By Tim Kerber

It is human nature to bond and make a connection with people we are comfortable with. This includes businesses that you spend your money at.

A real world example is the local hardware store or coffee house. There may be less expensive, big name stores in the area but somehow the local shops still manage to survive. A lot of this is because of the connection they have with their customers.

Folks don'ts seem to mind paying a little bit extra for the personal service a local shop may provide. They are approachable and appear to sincerely appreciate your business.

Don't underestimate how important this is for sales!

The largest retail store in the U.S. knows this. If you see Walmart's commercials, pay attention. You may notice something about their commercials... Walmart does it very best to try and connect with people on a personal level.

They go out of their way to portray the wide variety of down to earth employees who work at Walmart. They tell you some stories and focus on the human aspect of the people who work there. You can bet that they are consciously making the effort to shed an image of a big retail gorilla and trying to bring it to a personal level.

If its important enough for Walmart to be focusing on it then you should be paying attention too.

Think about it.

Don't you tend to frequent sites where you feel like you know and trust the people who hang out there? You would do well to make your site one of these places for your visitors.

Here's a few ways how to apply this to your site

Don't be afraid to have your picture or story on your site. Let people know who you are so that they can relate to you as a person, not a web site.

You may even see "signatures" to add personalization to a site. This is another way to add a human aspect.

An online signature can add personalization with some sites

Try to write on your web site with a specific customer in mind. Avoid talking in the third person, instead envision a friend of yours coming to you for advice for the topic you are writing about. You can appear to be much more approachable and "real" this way. Make it easy for people to make the connection with you.

Want to know one of my most effective tools?

I ask for feedback and love getting it. People enjoy being able to express their opinion when it counts and I appreciate hearing from them.

Questions and answers sent to me are incorporated into my articles or followup emails (with their permission of course!). It helps me make changes to my products and services in addition to letting them give some direct feedback to me. This holds their interest and also helps to make a connection with me.

Take a good look at your site. Think of ways that you can personalize the experience a bit so that your customers can bond with you. It is sure to have a positive effect on the rate of return visitors.