there is a good chance that you will cross paths frequently with others that spend time online in your same niche. Hopefully these same folks that share your passion for the subject of the niche will also become your valued customers.
Most people that have spent a fair amount of time online have participated in discussion groups or forums. These are open discussions about particular niche topics that are of interest to the community of users that care to register at a site and participate in the dialogue.
A great way to become an expert in your field is to participate in these groups and offer helpful, valuable, and insightful information to others that share your same interest in the subject.
UseNet groups are found online through your Internet Service Provider (ISP). You should be able to access this service from the home page of your ISP. Look for a link to UseNet or "Discussion Groups." You may be able to find information in the site's FAQs or by studying the site map.
Yahoo also has a comprehensive list of online groups and I know many folks frequent eGroups as well. Often, a community portal will offer a forum dealing with the niche subject and sometimes private membership sites offer this service to their registered members.
Anyway, there are many, many alternatives in this space and the number of topics and subjects that are covered seem endless. If you don't find a group that deals in the niche in which you have an interest, you can always start a group and see if others will join you.
All the different groups seem to have these elements in common:
1. The forum or group is open to the public at large, but will usually require the participant to first register at the site and create a user name and password.
2. Threads of separate discussion topics can be started at any time to give you information about a topic of interest or to answer a niche question that you many have.
3. Most forums and groups do not allow commercial advertising of any kind including both direct and indirect promotion of products. You could be banned from the group if you spam the members or try to push a particular product in any way.
4. Generally the post author is allowed to sign his name using a sig file that can contain a web site URL. This is how you drive traffic to your site using the forum.
5. Many threads are moderated by the site owner, one of his employees, or a designated "referree" that oversees the discussions, keeps them on track, and makes sure members don't abuse one another.
It's best to begin your discussion group career by registering at just one or two sites that seem well targeted to your niche. Spend some time there "lurking" (watching and listening to the conversations and the people.) When you feel comfortable that you know how post, begin contributing to the dialogue. A good way to do this is to answer some questions that come up in the posts of other members.
Keep posts on topic, brief, and to the point. Don't do as some do (swear, call others names, and generally become disruptive to the dialogue) with their attention getting manners. Be civil, knowledgeable, and willing to share what you know with others. Over time, you will be looked to for your expertise and professionalism.
Notice which regular members of the group seem to be more credible than others, more willing to help, and which ones have no respect for the postings and opinions of others.
These are all very targeted prospects for your business. They share your same interest in the niche and will probably want the products that you can offer that solve a particular problem they are having. Or maybe they're interested in saving money or time, or being entertained in some way. Get to know who these folks are and you will begin to gain their trust as a friend.
Don't underestimate the power of this method of gaining a reputation for good information and service. Whole businesses have been built around the marketing strategy of becoming well known in the forums and discussion groups. You can position yourself as the expert in your field with a little effort and "giving" of good information to those in your niche.
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