Blooming Publicity

The brightest minds in a field are rarely the ones in highest demand. If credibility were purely about knowledge, that would certainly be the case. In practice, however, the entrepreneur who is simply seen and mentioned more often comes out on top, even if they have less to offer than you, with your years of experience. Unfair? Perhaps, but it’s also reassuring. Visibility and credibility can be built up more quickly than knowledge and experience. Below, I’ll discuss the importance and role of your company’s credibility and, above all, how you can boost your company’s credibility through free publicity.

What makes a company credible?

Credibility doesn’t come from a fancy website or a persuasive story about yourself. It stems from three things that must all be in place: can you deliver on your promises, do you practise what you preach, and is that consistently evident every time someone comes into contact with you? As soon as one of those three falters, a customer senses it, even if they cannot always put their finger on why.

For a knowledge-based entrepreneur, there’s something else to consider: tangible evidence. Customers are usually unable to assess your expertise for themselves, so they look for signs that indicate you can be trusted. What others say about you. What you’ve spoken about previously. Who considers you serious enough to write about. These signs often carry more weight than anything you claim yourself.

Why is it important to boost my company’s credibility?

Credibility determines whether someone actually becomes a customer or continues to shop around. The more credible you come across, the less persuasion a sales conversation requires, because any doubts have already been dispelled before the conversation even begins. This translates directly into higher rates, quicker decisions and recommendations without you even having to ask for them.

For knowledge-based entrepreneurs, this is even more crucial, as you rarely sell a tangible product. You are selling a promise: that your approach works. Growth therefore requires not only greater visibility, but also visibility that proves something. Without credibility, even the best marketing remains nothing more than a story a stranger tells about themselves.

Is my company’s credibility the same as my own credibility as a knowledge entrepreneur?

Not quite. If you work on your own, the two largely overlap: customers are buying into you, so your credibility is your business’s credibility. If your team is growing, or if you work with partners, the company itself also plays a part. Does everyone stick to the same promise? Is the customer experience consistently strong across the board, even when you’re not there yourself?

This means it’s not a question of choosing between the individual and the company. You are often the face of the business and therefore the quickest route to building trust. But if the service behind that isn’t up to scratch, that credibility will be lost more quickly than it was built up. You open the door; the company behind it must deliver on what has been promised.

How can a book help boost my credibility as an expert?

A book is one of the strongest pieces of evidence you can have. It demonstrates not only that you know something, but that you are able to organise that knowledge and pass it on to others. That is exactly what clients are looking for: not just expertise, but someone who can also share their knowledge in a way that clients understand and that helps them move forward.

However, a book is rarely enough on its own. Most books only really make a difference to their author’s credibility once they’ve been talked about – in an interview, a review, or a conversation in which someone shares their thoughts on it. Your book is the proof. The attention surrounding it is what makes that proof visible to people who would otherwise never have found it.

How can you boost your company’s credibility through marketing?

You can already achieve a great deal through your own channels, such as your website, newsletter and social media. Show who you are. Be consistent and clear in your image and your message. Share results and make sure you practise what you preach. That is the foundation. Without that foundation, everything that follows has little to stand on.

The tricky thing is: by definition, marketing is a story you tell about yourself. However convincing it may be, a customer knows that you are the one behind your own advertising. That is why marketing has its limits. It never fully convinces someone who is in doubt, because the evidence still comes from you.

What role does PR play in boosting your company’s credibility?

PR breaks through that barrier, because it isn’t you telling the story, but a journalist, a podcast host or an editor doing it for you. That third party has no vested interest in embellishing your story, and that is precisely what makes it credible. Anyone who comes across you in an article will automatically assume that someone else has already assessed you and found you worthwhile.

That is a form of credibility that no marketing budget can buy. Whereas advertising demands trust, PR gives it away for free. The public doesn’t have to believe in you simply because you say so, but because an independent source does.

How can you use PR to boost your company’s credibility?

It starts with a compelling narrative: why is your expertise relevant, right now, to this reader? Journalists aren’t looking for a summary of your company, but for an angle that resonates with their audience. Find that angle and then target specific journalists who cover that topic, rather than spreading your story far and wide and hoping someone happens to pick it up.

Repetition is just as important. A single article is all well and good, but you build your credibility by regularly reappearing in a new interview, a response to current news, or a subsequent publication. Every time your name comes up again, it reinforces what was suggested the previous time. In this way, occasional attention gradually turns into a reputation, and the credibility of both you and your company is enhanced.

What can I do as early as tomorrow to project credibility and reliability?

Start with yourself and developing your story. Once you have a crystal-clear understanding of your own story, update your LinkedIn profile, add a professional photo and a clear description to your website, and gather the reviews, case studies and publications you already have in one visible place. It costs nothing but time, and it’s the first step in providing the evidence that tips the balance between doubt and conviction. You can sort out that foundation yourself.

Consistently making the news with ease, whilst maintaining a coherent narrative, is where most knowledge-based entrepreneurs get stuck. Not because of a lack of knowledge, but due to a lack of time and an understanding of how the press works. I help knowledge-based entrepreneurs and authors to understand the journalistic game, recognise their own newsworthiness and confidently convey their story clearly and powerfully, so that they continue to feature in the news with ease. This contributes to your credibility and reliability.

In a one-hour strategy session, we’ll assess where you currently stand and identify the quickest route to greater credibility for you. Book your strategy session here.