A blog without credibility is like a nuisance presidential candidate.  No one believes a thing you say, your readers think you have a secret agenda, and you’re not likely to win. To get the trust of your readers and gain a loyal following, you need to build credibility for your blog, as well as some personal credibility as a blogger. This is especially important for business blogs, where your blog credibility will also reflect on your business’ credibility as a whole. How can people buy from you if they don’t trust you?
So, without further ado, here are 12 simple tips could help establish your business blog’s credibility.
1. Aim to blog for the long run.
Credibility doesn’t come in an instant. Make a commitment to your blog and as time progresses you’ll gain the respect of your peers. A business blog’s longevity is proportional to its credibility. If you’ve been around for a long time, people are more likely to trust your blog and your products.
2. Talk about your experiences.
Your business blog should contain content based on your experiences. When you share your experiences about your field, the audience will view you as someone with first-hand knowledge about the subject. Your personal experiences, good or bad, will add a lot of weight to your articles – but only if they’re relevant to the topic.
3. Be an expert.
Your business blog will gain credibility when you share with your audience the things you and at the same time tell them how to apply it. Wisdom is nothing without proper application. Your readers will thank you for sharing your expertise with them.
4. First impressions last.
The first thing your readers will notice about your business blog would be its design and layout. To be credible, your business blog must look serious and professional. A subtle palette would do. Look at other blogs or websites in your industry and see the trend in their designs.
5. Express your message clearly.
Your content must be well written. The business blog is a written communication between your company and your potential clients, so you must articulate clearly what you want to say. Keep it simple and straight to the point. You waste your readers’ time when you beat around the bush.
6. There’s strength in numbers.
The number of visitors of your business blog could be a factor to its credibility. When you enjoy a large number of readership, it shows that your readers enjoy your blog and they keep on coming back.
7. Comments do count.
Readers like it when the author responses to their comments. Personal interaction with the readers is one way to build up your credibility with the community. they know that as readers, you take them seriously.
8. Recommendations, such as via links, would help.
A recommendation from your peers in the industry is a big boost to your business blog’s credibility. The more positive backlinks you get, the better.
9. Consistency is the best policy.
Being consistent gives your business blog credibility. You should not be affected by popular opinions. You know what you believe in. And above all, you must not contradict yourself in your blog. At the end of the day, your readers need to have a clear idea of who you are in order to trust you.
10. Sincerity and generosity go a long way.
These two traits, sincerity and generosity, could be felt be your readers. By responding to your readers’ questions or comments, it shows that you care about them and their opinions as well. Going out of your way to correspond with them means a lot to them.
11. Be open to your readers.
People like it when you are transparent. You will endear yourself to your readers if you are honest about your intentions. Want to post affiliate links? Let them know that you get a commission for sales, sot hat they don’t feel like you’re trying to make money off of them. You get extra points if, when you make a mistake, you come clean about it. If it requires an apology, apologize. People will respect you for admitting you’re human.
12. Getting to know you.
Knowing the author makes the blog more credible. A short description of the author should be included in your business blog. A static “About Us” page is best. People like it when they can put a face to a name. There must also be a private way for the readers to reach the author. You can do this by placing a contact form on one of your pages, or displaying an email address.
Originally posted on December 16, 2007 @ 12:00 am
