How can I prove to my customers we're safe to use?
I've been reaching out to a bunch of people for my new service https://sharemyinsights.com and one regular piece of feedback I've received is that they're unsure if we use the official Instagram API, and also that they're apprehensive about using a 3rd party Instagram app.
I have added some text on the home page to say we do use the official API, however I don't think it's working.
Another idea I had is on our homepage, where users can feature their accounts - is to show their followers count. Maybe this would help people feel better if they saw someone else using the service that had 100k followers for example?
Any help here would be fantastic!
Thanks
Hey man, looking at your product I'm curious: Could you make any comment on the process to get your app approved to use the ig api? I had a product in mind and I just felt discouraged when I read their conditions. I thought they only allowed apps for post scheduling, etc.
Hey @gabolecointer!
Sure, this is actually my second app that I've been approved by facebook for, I also got approval for rply.co.
I felt exactly the same as you before starting, it can be overwhelming seeing all the requirements. Business verification, getting a business registered, app review process but I found it easier to just go for it but take it in steps.
First, just focus on getting your business registered. Once that's done - start creating your app. Just create a MVP, don't go all out and spend forever creating it as it may be denied. You don't need it to look amazing, it just has to work.
Next step - get your business verified with facebook. It is easy - just fill in some forms and apply, it takes a few days (in my case anyway).
And lastly start the app review process. Make sure to read all of their questions thouroughly and answer each one as they've requested. I put a lot of detail into each answer, along with the video screencast that I explained in great detail for them.
What did you need to use the api for, what data do you want to get? Let me know and I'll tell you if it's available or not. It is limited, but there's still a fair bit that be done with it, that's for sure!
Hope that helps.
Tim
You can use https://rocketproof.io. It's a new social proof app to make your customers feel confident to buy on your website.
Thanks @rocketproof, will have a look into it!
Hey Tim,
Maybe you could have a small section/paragraph explaining how you are in fact using Instagram official API. And as Devan mentions maybe say you are 99.99% safe.
Also having customer testimonials would be a massive help. I have seen potential users tend to trust Trustpilot or G2 , so you could work on improving your score on trust sites like the ones mentioned and display it on the site.
Hey @Nakkeeran!
I haven't looked into trustpilot or G2, so I'll check them out and see if I can incorporate them into my site for some extra trust!
Thanks for taking your time :)
Cheers
Hey @Nakkeeran,
So after all the feedback from everyone here on Indie hackers, I've re-designed my site - with more of an emphasis on privacy and safety. I've added a "our values" page as well as adding a "Community" page to help with social proof.
I'd really love it if you could have another look and let me know how it is, or if I'm on the right track.
Thanks
Hey Tim,
A few points.
2.Testimonials rather than showing your community might be better for new potential users to trust your service.
3.Also I find it hard to understand the real benefits of the service. Features are different to benefits. Explaining the problem and how you solve it in the benefits section would make potential users relate to the problems they currently experience.
Hope this helps.
I agree with @joshtronic above that if you say you are "100% safe", people will tend to get suspicious. You have to get them to draw that conclusion themselves. We had that same issue with my own HR startup as people would ask us how safe and protected their data was with us.
Rather than say "We are 99.99% safe and secure", or "we are fully HIPAA compliant" which is really meaningless to most lay people, we say something like "We use the same back end infrastructure that the major banks and companies like NetFlix uses...", which tends to make it easier for them to draw the connection and be assured that we are amongst good company.
You could probably do something similar by saying something like "We are an official Facebook & Instagram API partner" or something like that to allay their fears.
And as others have pointed out, social proof is huge. Looking at the mouse & eye tracking on our site, visitors always pause and spend time on the user testimonials on our site.
Good luck with your project!
Hey @Devan,
Thanks for taking your time to write this feedback!
I agree with you totally! I think giving some detail into what exactly we mean by saying we're "safe" is needed, other than just saying that.
As for saying we're an Instagram partner, I don't think we can. You can apply to be an "Instagram partner" if you're one of the top companys in your field. Not being an official partner doesn't mean we haven't been reviewed and granted access from Instagram - so that's something I have to try and figure out how to explain.
"And as others have pointed out, social proof is huge. Looking at the mouse & eye tracking on our site, visitors always pause and spend time on the user testimonials on our site." - very interesting. I'm already working on the social proof section after all this great feedback, I'm adding a "Community" section that will show who's using the service, their follower count and a link to their stats.
Thanks alot Devan!
Hey Tim, this is MUCH better. The site feels far more trustworthy and professional now. The wording is also much better and doesn't seem as desperate as the old wording. Well done.
The only couple of things I would say is: (1) Make the "Make A Link" boxed form much bigger (and possibly with different background colour) to make it stand out a lot more. It seems a little lost on the page right now. And (2) While I like the page font for the paragraph text etc., on the bolded heading, it looks ultra heavy and tends to dominate so much that the paragraph text gets lost. My old (read: bad) eyes finds the bolded heading quite difficult to read and I tended to skim past them. Maybe a less heavy font to contrast the paragraphs?
Hey Devan,
Thanks so much for going over it again! I seriously appreciate it :)
Yeah, I understand what you're saying - I might actually try come up with another image that works a bit better in that section!
Alright, got it! I'll have a play around with some possibly lighter font colors, different font sizes and if that doesn't work I'll try another font.
Thanks again mate!
Cheers
I just checked it again Tim, and it is looking even better. Those headings are now well balanced and readable, and the image you used in place of the old form adds more colour and punch to the whole site. Looking great. Best of luck!
Oh wow, thanks @Devan! Yeah I took your advice immediately, and as soon as I changed it I could understand exactly what you meant.
Thanks for all of your help :)
Hey @Devan,
So after all the feedback from everyone here on Indie hackers, I've re-designed my site - with more of an emphasis on privacy and safety. I've added a "our values" page as well as adding a "Community" page to help with social proof.
I'd really love it if you could have another look and let me know how it is, or if I'm on the right track.
Thanks
Hey Tim, so I was curious to see what text you had on your site regarding your use of the official Instagram API. I gotta be honest, the moment I saw "Using sharemyinsights is 100% safe." I thought to myself "that's exactly what somebody would say if they weren't safe".
I would try to humanize things more than just making a blanket claim like that. Get some /real/ user testimonials into the mix. Have a page with the picture of yourself (and your team if you have one) and tell your story. Hell, I'd even go as far as having an "Is it safe?" link, and really drive things home with a video, "Hey I'm Tim, and I understand your concerns with safety.. nobody wants to lose their IG account to a shitty service... here's why we're different" etc etc.
Anyway, everything seems suspect when it's as anonymous as you are being with your service. Heck, you don't even have a profile picture here on IH.
Hey Josh,
Perfect! I thought the exact same thing as I put that bit of text up - going to remove it and try to get some testimonials as you've mentioned. I guess I've just tried to keep the site as simple as possible to begin with - but I can see now how that may come across as un-trustworthy.
I'll have a think about updating the about page as well to include more of a story! I've lined up a few "influencers" on instagram to create some reviews for our service, so maybe I can incorporate them into the website as well - to show people that we're trustworthy.
Thanks for the reply Josh, appreciated!
Right on, that social proof will definitely go a long way! The more I think about it, I think that showcasing HOW people typically get banned from IG would be a great thing. First it shows that you really know what you're talking about. Then you can talk to why your service /isn't/ doing those things, to further push the idea that you're not only experts, but experts you can trust!!
Josh, great idea - what do you think about a whole page dedicated to account safety/privacy and what we do/don't do?
Is it over the top?
Your feedback is gold - thanks mate!
Absolutely love that!!
Anything to position yourself as an authority is going to help in your efforts to gain trust from folks. Add in the social proof from influences and :chart_up: for sure.
Glad the feedback's been good... I've run into my own share of this stuff with my own business, so I totally get the plight that you're up against!
One more... in addition to a page, probably a good opportunity to offer up a free PDF/eBook to help get email addresses. "Download our top 10 tips to keeping your IG safe" or something like that.
Perfect, I've already started working on it!
I'll think about the ebook idea too - would be a nice added bonus to help get people over the line perhaps.
Thanks Josh!
Hey @joshtronic,
So after all the feedback from everyone here on Indie hackers, I've re-designed my site - with more of an emphasis on privacy and safety. I've added a "our values" page as well as adding a "Community" page to help with social proof.
I'd really love it if you could have another look and let me know how it is, or if I'm on the right track.
Thanks