Getty
getty
In today’s market, credibility is everything for a successful business. However, establishing that credibility seems like a challenging task in a saturated market. This is especially true for small businesses, which typically don’t have the same capital, resources, and brand recognition as larger companies.
Fortunately, there are plenty of easy ways small business owners can increase their credibility within their target markets. Read on for 15 expert tips from the members of ukbusinessupdates.com Business Council.
1. Collaborate with influencers
Reach out to a few influencers in your field to get them talking about and highlighting your company and products. People are spending more and more time on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and other social media channels, following and actually trusting different influencers. Working with influencers not only helps get your name out there, but also builds trust with potential new customers. – Zain Jaffer, Zain Ventures
2. Introduce results-oriented pricing
Depending on your industry, a simple way to build credibility is to introduce a results-based pricing structure. This communicates a strong sense of confidence in your ability to deliver what you promise, which in turn communicates a strong sense of credibility. This is especially useful for new companies that have not yet had time to establish themselves in the market. – Avy Punwasee, Income management laboratories
ukbusinessupdates.com Business Council is the premier growth and networking organization for entrepreneurs and leaders. Am I eligible?
3. Share customer feedback
The easiest way to establish credibility within a target market is to get public feedback from customers all over the web. A few good reviews can help prove you’re worth it and build trust with potential customers. Don’t be shy about asking for a customer review on Trustpilot, Google or for your social media profile as this will help boost your business. – John Hadji, Top key
4. Invest in your thought leadership
Invest in your thought leadership. Share your knowledge at industry events and in publications both inside and outside your industry. Also be patient. Credibility, like trust, does not develop overnight. You need to build your credibility over time, and this means being consistent about how and where you share ideas with stakeholders. – Kevin Markarian, Roopler
5. Focus on long-term gains
In a complex B2B world, customers don’t know what they need. This results in salespeople selling “junk” to their customers in order to meet their goals. This will erode your credibility, and it is also short term thinking. Think about creating strong relationships and building long-lasting business partnerships. If you help your customers make money, they will stay with you forever. Create that buzz for yourself. – Ammar Dayani, Prince Distribution
6. Be honest and responsive
I believe credibility depends a lot on how honest, transparent and responsive a company is to customers. Attempting to hide the negative feedback or not admit mistakes will lead to a loss of confidence in the market. It’s as simple as never making promises you can’t keep and always responding. – Michael Podolski, PissedConsumer.com
7. Speak in the tone of your audience
You need to speak to your audience with both authority and the same style of language and tone they use with family and friends. Hiring local translators to target a specific demographic, and finding industry influencers who can speak directly to your customers can be incredibly effective in associating your brand with the local community. – Salvador Ordorica, The Spanish Group LLC
8. Respond to online reviews
Regularly ask and respond to online reviews. Whether positive or negative, responding to reviews shows your existing customers that you care about what they have to say. It can also positively impact potential customers when they compare you to competitors. Generate reviews where they matter most to your brand. For many, this means Google, but there may be other appropriate sites. – Ty Allen, SocialClimb
9. Personalize your business
Customer reviews, ratings and testimonials can gain trust on a website or through social media. A no-questions-asked money-back guarantee and employees explaining why they’re proud to work for a company can personalize the company – this separates good companies from great ones. Great products or services brought to consumers by knowledgeable, engaged employees are magic for credibility. – Jackie Shoback, 1414 companies
10. Keep communication clear, concise and professional
One simple thing that can be done is to ensure that all company communications are clear, concise, and professional. This includes everything from the website and brochures to email communications and social media posts. By ensuring that all their communications are of high quality, companies can show potential customers that they are serious and can be trusted to deliver on their promises. – Michael Scribman, APS Global Partners Inc.
11. Post on social media
Every small business needs to post and promote itself on social media. Social media is the most impactful place a small business can spend time and money building community trust and credibility. This will involve consistency and volume of posting over creating perfect content. Make sure your small business makes a habit of posting about how it serves its customers in the community. – Sam Kaufman, On the Level Construction, LLC
12. Get influencer recommendations and customer testimonials
Influencer recommendations and customer testimonials are important for establishing credibility within your target market. Influencers posting on social media or blogging about your product attract attention and give credibility. Also share feedback from ‘normal’ customers, preferably from different fields, because people rely on products that work for the common man. – Saravana Kumar, Kovai.co
13. Find industry awards and publication placements
The best way to gain credibility with your target market is to post testimonials from satisfied customers. This can be followed by reviews on various marketplaces, requesting awards in your industry and doing some PR to try and appear in publications going to your target market. – Pedro Barboglio, Remote team solutions
14. Address the pain points and share the results
Markets tend to have their set issues with known pain points. Some are serious and difficult to deal with. If a company has the ability to get it right, leveraging the results through word of mouth and social media can reinforce it. The fusion between these two modalities sheds light as a differentiator. Branding certainly helps when woven with authenticity to achieve results. – Paul L. Gunn, KUG Corporation
15. Be transparent
Transparency gives others a glimpse into your company. If your company is a truly credible company and transparent about all its actions, others will see it. Credibility comes from doing the right thing right and showing others how to do it. – Josh Thompson, Thompson Field Service
