10 Ways to Build Your Credibility on Social Media
Social media is an incredibly powerful marketing tool that can help you to reach a potentially unlimited number of people. It needs a relatively small investment in terms of money, though a greater investment in terms of time and effort.
But while social media might be incredibly powerful, it’s still only going to be as good as the strategy you have in place. You need to first establish yourself as a credible authority, otherwise, you’ll find that everything you do falls on deaf ears.
To improve your effectiveness, you need to make building your credibility something you really focus on.
Here are ten ways to help you build your own credibility:
1. Create a Blog
Then fill it with well-researched, in-depth and informative posts and share them on social media. This is content marketing 101 and one of the best ways to establish trust and authority. If you can’t write, hire someone who can to do it for you as there are some great writers out there. A company I would recommend who do this are Mill House Media, who write for a variety of different businesses.
How to build your credibility on social media - Tip 1 Create a Blog Click To Tweet2. Build Followers
Unfortunately, if you have a social media account with 14 followers, you will have a hard time convincing people to put stock in what you say. Of course, it shouldn’t necessarily matter but it does. People see this as an indicator of your authority – so, get to work growing that number!
If you need some help doing this, then take a look at my blog, 20 Tips for Growing your Social Media Fast.
How to build your credibility on social media - Tip 2 Build Followers Click To Tweet3. Be Personal
People like to know that there’s a real human being behind a social media account which can help to build trust and therefore credibility. Every now and then posting a personal image will help to build that connection with your fans.
How to build your credibility on social media - Tip 3 Be Personal Click To Tweet
4. But Not too Personal!
That said, a drunken rant or a Tweet about your toilet habits can also seriously undermine your respectability. You might think it’s amusing or poignant but your business account is not the place for that kind of content. Too strong political views could also have an impact, depending on your audience.
How to build your credibility on social media - Tip 4 Don't be too Personal! Click To Tweet5. Strong Branding
Your social media pages should have strong branding that utilises high definition images and well-written information. Make sure that everything says ‘quality’.
If you need help on your brand, then a good place to start is to read a few of Sammy’s posts on the subject. First, read Branding? K.I.S.S. and move on and then move on to Why you should fall in LOVE with your brand.
How to build your credibility on social media - Tip 5 Have Strong Branding Click To Tweet6. Check your Spelling
Does a misspelling necessarily mean that your interesting fact isn’t true? It shouldn’t matter really but, to a large portion of your audience, it does. While I know I make spelling errors myself, particularly when typing too fast, I personally find they put me off when I’m reading.
How to build your credibility on social media - Tip 6 Check your Spelling Click To Tweet
7. Post Regularly
If you go days, weeks or months on end without posting then your social media will look like a ghost town which suggests it’s not a professional account.
Again, if you need help with how often to post take a look at this blog, How often should you post on social media?
How to build your credibility on social media - Tip 7 Post Regularly Click To Tweet8. Network
One of the easiest ways to be persuasive is to appeal to another authority on a given subject. If you can get a referral from another big social media account then this will help you greatly.
Reviews and recommendations from your clients are also fantastic.
How to build your credibility on social media - Tip 8 Network both Online and Offline Click To Tweet
9. Participate
Communities on social media give you a chance to answer questions and demonstrate that you know your stuff. You should consider this almost as an opportunity to show your expertise and know-how without being over promotional.
The search facilities on social media are a good place to start to look for the right communities for you to join.
How to build your credibility on social media - Tip 9 Participate because communities are important Click To Tweet10. Deliver Quality
Most importantly: make sure that all your posts are interesting or entertaining and that you are consistently delivering quality and value.
How to build your credibility on social media - Tip 10 Deliver Quality Click To Tweet
Takeaway Tip:
You need to establish yourself as a credible authority on social media, otherwise, you’ll find that everything you do falls on deaf ears.
You need to establish yourself as a credible authority on social media, otherwise you'll find that everything you do falls on deaf ears. Click To TweetIf you like the images in our blogs, similar images are available for you to buy and download from our Collection, together with instructions on how to make your own images in our How-To section.
And remember, I’d love to hear from you, so please leave a comment below or in Social Media Made Stylishly Simple our free Facebook Group.
