Nowadays it is no longer only about price and quality of your products and services. There are usually so many products / services similar to yours that you need to supply something more than that. We live in the age of the trust economy and credibility has become everything because your business depends upon it. That includes personal credibility, the credibility of your business, your brand and much more.
Especially if you are a small business, it may be difficult for you to afford huge advertising budgets and PR campaigns. Good news is that it isn’t a substitute for credibility now. So you have a more level playing field! But credibility isn’t established at once – you need to spend a lot of time for establishing and maintaining it
Well, but how to establish trust and build credibility? Now you can do it in the online world in just 5 steps.
Establish Credibility on Your Website
While almost 3 billion people use Internet, your website serves very often as the first meeting point with your business making the first and probably most lasting impression on your potential customer. So imagine how important it is to establish credibility from the very first moment.
Of course it is great and important that your website has a professional design and is responsive, but much more important are the messages your website sends about you and your business.
The Stanford Web Credibility Research project at Stanford’s Persuasive Technology Lab created 10 guidelines for establishing credibility with your website:
1. Make it easy to verify the accuracy of the information on your site.
2. Show that there’s a real organization behind your site.
3. Highlight the expertise in your organization and in the content and services you provide.
4. Show that honest and trustworthy people stand behind your site.
5. Make it easy to contact you.
6. Design your site so it looks professional (or is appropriate for your purpose).
7. Make your site easy to use – and useful.
8. Update your site’s content often (at least show it’s been reviewed recently).
9. Use restraint with any promotional content (e.g., ads, offers).
10. Avoid errors of all types, no matter how small they seem.
Establishing Credibility in Your Product
Well, yes, even though price and quality of your products or services aren’t everything, they should be those you are willing to put your name and face behind.
For example, consider selling “freemium” versions of your product. This will demonstrate the quality to your customers and in case it was good it will motivate people to buy enhanced versions of your product.
Establish Credibility in Your Brand
Establishing credibility in your brand means being consistent throughout all media. In other words, every time you are visible on social media or elsewhere, people should see you being exactly what they expect you to be. Yes, it is a lot of hard work but at the end it turns out.
To be consistent you need to plan your marketing strategy properly from the very beginning. Well planned, you will assure that you always send a clear consistent message about who you are and what you stand for.
Establishing Credibility in Your Reputation
These days internet has made the world as much transparent as possible. Forums and social media – they make it possible to share your positive or negative thoughts about this or that company in just few minutes. That’s why it is one more reason to avoid selling anything in your business.
But even if you sell high-quality products it may happen that it is defective. In that case, crisis management is exactly what you need. Don’t be afraid to accept this unpleasant situation and try to do everything to offer the very best service to your customer. Showing that you do care about your customers and are always ready to help them in difficult situations, will make them forget their negative emotions and will turn your customers into true testimonials! By the way, don’t hide these situations from public – tell people that they can rely on your after-sales services at any time!
Establish Credibility in Your Social Media Efforts
Again, consistency is highly important while establishing credibility in your social media efforts. So it is advisable to carefully plan your social media marketing strategy before starting the real actions.
Here 4 steps are vital:
1. Take the time to build a network.
2. Look for ways to make a difference.
3. Shine a light on others.
4. Be more social, have a conversation.
These simple efforts will help you improve your social media presence in the long-term. And your brand’s credibility too.
Order a Custom Logo or Graphic Design to Enhance Your Brand
No matter what type of personal brand, business or organization you are running, having a great first impression means everything. One of the best ways to deliver a lasting impression is through the use of a high-quality logo and professional images and designs throughout all of your products and branding.
Avail our best selling packages and let us help you create the ultimate user experience and company branding message you’ve always dreamed of! Or contact our graphics design team today, we’ll be glad to listen you out.
