Do You Struggle With Credibility?

Remember what you had to do to find information twenty years ago?  If you wanted to research how to market your new service, you got in the car and drove to the library.  Once there you consulted the card catalog (remember them!) and then combed the tombs of books or magazines to find the information you needed.
Today, there are over 1 billion websites on the internet. Your target audience has information literally at their fingertips. And they rely on and trust the information they find online.
How do you stand out online? To get your target audience to take notice of what you say, you need to be able to convey what makes you credible. Top copywriters and marketers are able to weave massive amounts of credibility into their copy, without ever sounding like they’re bragging. Here’s three ways you can accomplish the same thing.

Use the Art of Storytelling to Illustrate Credibility

Storytelling makes your sales letters, websites, blogs and social media posts more entertaining and gives your credibility a huge boost.  One reason for that is there’s a lot you can say in the context of telling a story that can’t be said otherwise.
For example, you could tell a story about how you and your friend, a Microsoft engineer, came up with a brilliant concept for an app that helps people manage their email inbox. You share how others can create an app themselves, share the results and teach your audience how they can do it.
If you hadn’t used a story, it would have sounded presumptuous to say that you’re friends with a Microsoft engineer. But in the context of a story, it just becomes a useful tidbit which still carries a lot of credibility.

Sprinkle Rather Than Pour

Have you ever attended a webinar where the host shared so much information you were overwhelmed? I have moderated several webinars where feedback from the attendees was just that – too much information.  The result was many people did nothing because they were paralyzed trying to figure out what to do first.
Instead of trying to dump all your credibility factors on your audience all at once, learn to sprinkle. Drop a fact here, allude to another factor there. Mention an incredible result in one blog post, then move on. Briefly touch on an influential friend on another page and don’t make a big deal out of it.
In other words, just drop subtle hints that you know what you’re talking about, then move on. Don’t try to prove anything and don’t “pile on” credibility points.
The one exception is your bio page. When people are reading your bio page, they explicitly want to know about you and who you are. In your bio page, go all out and share all your credibility factors, along with other facts about yourself they may want to know.

Use Images to Enhance Credibility

Facebook reports that you can generate up to 100% more engagement through image based posts? While the folks over at Twitter say using images directly in social media posts increases engagement overall by 56%. Photos not only build more credibility, but have a way of slipping under the radar. It seems cocky to tell someone you met the president, but posting an image of you shaking the president’s hand on your website will seem impressive rather than boastful.
Here are a few ways you can use images to build credibility:

• If you’ve ever been in the press, put the press logos on your site, saying “As Seen On …”
• If your site is SSL secure, put on the SSL logo. If it is BBB approved, put on the BBB approved logo.
• If you have before and after photos, use them.

f you would like to learn how to use images in your content marketing plan, check out this blog post.
You need to demonstrate why you’re credible to attract your target audience, keep them engaged and ultimately convert them to customers. It’s important to share your credibility in an understated way so you don’t appear to be ‘tooting your own horn.’ Now you know how.