While honesty, transparency, and truthfulness all fall under this authenticity, there’s a lot more to do to show your customers who you are. High-quality text that is specific to your company is at the heart of these changes, and everything flows from this. Excellent images that show your products in the best light are also essential, as are the ways in which you engage with clients and share their experiences. As we travel through this blog, we’ll explore the ways in which you can boost the authenticity of your website. Let’s get started!
Get Rid of Generic Text
It’s reasonably safe to assume that starting a business is an indication that you’re passionate about your industry. Whether it’s a practical skill, such as plumbing or plastering, or a creative vocation, including guitar tuition or interior design, your interest and enthusiasm for the area should shine through in everything you do.
This enthusiasm is a great way to attract customers, but it can all go to waste if your content doesn’t match your attitude. Generic, canned content is a killer, and this first thing that customers think is that you don’t care about the subject matter. No one wants to read it, and it’s unlikely to convert into many leads or sales.
Instead, write content that excites customers. Show people what you can do, why you’re the best at it, and how you can improve their life. As well as showing off your skills, you’ll also be able to display your enthusiasm and authenticity to anyone that visits your site. If clients find you interesting to engage with, they’re much more likely to come back if they need similar services, and this builds lasting relationships.
Use Real Images
If you’re looking for a product online, but all you can find is a generic stock image, you’re not going to have a whole lot of trust. People want to see the real product, ideally being used in a way that adds value. If it’s a vacuum cleaner, people want to see what it can clean, if you’re an interior designer, people will want to see rooms that you’ve transformed.
Sourcing and using this type of photograph doesn’t have to be an arduous process, especially with the quality of mobile phone cameras. Most new models have built-in cameras that produce high-quality photographs quickly and easily. This means that once a job is finished or a product comes in, you can get some great photos without having to set up a DSLR camera.
Authenticity is built because customers can see exactly what they’re getting by choosing you. They won’t be receiving something that looks like the stock image, they’re getting exactly what you’ve provided. This builds trust between you and your clients, meaning you’ll have happier consumers who are likely to become return customers.
Engage with Your Customers
Simply by talking to your customers, you can show that you’re an authentic, trustworthy, and open to what they’ve got to say. Customers value this relationship, and it’s something that you can do fairly easily if you’re on email and social media regularly. Some of the ways in which you can open these communication channels include:
- Asking for Customer Opinions Online
- Replying to Comments or Emails Quickly
- Quoting Tweets and Comments in Updates
You can also take this to the next level by creating specific groups to facilitate these conversations. A Facebook group is a highly effective way to foster this communication, as it gives everyone a place to speak, discuss issues, and learn from others.
Share Customer Stories and Testimonials
Nothing encourages customers to try your products like a positive review or story from a real person. Reviews, testimonials, and case studies are perfect for instilling confidence into customers, as they come from real, non-biased people just like them. While your marketing and tone of voice online may be excellent, a testimonial is a peerless way to improve your business authenticity and trustworthiness.
Good reviews and testimonials feature plenty of detail, so this is something that you should encourage your customers to add. To ensure that you’re getting quality testimonials regularly, actively ask for them. Customers are generally quite happy to provide testimonials or reviews, but only if prompted with an email or follow-up message.
Put These Techniques into Practice
Most of the techniques that we’ve mentioned are easy to implement. From being more active on social media to using better images and text, this is all achievable, so what are you waiting for? Providing you’ve got a good grip of writing for the web, image optimisation, and social media management, you’re more than capable of making subtle changes to really boost your trustworthiness and authenticity. Even working with companies to do this can be easy, as most work to your specifications and help you to achieve more. Give your business the best chance of success by adding authenticity today!