Credibility is a combination of trustworthiness and expertise. It’s the “believability” factor that is attached to everything you do.
In online business credibility is particularly important, because it builds and protects your reputation. It’s what makes people trust the information that you provide.
As the amount of information online increases, credibility becomes increasingly important. You’ve been to sites that were just blatantly providing incorrect information. As an expert in your field, it’s easy for you to recognize.
But imagine someone new to the field – who is just starting to learn about it. They cannot recognize the difference between partially-true, mostly true and factual information. That’s where you, the Expert, owe it to your audience to become a credible source.
So how do you build your credibility?
1. Maintain a well-fed blog for your target market. When you write, review, and share correct information in your field, you become THE credible source.
Keep in mind that in this time of information overload, you don’t always have to create new content. You can boost your credibility by sorting through all of the options, then recommending the best existing resources.
2. Do what you say. With the number of political races that are going on seemingly endlessly, we all recognize the term “credibility gap.” That’s when what you say doesn’t match what you do. And it’s obvious to even casual observers when there is a credibility gap.
It’s up to you to be sure there is no credibility gap when it comes to you, your business, and your information. When you write about a method, use that method and do it well. Become your own best case study.
3. Teach an online course. Nothing sets you up as a credible expert like being “the teacher” – the guru.
There are so many ways you can teach online. If you’re shy about “presenting” then you can use email or other low-key methods to convey the information.
If you’re an extrovert and love being in front of the camera, you can teach a face-to-face video course.
It’s really up to you. But the important thing is that you start now to create an online course – one that you can deliver repeatedly. Or one you can deliver just once, record, then continue to offer as an important part of your credibility.
You owe it to your target audience – your readers, your members, the people you want to attract – to enhance and build your credibility on an ongoing basis. And nothing shouts credibility more than being at the front of the classroom – whether it’s actual or virtual.
Start designing your online course today.
