16 Jun Building Brand Credibility

When it comes to marketing and positioning a business, one of the most important goals is to build the business’s brand credibility. Brand credibility is defined as the believability of a brand’s intentions and the promise it makes to the customer, and it generally consists of two factors: expertise and trustworthiness.

In today’s hyper-competitive markets, credibility is essential to the effectiveness of the brand. Successful credibility tactics will deliver the brand’s key messaging and will connect, motivate and build trust among its customers, encouraging them to engage with the brand.

Build Credibility Through Relevant Content
You want your brand to be known as the “thought-leader” in your industry. The best way to achieve this and build credibility is through sharing relevant content. Relevant content includes industry insights, blog posts, articles, emails, white papers, videos, and even your website. The key to marketing relevant content is to avoid the direct sell. When potential customers know that they can rely on you for useful information without the sales pitch, they will be more apt to purchase your products and services as the trust has already been established.

A Case for the Case Study
The case study is a great tool to use to build immediate brand credibility. A properly executed case study will detail the customer’s problem; your assessment, the course of action, products and/or services used to provide a solution; and the end result with, in most cases, a positive customer testimonial included. Case studies allow potential customers to identify with similar issues and see actual results and positive outcomes.

Credibility through Association
Being affiliated or partnered with other successful, reliable companies shows that your brand is also successful & reliable. Use the logos of those that you are affiliated with – credit cards, Better Business Bureau, groups that you belong to, current clients, etc. on your website and marketing materials to build trust and credibility through association.

Invite Engagement and Create an Experience
In the age of social media, the focus is clearly on each individual customer. Keeping up with the brand’s social media accounts shows that you are in direct communication with and value your customers. The only way to make customers interact with your brand’s content is through a personalized experience and offering this content means sharing relevant, knowledge-based posts and videos that offer solutions (as mentioned in credibility through relevant content above) and desirable experiences. Brands that have been making an effort to personalize their content strategy have been able to increase sales and promote customer satisfaction.

Transparency Goes Hand-in-Hand with Credibility
Customers are smart and savvy – they know when you’re being genuine or when they are being misled. If honesty is truly the best policy, then be transparent and lead by example and with integrity. Customers will appreciate and admire you more when you admit to a mistake, and you will build more credibility when you follow through on the promise of repairing the issue. Explain how you plan to handle it and share the steps being taken to prevent it from reoccurring.

Customer Feedback is Key
What better way to build instant credibility than using an actual review from a satisfied customer? In a recent study by Experticity, the majority of consumers ranked family/friends, online reviews and third-party experts as their top trusted sources when making purchasing decisions. Testimonials, reviews, and endorsements are usually in writing, but video testimonials are growing in popularity – as they are the most effective since they are difficult to fake.

By consistently employing the methods above, your brand credibility will grow, giving your business the competitive edge over the competition.