When it comes to building a brand and amassing a loyal following of customers and “raving fans,” credibility is everything. Your brand must be seen as trustworthy and credible. Otherwise, your company’s foundation will reflect nothing more than a house of trembling cards.
The big question is, how do you establish credibility when you’re still relatively unknown in the larger marketplace?
6 Brand Credibility Tips and Techniques
Credibility can’t be manufactured, but it can be framed. In other words, what you do with your credibility and how you communicate it to customers is important. In light of this, here are some specific steps you can take to boost credibility.
1. Use Facts and Statistics
Emotions are important in branding and sales. You have to strike the right chord with people, which often means winning over their hearts. However, you can’t build credibility without also putting an emphasis on logic and reason.
Logic and reason are established through the use of objective information like facts and statistics. Weaving specific data points into your web design, copy, and sales pitches will do wonders for your brand’s credibility and, ultimately, its trust.
2. Nab Brand Mentions
Social proof is important. And one of the best ways to gain instant social proof is to have your brand mentioned in a credible outlet or media publication. This allows you to tout the mention and include language like “as seen in” or “featured in.”
Some brand mentions happen naturally, but here’s a little insider secret. Many brands proactively pursue them by working with services that secure brand mentions through strategic networking and high-quality content creation. This might be something you look into as well.
3. Gather and Leverage Customer Reviews
Customer feedback is important on multiple levels. Not only does it provide insights that you can use to iterate and make changes to your products and services, but it also provides social proof that can then be leveraged to further enhance your brand’s credibility.
The first step is to collect customer reviews. There are a variety of ways to do this including via follow-up emails, SMS surveys, customer interviews, sales call records, social media mentions, etc. The second step is to use these reviews in your promotional efforts. Your website’s homepage, landing pages, and sales materials are ideal locations to display these reviews.
4. Publish Case Studies
Customer case studies can be highly effective. They allow you to tell a story from start to finish using objective data and actual results, which stands in stark contrast to the fluffy marketing language that most brands use.
Case studies aren’t always easy to come by. You’ll usually need to get the customer’s permission to create one. Otherwise, you have to censor the study and remove some of the more sensitive details. This can limit the effectiveness of the study.
Charts, graphs, and concrete numbers are important but don’t forget to frame the story. Write case studies with your ideal target customer in mind. Tell them the story as a way of (hopefully) convincing them to jump on board.
5. Display Trust Seals
Trust seals, which are those little logos, badges, and icons you often see other brands display on their websites, are excellent credibility boosters. Look for as many ways to incorporate trust seals as possible.
If you’re a member of an association, they likely have a trust seal. If you’ve been featured in a publication, that’s great! Ask permission to use their logo as a trust seal. There are trust seals for security features and awards, too. The more the merrier!
6. Prioritize Customer Service
There is nothing more credible than a happy customer. A happy customer can vouch for your brand, tell others about their experience, and come back for more. So if you’re serious about boosting your brand’s credibility, you need to emphasize exceptional customer service.
Spare no expense on customer service. Hire the best people, give them the autonomy they need to right wrongs, and train them to follow your brand values exactly as they’re laid out. An investment in this area of your business will never come back empty.
Set Your Business Up for Success
Credibility is everything. You can have the greatest product or the most compelling service offering in the world, but you don’t stand a fighting chance without credibility. Your brand’s credibility is its currency. Cultivate it, frame it, and let it shine.
