Council Post: 15 Simple Ways Small Businesses Can Boost Their Credibility

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In today's market, credibility is everything for a successful business. However, establishing that credibility might seem like a challenging task amid a saturated market. This is particularly true for small businesses, which typically don't have the same capital, resources and brand recognition as larger companies. Fortunately, there are plenty of simple ways small-business owners can boost their credibility within their target markets. Read on for 15 expert tips from the members of Forbes Business Council. Reach out to a few influencers in your field to have them talk about and showcase your business and products. People are spending increasing amounts of time on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and other social media channels, following and actually trusting various influencers. Working with influencers will not only help get your name out there, but also build trust in potential new customers. - Zain Jaffer, Zain Ventures Depending on your industry, one simple thing you can do to establish credibility is introduce an outcome-based pricing structure. This communicates a strong sense of confidence in your ability to execute on what you promise, which in turn communicates a strong sense of credibility. This is especially helpful for new companies that haven't yet had the time to establish themselves within the market. - Avy Punwasee, Revenue Management Labs

Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. A few good reviews can help demonstrate your worthiness and help build trust with potential customers. Don't be shy to ask for a client review on Trustpilot, Google or for your social media profile, as this helps boost your business. - Johan Hajji, UpperKey Invest in your thought leadership. Share your knowledge at industry events and in publications both in and outside your industry. Also, be patient. This results in salespeople selling "trash" to their customers in order to hit targets. This will tarnish your credibility, and it's also short-term thinking. Think about creating strong relationships and building long-term business partnerships. If you help your customers make money, they'll stick around forever. Create that buzz for yourself. Attempting to hide the negative feedback or failing to admit mistakes will lead to losing trust within the market. It's as simple as never making promises that you can't fulfill and always responding. Hiring local translators to target a specific demographic, as well as finding influencers within the industry who can speak directly to your customers, can be incredibly effective for associating your brand with the local community. - Salvador Ordorica, The Spanish Group LLC Whether they are positive or negative, responding to reviews shows existing customers you care about what they have to say. It also can positively influence potential clients as they compare you against competitors. Drive reviews where they matter most for your brand. For many, this means Google but there may be other applicable sites. A no-questions-asked money-back guarantee and employees explaining why they are proud to work at a company can personalize the company--this separates good companies from great ones. Great products or services brought to the consumer by knowledgeable, engaged employees is magical for credibility. This includes everything from the website and brochures to email communications and social media posts. By ensuring that all of their communications are of high quality, businesses can show potential customers they are serious and can be trusted to deliver on their promises. Social media is the most impactful place a small business can be spending time and dollars to build community trust and credibility. This will come with consistency and volume of posting over creating perfect content. Get your small business in the habit of posting about how it serves its clients in the community. - Sam Kaufman, On The Level Construction, LLC Influencers either posting on social media or blogging about your product attract eyeballs and lend credibility. Also, share feedback from 'normal' customers, preferably from various fields, because people trust products that work for the common man. This can be followed by reviews in different marketplaces, applying for awards in your industry and doing some PR to try to appear in publications that go to your target market. Some are severe and difficult to tackle. If a business has the ability to address it well, leveraging the results through word-of-mouth and through social media may cement this. The fusion between these two modalities sheds light as a differentiator. Branding certainly helps when woven with authenticity to achieve results. If your company is a truly credible company and transparent about all its actions, then others will see it. Credibility comes with doing the right thing well and allowing others to see it. - Josh Thompson, Thompson Exterior Services