We’ve all been there: we meet someone who says they’ve experienced monumental success and have a strong personal brand, so we consider working with them… only to realize from a Google search that they aren’t all they said they would be. They’ve exaggerated social influence, don’t have the press, or worse: you find bad press on them. That’s the blessing and the curse of the internet. You find everything you need to find.
However, this doesn’t always mean a Google search reflects the whole picture of who someone is. Google search yourself, for example. Can someone’s cursory glance of the search results really give them an accurate perception of your talents, skill sets, and accolades? Personal branding is as much about credibility from a glimpse as it is about building trust with a consistent audience. Here are some must-knows to ensure your personal branding internet credibility is where it should be.
1. Make Sure Your Website Is Up To Date
Have you ever looked at someone’s website, only to find that the content was terribly out of date? Maybe it was marketing an event that had long since been over, or didn’t have a single mention of their latest ventures or programming. Even if you’ve shared these updates at length across your social media pages, it’s critical to strive for consistency across everything that has your name on it.
As Shannon McNamara shared in a Medium article, “Your website is the poster child for your company. It is typically the first place your customers will visit to get an insight into your company and the services you can provide for them. In this case, it is extremely important to keep your website up-to-date and focus on the content that you are producing for your website.”
2. Be Aware Of What Potential Customers, Investors, Or Clients Could Find On You
It isn’t necessarily that you have anything to hide—but it’s always a good idea to have an advanced understanding of what a deep internet search could yield when you’re building a personal brand. Much of this you can do on your own, by ‘internet stalking’ yourself just as you would someone else if you were going to invest in their services. Some services, like Unmask, help you dig a little deeper (just in case these clients have background check tools that you don’t).
This may seem extreme, but the truth is, if someone is going to take a bet on you (either by offering you an opportunity, investing in your services, partnering with you, or otherwise), they like to have peace of mind. Knowing what’s out there—and, correcting wrong information if needed—is critical.
3. Share Honest And Real Testimonials
Credibility goes beyond what you can say about yourself. Anyone can claim to change your life or take your business to seven figures. So, it’s not so easy for clients to just ‘take your word for it.’ The best anecdote for this is real testimonials from those you’ve worked with before. And, resist the urge to edit these testimonials or completely scrap the ones that aren’t glowing. It sounds backwards, but reviews that could be perceived as ‘negative’ actually help your business by helping your credibility. It shows that there are real people using your services who have real feedback for you, which is only natural.
In fact, Neil Patel says that your business needs more negative reviews, and that they have the power to improve your conversion rates. Assess the reviews on your website. Do they seem ‘too good to be true’? Another way to approach this is to ask clients to make video testimonials on your behalf, so prospective clients know that real people have worked with you and achieved real results.
4. Comment Filtering
Internet credibility can also be thought of as internet reputation management. If you’re a content creator on social media platforms - especially those with the tendency to go viral - consider adding comment filters or even having a comment ‘manager’ (hint: it can be just a friend) go through to make sure your platform is a place for positivity. Arguments in the comments, slurs, bad language, or even harsh criticism has no place on your platform, and can actually sway how others view you.
Think of it this way: we all love a good herd mentality and jumping on the bandwagon with what others think and feel, even though we also have the ability to be objective and make decisions for ourselves. So, when we see someone’s content and then read their comments, we tend to let others’ perception of the content color our perception of it. If someone says the content was incredible, it might give us a second look. But if it’s sparking heated disagreement or people are insulting the creator, it also might give us a second look...in the wrong way.
Ultimately, building personal brand internet credibility is about owning your reputation, creating your narrative, and ensuring consistency for unbreakable client trust.