How to Be Sure That You’re Seen As A Credible Source

It’s one thing to deliver a message to an audience. It’s another thing entirely to have that audience believe and trust you, putting what you say into practice. The first just takes marketing. The second, however, requires you to have built up your perceived trustworthiness: your “ethos,” or credibility.

Let’s explore why credibility is so important to your business' success and how you can cultivate it among the audience you want to attract.

First, What is Credibility?

A long, long time ago, the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle argued that the ability to persuade someone relied on three key factors:

1. Pathos: How well a speaker connects with and engages an audience’s emotions. 
2. Logos: How well a speaker presents their position as reasonable and logical.
3. Ethos: How well the speaker is trusted by their audience to be sincere and speak in good faith.

This third factor speaks to credibility—a word derived from “credo,” which translates to “I believe” in Latin. Your credibility is quite literally your ethos; how likely it is that people will accept what you say.

How Do People Judge Credibility?

Most people go through an unconscious process when determining if someone they are listening to is speaking in good faith.

“Can I relate to the person speaking or what they are saying?”
First, most people look for some level of relatability between themselves and the speaker—which, for our purposes, represents you and your business communications—as a litmus test to deem how credible the message is. Are there any similarities between the scenario or problem being described and what the audience has dealt with, if not currently struggling to manage? The more evident this connection, the more likely your audience will resonate with and ultimately believe what you say.

“Is this a person who should know what they’re talking about?”
Second, people tend to defer to an authority figure when judging how trustworthy and accurate what is being said is. After all, if anyone should know what they are talking about, the person at the top is a likely contender. 

Looking at it another way, who would you prefer to perform a complicated surgery on you… an established and accomplished surgeon, or the talented and precise butcher behind the meat counter at the grocery store? While both may be talented with sharp instruments, one has much more applicable expertise than the other.

“Does this person have a good track record?”
Similarly, but more directly, many people consider what a speaker has done for themselves… has this person walked the walk before talking the talk? Have they seen results from their work, or is it all theoretical? Someone who can show they have consistently produced results will be inherently more credible than someone who doesn’t…or doesn’t practice what they preach at all. 

What You Can Do to Build Your Business’ Credibility

There are various ways to boost your company’s perceived ethos amongst your community, making your business more attractive to interested prospects and those needing your services. Let’s go over a few aspects of your business to focus on and some simple ways to get started doing so.

Highlight Your Professionalism

Regardless of your company culture, professionalism doesn’t just need to be included… it needs to be front and center. A professional outlook establishes that your business takes its work seriously and inherently promotes your credibility, as we discussed above.

Provide Value in All Messaging

Any marketing material you distribute should be tied to a larger overall goal—otherwise, it’s like you’re trying to get someone’s attention by flicking their ear. You’ll get their attention, but certainly not in the way you want it.

Without any value, any marketing effectively becomes junk—an annoyance. However, if you deliver something that helps the recipient, whether by educating them, providing them with a helpful resource, or otherwise, you show that a relationship with you has benefits.

Communicate Clearly, Comprehensively, and Concisely

Without proper communication, how do you expect to communicate your expertise properly? You must be ready to share any requested information about your services and availability at a moment’s notice, making what you say clear to the listener. Likewise, you need to be able to listen as well to identify and understand the needs of your contact. That said, people are busy, so practice keeping your conversations succinct.

Be Transparent About How You Operate

You build credibility by being open and honest with prospects about what they can expect when working with you. By delivering on your promises (or even exceeding them), you prove that your claims are accurate, encouraging businesses to work with you and entrust you with more. It also helps that this transparency helps allay any concerns your prospects may have that prevent them from working with you.

They say that honesty is the best policy, and this includes your business policies.

Highlight Your Shortcomings By Making Improvements

Let’s say there is some weakness that your audience can see in your business’ strategy. Rather than try to hide it from them, why not take advantage of the opportunity to showcase a bit of improvement and innovation? By being open and forthcoming, you can earn a little extra trust from your audience while inviting them to celebrate your business’ successes. 

Demonstrate Dedication

Each of your clients—and, if we’re being honest, prospects—will like the idea that they have access to your services, almost acting as though they are your singular client.

Good. Encourage that by living up to the expectation. By delivering results, you’ll show that you’re there for the people you work with, ready to provide your expertise.

Interact with Your Targets

A monolith can be impressive, but impressive doesn’t inherently mean credible. Instead of being distant and unknowable to your suspects and prospects, you want them to approach you, seeking the assistance you can provide. Use the tools at your disposal—your website, your social media, and other marketing tools—to communicate with your prospects and form relationships with them. Community outreach is an excellent tool for this very purpose.

Manage Your Online Visibility

Finally, you want to ensure you have a substantial online presence to share your expertise and availability. Maintaining an up-to-date and optimized website, an active social media presence, and an accurate Google business listing are all ways to attract visitors and introduce them to your company.

Credibility isn’t so hard to accomplish. If you can consistently deliver value that you are confident in, your clients and prospects will notice. We can help you put measures to help you increase your credibility in place. To get started, let's talk!