People tend to be wary of marketing messages. Especially when they’re online. A lot of your customers are going to be the savvy sorts that branding won’t work on. Good branding will contribute, but it might not be enough to get their guard down. They need proof that you’ve got what it takes. Without somehow forcing them to become customers, how do you show them that proof?
Experts on display
There’s a good chance that your industry demands that the people in it have an expert knowledge of what they’re doing. Without a live demonstration, how do you show that expert knowledge? The answer that many online businesses have found is starting a blog. A business blog isn’t just about sharing news in the business and plugging their services. You can provide tips, answer questions, and help solve problems that your potential customers are likely to face. If those tips, answers, and solutions are relevant to the world your business inhabits, it’s easily verified proof that you have the necessary know-how.
Two thumbs up
Still, that relies on you having to prove yourself. If there’s one thing better than proof, it’s social proof. The best place to find that is social media. Starting your social media presence won’t transform your business’s brand overnight. However, as happy customers gather, like, and follow, people will start to see the buzz about the company. If so many people support you, they are more likely to believe you’re worth taking a chance on. Seeking reviews and testimonials can help you further expand on the proof offered by happy customers. Just make sure you don’t only get a couple and call it a day. A business that only has two good reviews, for instance, looks like it only has two happy customers. If you’re using reviews and testimonials, make it an ongoing process.
It’s right before their eyes
On the internet, there’s one source people trust perhaps more than they should. That’s Google, Bing, Yahoo, and all the other search engines. They trust them to find the sites most relevant to their needs. If you can use SEO services to become that most relevant site and stay at the top of the search rankings, then you are guaranteed to at least get more clicks on your site. From there, it’s about having the site good enough to convert them.
A little help from friends
Be willing to throw your name way out there, too. Network and talk to potential partners about guest posts. Manage a PR campaign that gets you into the press and on prestigious online blogs and news sites. Consider even going down the route of influencer marketing. A lot of sources other than you have already put in the work and built audiences willing to listen to and believe them. Take advantage of those sources and them to give you a platform, offering your brand even more authenticity.
Once you’ve convinced them (or had others convince them) that you’re worth their hard-earned cash, you better prove to be worth it. A few bad reviews can tank a business’s reputation for some time, especially if it’s new. Make sure you really are the bee’s knees before you convince anyone else.