If you really want to rise above your competition and
stand-out, you are going to have to rocket launch the level of trust people
have in you.
People buy services based on their confidence in your
ability to deliver what you say you can do, and they need evidence. Trust is
usually earned over time, but it is a funny thing.
What if
you are relatively new in business, just rebranded or have only started
launched your personal brand? Not everyone has the luxury of building a brand
with inherited confidence like the ‘trusted brands’ that have been around
forever. There are ways, however, to build trust to boost your brand quickly
without first being a ‘household name’.
Simple trust building activities can add to your credibility
and help convince prospects that you are worth considering.
Booster #1 – Best Selling Authority
Writing a book is great for your brand, but becoming a
best-selling author adds a gold coat to your trust currency.
To land quality speaking gigs you have to do more than write
a book about your industry. Work to get your publication into the best-seller
category. This shows event organizers
that you know more than a thing or two about your business. That you are, in fact, subject matter expert.
Best-selling status demonstrates that not only do you know
your industry, it also indicates that people like the content you have to
share.
One way to become a best seller is on Amazon with an e-book
of around 10,000 words – short enough to read in one sitting. Set it to $.99 and get half a dozen reviews,
then give it away for a period of 2-3 days – make sure you promote when it will
be available for free.
Booster #2 – Read All About It
If it’s in the news, it must be true!
Having your face and your story highlighted in the press or
in respected on-line media gives huge credibility to your brand.
Get quality media training if you want to create publicity
yourself.
· Find your angle and write a newsworthy press
release, find the right publication(s) your ideal audience is already absorbing
and create relationships with journalists.
· Do not make your publicity about you. Start by
writing a list of all the top tips, how to’s and even the “what not to do”
bullet points that your audience might find valuable.
· Create press releases that use case studies and
focus on seasonal or event based needs – i.e. Summer, Mother’s Day, Back To
School, Christmas…think about what happens in your ideal clients life at these
times and write articles that are meaningful for them.
· Most importantly, be prepared. Different media
outlets have different deadlines – it could be hours, days, weeks or months
ahead of publication dates.
Booster #3 – Winners Never Lose
Being able to call yourself an Award Winner is a great way
to boost your brand profile and gain respect.
It’s easy to proclaim you are the ‘the best’, but to be
really authentic, promoting the fact that you have won awards in your industry
and for your expertise is far more valuable.
Adding Award Winning to your profile can be one of the most
satisfying things you can do to boost your brand – because you’ve earned it!
There are so many awards you can enter, so to look for those
that really fit with your niche, are focused on your specialist area and are
the most useful for you to leverage.
Entering awards can be time-consuming, and it’s worth
investing in some guidance to ensure you give the judges very good reason to
include you in their short-list.
Often it’s difficult to even consider you are award worthy,
but if you find a new way of looking at what you do and work on fact-based
evidence, results and outcomes, you are onto a winner.
Booster #4 – We Love You!
Your personal brand is what others say about you when you’re
not in the room.
Testimonials are real credibility boosters, as long as they
are real. Even better than written testimonials is an image and full name or a
video testimonial.
More than just your clients telling others how great you are,
you can also get key opinion leaders to provide testimonials for you, leaders
in your field elevating your brand. All you have to do is ask.
The worst that
can happen is that they say no. Then you
move on to the next.
Use LinkedIn – the best way to get an endorsement
is by giving one to someone else. They will feel obligated to return the favor.
Ask people to place a review on your business Facebook page, or offer a Google
review for you.
Remember to use testimonials in as many places as you can -
on your website, blog, speaker bio, your book cover, social media and on your
marketing collateral. Make sure you get permission to use a testimonial.
A great testimonial could be worth about $1,500 for your
business!
Above all, the best way to build a trusted brand is to be
100% authentic in everything you do.
Don’t try to create a persona and don’t be tempted to “fake
it till you make it”. Instead, embrace your uniqueness and package your skills
with your own marketing content.
Trusted brands are those we have known for years. The human
brain doesn’t like new, it likes what it knows, so once you have packaged your
brand, make sure all of your messaging, images, content and language is
congruent and consistent.
If you need help developing and promoting your brand,
contact the experts at SK Consulting today!
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