Most brands begin their journey with big dreams and lofty ambitions of making their name online. They draw up strategies, plans, design a logo and make sure their online presence is presented flawlessly to their target audience. However, it's not too long before reality hits home and their expectations are not being met - not by a long shot! So what's going wrong? The answer is trust. Does your audience trust you? If not, how do you go about developing that all-important relationship of trust?

Obviously, building trust won't happen overnight. However, below are some tips on how you can at least lay the foundations to raise your online credibility level.

Brand Authority

It's very important to establish brand authority in the online world. Naturally, this is likely to be a more difficult process than a face-to-face exchange of business cards which proves the standing and identity of your business. In the online world, it is very easy to prove the validity or otherwise of a piece of information. Therefore, it is essential that there are external factors that can back up the value of your brand, as the internet is an open data space which can reveal both to the customers as well as to other business owners, what your activity is, your background and your brand with its overall rating. Be sure that your statements, information and content is honest and make sure you do not infringe upon anyone else's copyright or property. Build brand authority with blogs, social acceptance, referrals and advertising.    

Social Proof

Social acceptance and your online recognition are amongst the most important tools which you must utilize whilst building a social base. Fortunately this process is not as hard as it may initially seem. Social media will of course be the backbone of your information and will help you promote your content. Naturally, it is important to maintain the popularity of these pages and not to rest on your laurels. Some effective suggestions for acquiring social proof are studies which prove brand value, positive customer reviews, sites which include your brand or other rankings. Do not forget that in this world of information, proof of brand value constitutes the pillar for the construction of a credible identity.

Coherence

What can offer a greater level of credibility than the coherence of words and deeds? Each brand which takes itself seriously, owes it to itself to maintain the necessary consistency in what is said and what it can offer. You must be walking proof of your brand. This means that your offline presence should back up your online presence and vice versa. Your behavior on Monday morning at work shouldn't differ from the image you present on social media on Saturday night. Your image should be a unified digital and real construct which will enhance your reputation and brand credibility. In addition, ensure your content is of high quality so as to prove and promote brand features.

Choose the right surroundings

Sometimes it's not just to do with you! Choose your environment carefully, as it is highly likely that it will define much more than you ever imagined. Avoid toxic people who, instead of helping you climb the ladder of success, are doing the complete opposite. Ensure your environment constitutes a source of inspiration and evolution and why not learn from it too? If the people around you are successful, have achieved the desired credibility level and can methodically guide you to make the right choices at a low cost, then you have made the right decisions. Cultivate your surroundings with care!