I was reading a discussion today about online forms and how invasive they are.

Imagine a store where the owner stood by the door and told you they had the most amazing shoes ever inside, but to get in and have a look, you have to give him your name, address and shoe size!

You'd walk away, right?

Many a marketer will tell you (as I would) that you really want to capture a site visitor's name and email address so you can send them information in the future.

Over time, you can tell people about who you are and what you do. Hopefully you will give them valuable information in the form of advice or news, and they begin to trust you enough to buy from you. Regular contact keeps you in their mind when they or someone they know need what you are selling. You usually have to offer an incentive for them to sign up for these regular communications.

But asking people to give you their personal details without demonstrating you're someone they want to do business with may be futile. They may not be truthful, unsubscribe to your newsletters once they have the freebie or ignore your communications.

Show me don't tell me

You can generate interest and trust with content that doesn't just create desire for your product, but shows you solve problems. Have content that shows readers specifically what you can offer and how it will be benefit them.

Years ago I attended a short course about writing for the web, and the facilitator repeated a phrase that sums it up nicely:

'Show me, don't tell me'

In other words, don't tell me you've got the most amazing, ground breaking technology that's a huge buzz around the world. Show me by explaining what it can do for me. Features and benefits.

• Don't tell me that your services will save me $1000's without listing the monthly cost and how I will save.
• Don't say your motel looks out over stunning ocean vistas - include photos or video of that vista.

It is also about walking the talk.

• Don't say you listen to your customers then take three weeks to respond to an email enquiry.
• Don't say all your customers love what you do – show them by including testimonials and case studies.

It is becoming increasingly important to be clear in a world where people don't trust what companies are telling them via advertising or information clearly recognisable as 'spin'.

Now why should I give you my details?

You want qualified leads from your website - people that are likely to buy what you are offering. And you want to grow your database so you can market to those people.

Provide information that adds value and helps with problem solving. People are more likely to genuinely sign up for your on-going communications.

If you make their life easier by having content that clearly shows what you are offering they are more likely to think you'll be easy to do business with.

Show them you can be trusted by being upfront about what you will do for them and how.