A certain level of trust is required in order for someone to buy from you or pay you for services. Social media has gone a long way toward helping establish trust online, but just how can you make sure people feel they can trust you? It can be a slow process at times, but if you are consistent, you’ll get results.
Be consistent across the internet
If you act like two (or more!) different people on different sites, you can bet that it can get confusing for others. Whatever your personality or even persona, be careful to stay consistent everywhere you appear online. You should also refrain from being too formal, since most people prefer to buy from human beings.
Being consistent also refers to frequency. If you run a blog, make sure you don’t vanish for weeks at a time. The same goes for social media. Post on a regular basis and don’t disappear unexpectedly . . . people will wonder if you are really serious about business, too.
Offer advice and information
It’s one thing to say you’re an expert, quite another to prove it. Unfortunately, there are many more self-proclaimed experts than real ones and people are starting to realize this. That’s why it doesn’t usually work to simply say that you know what you’re doing. You have to show it. This is possible through social media, offering tidbits of information and helping people out on social media, forums and blogs with advice they can actually use. Once they get curious enough, they will come to you directly.
Maintain your reputation
Make sure you keep your rep clean by avoiding things like making a rude comment or lashing out at someone. Anything you do online can be immortalized forever. Remember that when people Google you, just about anything that has happened online could turn up, so it’s a good idea to make sure you keep your hands clean.
It’s also worth it, if you run a business, to keep an eye out for possible complaints. While you may not be able to get rid of the complaint published, you can certainly address it in a tasteful manner and possibly gain more trust this way.
Interact with your followers
As your reputation grows, more and more people will start to follow you. Some gurus are notorious for their lack of interest in the crowds of fans, but you’ll have much better results if you pay attention to them. Answer some questions, interact with your followers on Twitter and Facebook and they will respect you even more.
It takes time and effort to build trust. Online, people are even more suspicious than usual because of the overabundance of scams. Prove you aren’t a con artist, provide consistent, regular content and interact with people to boost your business.
