Just Starting Out? Six Easy and Quick Ways to Begin Establishing Credibility

Beginning marketers often lament that "I'm not an expert" or "Who wants to listen to me?"

Good questions to ponder . . . but don't let them paralyze you into inaction or giving up at the outset.

Here are six simple and fast ways to start establishing your credibility in any niche market.

1. Offer a free pdf about yourself and your strengths and talents. We all have a history, training, some level of education, and things that interest us. Even if your past doesn't include business in your niche, your history will contain some things that others respect and will recognize as qualities of a go-getter or leader. So talk about why you have chosen this niche, what you personally have to offer, things you have excelled at, and maybe a "story" about how you came to the decision to apply your skills to serving this niche marketplace.

2. Be professional, up front, and show the prospect why he can trust you. Create a simple but rock solid privacy policy, terms of use for your web site, guarantee, contact mechanism, etc. If your site, marketing materials, and emails are amateurish, forget gaining credibility. On the other hand, being professional and having the appearance of safety, quality, and security will go a long way toward establishing credibility simply because so many of your competitor's web sites don't do this!

3. Become a member of a professional organization in your field - then prominently display your membership on your web site. Not only will it help you to begin to network and gain industry friends, but you will be seen as being "serious" about your business and willing to invest in yourself. Investing in yourself sends the message to prospects that "I should invest in this person as well." Some professional organizations have logos or seals that you can display on your site - another way to gain credibility by association.

4. Become an expert; but you don't have to refer to yourself as one. Sometimes the term "expert" is used too loosely and prospects wonder if it is simply a crown you bestowed upon yourself. The way you prove yourself to be an expert in the niche is by giving your prospects and customers "expert" niche help, content, and advice - but not just in your paid products. Be sure to nurture your audience with top quality help and content freely. These freebies needn't be costly or complex. It may be a one-page checklist, an email newsletter, blog posts, whatever - the point is, show your expertise and gain credibility in the eyes of your customers and not because you claim to be an expert. You may even offer to do guest posting or articles on others' sites that will posture you as knowledgeable in the niche.

5. Begin establishing key alliances in the niche. Competitive research will help you to discover the "players" in your niche. Be a little creative and see what common ground you may have with the owners of the authority sites that have audiences in the niche. Suggest campaigns, projects, partnerships, or ways to exchange assistance that will benefit both of you. Play down your competing products or services and look for ways to be aligned in certain areas where you won't be head-to-head competitors. If you are an affiliate, for example, of a big name site in the niche, or you allow that big name site a link on your web site or a free banner, etc, your own prospects will begin to give you credibility that comes from the partnership that you have created with the more famous business.

6. Set up an endorsement web page or an area on an important page at your site to display testimonials and "mentions" of your business in the media. Happy customer endorsement is one of the most powerful credibility builders there is. Don't wait for media mentions - go out and get them. Don't fake testimonials - it's against the law! But why can't you send out a high quality freebie that you create, or give some niche advice to a beginner, and then ask for a testimonial? Even four or five of these credibility builders will help to establish your expertise or your top quality customer service or your care and guidance given to subscribers. What do you want to be know for? Ask your customers for their help and if they are happy campers you'll probably get it!

There you have it . . . six easy and quick ways to build your niche credibility when you are just starting out in online business.

Feel free to add other strategies that have worked for you!

The very best to all of you,

Steve