Dr Alison Marsh has an interesting area of expertise.
Her specialty area of study is the factory tour.
Factory tours have been around for centuries, with breweries, mines and textiles being among the oldest
“People were fascinated by the assembly line and mechanized production,” Marsh said. “They were curious to see how products were being made, a far cry from making the products themselves or buying them from a local craftsman, as they had done previously.”
Marsh said companies also saw factory tours as a way to educate the public about their products, show pride and foster brand loyalty.
Educate?
Pride?
Loyalty?
Sounds great.
A key early module of the Ecommerce Engine program covers ‘Trust Architecture’. Students build trust elements into their sites and marketing to prove they are real, have a track record and to position themselves as the default choice in their market.
Giving your customers a peek behind the curtain is a key element of this.
Showing people the work that goes into designing, producing and even packing the product builds a level of trust and educates the customer.
Trust and educated customers are prerequisites to sell anything.
A customer who doesn’t trust you or doesn’t understand the benefits of your product will not buy from you.
To give customers a factory tour you don’t even need to physically open the doors.
You can do it all online.
Facebook Live.
Youtube.
A GoPro strapped to your head.
It doesn’t matter which one (though I have found the Facebook Live particularly effective)
Give your customers a peek behind the curtain.
They (and your accountant) will thank you.
If you want a complete Trust Architecture for your online store grab 45 minutes with me.
