When it comes to purchasing decisions, one of the main factors which affect your potential and existing customers’ choices is trust – people are more likely to buy from those whom they expect to deliver quality and treat their customers well. And once the trust is established, customer loyalty follows, along with increased retention rates, bringing more profit to your business.
Fortunately, credibility is not the privilege of the rich and powerful as building it doesn’t have to cost you big bucks. Even a small business or a startup can do wonders for their credibility by following some of these tips.
Keep your promises
No one trusts the person who doesn’t keep their promises, so why should your customers give their money to the company they doubt can or will deliver? Make sure you only give promises you can live up to, no matter how small those promises might seem and which form they take. Even an email not giving the solution it promised in its subject line can harm your credibility, so be careful when choosing your words and only include information which you are sure is accurate.
Use referrals and testimonials
One of the best ways to boost your credibility and get word of mouth going is by using your customers’ referrals. Stats say that 83% of your customers who had a positive experience with your company will be happy to provide you with a referral, but only 29% of them actually do it since no one is asking them to.
Still, instead of waiting for a random recommendation to happen, consider establishing a referral program for your customers and use it to build your reputation. Your satisfied customers will be happy to refer you to their friends or colleagues who could benefit from your offer and you can show them your appreciation with a thank you email or an incentive they could use.
Customer testimonials and success stories are great to include on your website as a form of recommendation and social proof. Still, they’ll need to have an authentic feel if you want them to be effective.
High-quality content
Another way to build your small business credibility is by establishing yourself as a relevant and trustworthy source of information, both in the digital world and IRL. This journey is not an easy one to take, but persistence and hard work to provide your customers with the material they can use to solve their everyday problems will pay off and your credibility will get a significant boost.
There are a few things to pay attention to:
- Your content should be tailored to your customers’ pain points and needs. It shouldn’t be about you or your business; it should be a solution to their challenges.
- It should be grammatically correct, easy to read, and practical.
- Make it visual. Include videos, images, and infographics which add value to your content and make it more visually appealing, attractive, and interesting.
- Keep your content fresh and regularly update your website and blog.
- Use SEO to make your content easier to find.
Use social media
You can significantly increase your credibility by engaging with your current and potential customers online, using social media channels. Still, when you’re an SMB owner and you have a limited budget for marketing, focus only on what you can fully handle, so try limiting the number of channels you use only to those which are effective in your industry as well as those preferred by your audience.
Use social media as a tool for delivering useful content to your prospects and customers, as well as a means to engage them in meaningful interaction, beneficial to both sides. You can also try out some social media listening tools and be notified whenever there is a post related to your business or your company – use it to react timely both to positive feedback you get, as well as to address potential complaints. This way, you can prevent a spark turning into a raging blaze and ruining your reputation and your credibility.
Put it in writing
For establishing your SMB as a trustworthy partner, not only customer relations matter, but also the way you’re doing business with other companies and how you treat your employees. The best way to foster credibility when dealing with your partners is by ensuring you put every deal you make in writing, which is not so hard to do nowadays as you can find many customizable business document templates online.
Be honest
To be credible in the eyes of others, you need to be honest with yourself first. When it comes to doing business, make sure you are aware of any restrictions and limitations of your offer, as well as of all the possible shortcomings. Your solution might be a perfect fit for some of your prospects, and even though admitting that it doesn’t suit everyone’s needs might cost you a deal or two, it will give your business a space to grow and won’t come at the expense of your reputation.
So don’t mind the big and the powerful, use these proven and tested ways to gain a more credible position on the market and among your prospects, and watch your figures grow.
