If you can get your customers to trust you, you will find that your business will exceed all your expectations. One of the best ways to do this is by becoming an active expert.

Being an active expert is all about creating credibility for yourself. No one wants to listen to some one who knows less then they do. Therefore it is important to make sure that you are aware of your market segment, the latest happenings and how this applies to those of your visitors whom you are trying to service.

 

Letting your potential visitor know that you have expert knowledge and are able to help them is the next obstacle you will face. There are a few ways in which you can do this.

• Testimonials
• Free Help
• Be an Example of knowledge and solutions
• Become quotable

Testimonials are past customer’s recommendations of your service. They may be solicited but they are not paid for. They are comments on the quality of your work and service. Having testimonials visible on your website lets others know that you have had past customers and they have found your work acceptable.

Two problems with testimonials are firstly, it is possible to cheat and make them up. Secondly it is assumed that you will only select the best testimonials to display so they may not accurately reflect your business.

Free Help is a give away which lets your visitors test your service and knowledge before they commit themselves to paying out money for whatever you are offering.

When offering free help it is important to follow up with an effective call to action. Ask your customer for the sale once they have tested your service level. If they are unwilling to give you the sale you may decide to ask for feedback as to why not. Depending on their response you may change aspects of what you offer. If anyone gives you feedback treat it like gold as it is important market research that you would normally have to pay for.

Being an example of knowledge and solutions can be accomplished by finding places where your potential customers hang out and demonstrating to them your knowledge and ability to solve their problems. The Internet offers many opportunities to put this strategy into action. There are a vast number of forums, chat sites, social critique sites etc that will allow you to help people and demonstrate your expert ability. The help that you will offer will be in the form of online advice, articles, answers to questions etc.

Many of the sites that you will use are the same sites as you will be using for other SEO strategies.

Being quotable is a by product of “being an example”. As you help people and create more and more information out there on the internet you will find that those interested in your area will start to recognize your name and associate it either with good or bad. Because your name will be associated with one or the other it is important to start out on the correct footing. Make sure that the help you are giving or the articles you are posting are well thought out, well written and most importantly address your audience’s problem helping them to a solution.

If you provide rubbish or outdated information your online image will suffer. If the solution you provide does not work then you will not reap the rewards of being an expert in your field of specialty. This translates into less traffic and no sales.