As fulfilling and rewarding being an entrepreneur can be, it can also be strenuous, grinding, and back-breaking job that requires continuous dedication and hard work. There are millions of startups that struggle to win the attention of their customers. For startups, it is imperative that you grab every stance of credibility possible, to ensure prosperity and longevity for the firm. 😎😎
Read this blog to know why tech startups fail.
Credibility builds trust, and people tend to get in business with people they trust. A study by research firm Edelman Berland in 2015, revealed that interestingly, 80% of consumers put their trust in products based on the reputation of the company releasing them. 👑👑
If you are launching a technological product or solution, consumers will always be slightly sceptical in their minds about your newly developed product. It is only when they start to trust the business that their suspicion is eliminated. 🔪🔪
Here are some important and effective strategies to build credibility for your startup!
Creating an Effective Content Strategy
✍️✍️ Content marketing can be very effective in building a good reputation for your business. Quality content keeps your customers engaged towards you. When startups begin to publish content in the form of blogs, videos, podcasts, brochures, news and even build a successful subscription channel - customers start to recognise the brand, which builds a connection and increases transparency.
💫💫 Sparkling images and appealing videos are the masterpieces of creating good-quality content which you can promote to your social media channels; bringing brand awareness to an enormous audience. This can ease the process of reaching out to influencers whenever needed. There are various tools to create eye-catchy images within minutes such as Canva, Pablo, and Pixlr.
Remember, know your customers more than they know themselves! Give them what they want, and your business will never go penniless. Posting insightful information relevant to your industry will make you look like an expert in your field. 👨💼👨💼
The key point is not to annoy your customers with constant promotional links and pop-ups. This can jeopardize your reputation as a strong brand by making it look desperate.
Visit this post to learn how to create effective content.
Humanise Your Brand
When your customers are investing their valuable time in things like providing reviews, they must feel like they are expressing their opinion and feelings to someone who understands them, rather than someone who will ignore them and not consider their thoughts, just like a statue would. 🗣️🗣️
When you go online, you will be bombarded with reviews, questions and queries about your products and services. You should always interact with your customers, even if the review is negative. Appreciate your audience regardless of what they say, and leave positive notes. 😉😉
Trust me... the worst feeling in this world is to get ignored. Answering people's contributions will make them feel heard and valuable. When you value your customers, they will value you back. When you talk to your customers on an immediate basis, they will trust you and will most likely opt for your services again.
Such real-time interactions increase customer satisfaction, favouring your credibility.
Strategic Partnerships
Strategic partnerships can help you utilise well-established business' reputation that share the same vision and mission. Partner with reputed brands and ask them to promote your newly formed business, in return for a portion of the profit. This is a powerful strategy to leverage other business’ credibility which can undoubtedly nurture fruitful results for you. 🤝🤝
❌ It may so happen that brands might reject your offer initially, but there are many businesses which can oversee the mutual benefits and look out for partnerships. You need to thoroughly research brands and only approach the ones that are similarly aligned to your vision and mission.
Partnerships with influencers are also necessary. Influencers have a high impact on society and can potentially sway people’s perspective. People hold a high regard towards influencers, which is why they tend to imitate their actions. 🦁🦁
You can find potential customers among the followers of these influencers - they would see you as more trustworthy because they can see that the influencers trust you. One vital strategy to gaining credibility and visibility is to reach out to active influencers among your target audience! 👀👀
🐎🐎 Just as a warrior harnesses his horse’s power to fight in a battle, you need to stick to your influencer’s reputation to fight the battle of business. If you don’t have any credibility, it is a smart move to use people who do have the credibility to promote on your behalf, until you develop your own reputation.
Offline Networking
“Your network is your net worth” – Tim Sanders
Networking is inexorably linked to your marketing by word-of-mouth. The more people know about your business, the more they are likely to talk about it. Word of mouth is the best form of free marketing you can get. When people start recommending you to their friends and family, you can say that you have actually gained some credibility. Always network with people and tell them about your business! Use those connections to your advantage. 🗣️🗣️
By attending various seminars, exhibitions, and conferences, you will have an opportunity to find like-minded people. This will enable to you meet the thought leaders in your industry and help you gain valuable insights. And above all, you will meet potential buyers that can turn to loyal customers, just by having a casual chat with you. 👍👍
Visit this blog for professional networking tips to master the art of networking.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Take necessary actions to benefit society from your business. When people realise that you are a responsible individual by looking at your actions, they will start respecting you. 🤴🤴
If you are running a software development startup, you can make a knowledge-sharing website that is free of charge to use for students, for instance. Small contributions to curb problems such as environmental issues are heavily appreciated by society too! 👏👏
Read this blog to fully understand the importance of CSR.
Keep in mind – when societies and businesses put aside their conflict of interests and work together for mutual benefits, countries prosper. Therefore, the main aim for any business to prosper is to have a healthy relationship with the wider society; for society is the main source of credibility.
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About the Author
Siddharth is a Business Management student at London South Bank University. He is an avid reader and a content writer on various business aspects. Studying in London and raised in Gujarat, India, he speaks 3 different languages. He holds interests in sports, fitness, army and defence services, philosophy, business operations, marketing, and is passionate about becoming an entrepreneur. He is a writer and contributor for High Profile Club. Find Siddharth on LinkedIn here.
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