Credibility: How to Get it and How to Show it

Credibility is important for every business: it is what encourages new clients to sign up with you and what confirms to recurring clients that you are worth your salt. However, it can be quite difficult to establish your credibility when you are just starting out.
When you are new to business, you need are often relying on your nous to get you work initially. Once you have a few clients who can vouch for you and something to put in your portfolio of work, you will be in a much better position. So what should you do to establish your credibility first off?

Get Qualified

When you are applying for a job or trying to show someone that you are capable of doing something, there is nothing better than a certificate or qualification that shows you can. Whether you are presenting a degree in the subject or a print-off from an afternoon course, being able to show that you have dedicated time and effort give you credibility.
However, there are some qualifications that will be more valuable than others. For example, you could sign up online for a food handler card which would be a great help in setting up a business in the catering industry but it wouldn’t help you much if you wanted to set up a marketing business.
Qualifications aren’t just about the level you have achieved but also the relevance to what you are doing. While a degree will show that you are capable and intelligent enough to handle a business, it might not necessarily give you much in the way of credibility if you are doing something in a completely different field.

Show Your Expertise

Another way to show that you are skilled in your field is to set up a blog. Blogging has become the go-to for content marketers but this shouldn't put you off. It is still the best way to get across your expertise on any given subject as well as show that you are aware of what is going on in your industry.
For example, if you are a writer and you have set up a business providing content, you could start writing blogs about writing blogs (if that isn’t too meta) or even write articles explaining why the industries you are targeting require writers to provide blogs. The aim here is to create shareable content that shows off your skill so the more you can write about, the more skills you will show and the more you will have to share with your followers
Once you have a few clients, you should also create a portfolio of your work. This might be a simple collection of your work (Wakelet is a good way of collecting links) or it could be a more in-depth collection of case studies. To write a case study you will need to go into details about what the client wanted and how you provided the right services. A testimonial will also help as this gives you credibility from an outside source.

Be Your Authentic Self

Authenticity is a key component of credibility and you must be yourself in business to succeed. Over the years, business has been informalized with the likes of millennials like Mark Zuckerberg wearing a hoodie instead of a suit. But what you wear is only the start.
Staying true to your personality means speaking in your own voice, not a voice you expect from a businessman, and doing what you think is best. If you try to model yourself on another businessman, you will come across as a parody and a bad one at that. Though you might want to think a little more about what you post on social media, for example, everything you do should come back to your own personality – this is what your clients buy into most.
Credibility takes time to build up but once you have enough to show for yourself, you will find it a lot easier to persuade potential clients to switch to your business. Like anyone, we all want to see evidence before we buy and that is what your credibility does for you. The more case studies you can put together and the more testimonials are on your site, the more credible you will look.
Just one point of warning, though, some people try to fake their testimonials and case studies. This is a dangerous and pointless move. Not only will you be found out in the end but when you are, word will quickly get round destroying whatever real credibility you have built.
Play the long game and do it properly.