There are many ways to increase your income. But if you don’t come across as a trustworthy and credible source, no one will visit your business, give you that promotion, or loan you that mortgage for your property investment. Credibility opens doors to progression and financial benefits. A poor reputation can close doors in the same way. Fortunately, there are ways to boost both your personal and business credibility that will directly benefit your income too. This article is going to look at how to improve your credibility and reputation.
Use Help A Reporter Out
Help A Reporter Out (HARO) is a platform that connects journalists looking for content with experts in that particular subject area knowledge. If you have subject-area knowledge, you can help to answer questions posed by journalists in exchange for a link to your own content. It’s a subscription service used by Mashable, the New York Times, ABC, and Reuters, to name a few. The resulting content links can help to boost your website rankings, as well as help to signpost yourself as a subject matter expert. If you aren’t confident in using HARO yourself, this service can help by pitching quotes on your behalf. The benefit of getting help with HARO link building is that you can outsource the task to professional services that will showcase your knowledge on your behalf.
Create Brand Consistency
As both a personal and business brand, being consistent is essential for your reputation. You need to be consistent in many ways, including:
- How you interact with potential clients or others on a daily basis
- The products you sell and the final packages you deliver
- How you manage your finances and make sure you spend within your budget
- The tone of voice you use and the way you present yourself
- Your website, branding and marketing materials
Technically this doesn’t just apply to business owners, but to every element of your personal life too. You’ll only improve your finances if you spend within your means and you’ll only draw in potential customers if you have a good business reputation. Consistency is key for all elements of your life and is an essential building block for boosting your credibility.
Do What You Say You’re Going To Do
Trust is an integral part of personal and professional credibility. Do what you say you’re going to do. If you tell someone you’re going to be there at a certain time, turn up. If you tell someone you’re going to deliver that project at a certain time, deliver it. Keep your communication open and honest when unforeseen setbacks come up.
Manage Expectations
Studies show that around 40% of men and 50% of women exhibit people-pleasing tendencies. We all want to make people happy, it’s part of being a sociable species. Yet this can often lead to the tendency to over-promise. If you over-promise on something you can’t actually deliver, this can often have the opposite effect to what you intended. Managing expectations is a far better way to build credibility. Be upfront about what you can realistically achieve, and ensure everyone is on the same page with deadlines, project tasks and any involvement in upcoming events.
Showcase Your Achievements
When you’ve done something well, don’t be afraid to share it. This can be on your website or your social media channels. Make it clear when you’ve won awards, completed tasks, or generally done well. When it’s a personal achievement, share it on your LinkedIn Profile so it’s there when you’re applying for a job or a recruiter finds you on a profile search.
Get Organised
Organisation is key to credibility for one simple reason: it lets you achieve the tasks outlined in this article. You cannot be consistent if you aren’t organised. Make daily to-do lists, and download an app like Evernote for personal note-taking, or Asana for business notes. Block off time on your calendar to achieve core tasks, and get on top of your workload. The sooner you get your life organised, the easier it will be to become a credible and reputable person.
Curate Content That Showcases Your Expertise
If you have a personal website, blog, or different social media channels, it’s a good idea to showcase your expertise via the content you create. Bear in mind that you first need to ensure it’s relevant to your customer base and provides value for the people that you are hoping to attract. When creating content, remember the aim is not to directly promote you or your business. It’s to provide value to your customers or audience and in doing this highlight your knowledge in this area. Make sure all content is well-written and reflects your brand and tone of voice.
Ask What People Think Of You
Asking for honest feedback about your personal blog, business or website is a great way to find out what customers and others really think of you. Use a questionnaire like SurveyMonkey to send surveys to customers or readers of your content and see if there’s anything you need to change. Be prepared for positives and negatives in there, and be ready to action anything you need to fix.
Network
A large part of credibility is visibility. Building up a network of close contacts is an excellent way to increase your influence. Attending specific networking events is a great way to build up contacts. This may be through a business event, or through personal events like joining a local sports club or hobby. When networking, consider these questions to guide some of your conversations:
- What’s the purpose of my networking? Is it to expand my current knowledge of this industry, or build up my network of contacts?
- Are there any events I already attend that I can use to leverage network opportunities?
- How can I provide value to the people at that event?
The most important thing to remember about networking is that it’s not all about self-promotion. Have a think about what you can offer people at these events that will help mark you out as a credible person.
Be Confident
Confidence is an important part of credibility. People need to trust you and believe that you know what you are talking about. Sometimes, it is more about how you say something and the conviction you have in what you are saying than the actual content. Know your worth, and don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. Whether you need to display confidence in your personal or professional life, confidence is a huge part of achieving your goals.
What Does This Have To Do With Your Income?
Credibility is a fundamental cornerstone in increasing your income. Whether it’s drawing in clients, getting that pay rise, or getting a mortgage approved, credibility is what will help you achieve all those goals. At the very least, credibility is the foot in the door that allows all those steps to happen. Credibility is what will keep people coming to you as a source of knowledge and expertise.
Final Thoughts
HARO link-building services are the first point of call if you’re looking to be listed as a credible and authoritative source. Brand consistency, both personal and professional, is also essential for building up a good reputation. Personal traits such as trustworthiness, organisational skills, confidence and the ability to manage expectations are the hallmarks of a credible person. You also need to be able to ask for feedback and put yourself out there at networking events. Ultimately, these skills are what will help you boost your credibility and increase your income at the same time.
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