In this episode I’m sharing how you could accidentally damaging your credibility in how you’re showing up online and in your marketing. Are you doing any of these three things? WARNING! This episode could trigger you!
Find out in this episode and start building a strong credible brand today.
You can listen to the podcast on the player above or read the blog post below.
3 ways you could be accidentally damaging your credibility
In this episode I am tackling three ways you could be inadvertently damaging your credibility. Often you do not know until it is pointed out to you. Which is why you need to understand if you are making these mistakes. Some of them might touch a nerve – so be prepared it could be a triggering blog. I have seen these damage credibility.
1. Using other people’s methodologies and processes
Before getting into this, I am not saying you should not use other people’s way of doing things but you should credit the person who taught you these methods. What happens when a prolific method is used and done so as the main selling point of your service, you are creating an ‘apples for apples’ situation.
For example, you are a coach and use a particular method founded by someone historically. And a lot of other coaches are using it, too. What happens is that it does not necessarily become the best marketing USP as so many others are using it. It damages your credibility as an expert because you have become like everyone else.
What we want to do is create stand out expertise. You cannot do this if you use someone else’s expertise when you take a proven process created by someone else.
There is nothing wrong with this as such. If you want to become a market leader, you cannot use someone else’s methodology. You need to create your own, in your own style and processes. You do not need to drop every tool you have ever learned. Think in terms of your marketing and how you position yourself.
You can absolutely tweak these methodologies to find what works better for you and your clients. It’s about applying your own research and experience for your ideal client. We are inspired by our experiences but can improve on the processes. Then you become an expert in your own right. In Elevate, we create the Unique Magic Bullet, which is about creating your own processes and methods.
2. Switching up your niche constantly or not niching at all
You might be trying to work out what you want to do and who you want to serve. This can damage trust when you are changing all the time. You need to think about the fact that you do not need to stick with one niche forever. There comes a point you need to look at this strategically. Changes do come with consequences.
Think about why you are changing all the time. Is the niche wrong? Or do you need help with sales, business model and messaging? It may not be the niche that is the problem but how you are articulating that. If you are not making money from a particular niche, you need to look at it from your ideal client perspective. What do they want to buy and what result do they want?
It may well be that you change niche constantly because you have not niched properly. This is key. Be honest with yourself, do you need to change niche or get help with that process so that you can stick with what you do.
The other side of this is not niching at all. If you are trying to serve everyone, there is no credibility. You cannot possibly be good at everything. People want specialists so they can trust you to give them what they need and want. Let’s stop losing business and damaging your credibility by trying to be everything to everyone.
It’s the difference between really making money and getting clients. Or not.
3. Over-sharing
Over-sharing in public forums such as on social media platforms or within networking groups. This emerges in a couple of ways. I talked with a business bestie a few years back and she said she wished people would be more honest about the amount of clients they need. And that when she went to networking events, she was honest about wanting clients.
While this is very admirable, the issue is the perception from potential clients. Strategically, is it the best thing to be saying? If you are struggling to get clients, there is usually a reason for that. And it is often not because you are rubbish at what you do – but people will wonder about this.
People at networking events are there to grow their business. Don’t be sharing you are struggling to get clients as this will damage your credibility.
I also see arguments with clients and competition in public forums. This is not how market leading businesses behave. You can see big brands having funny, light-hearted staged arguments. When it comes to airing dirty laundry on social media, and people jump on the comments about this, it gets ugly. It does not do your credibility any good.
Leaders have grace and know how to handle situations like this. If it is serious, get legal team to jump in and handle it.
Finally, I see the sharing of failures. We need to be strategic about the failures we share and the timing of sharing. Simply because something happens in your life, you do not have to share it or do so straight away. You need to think about who you are sharing it to and the purpose of sharing. Think about what’s the lesson.
We do need to share failures to normalise them. Where it goes wrong is sharing too early in the journey before they have learned the lesson. If you want to use your failure to create social media presence, then make sure it comes with the lesson. Otherwise, it can damage credibility. Use your common sense before you share and consider how it can be damaging your credibility. Lead by example and consider how you want your clients to react and behave in certain situations. What is the purpose and what is the lesson? Consider these before sharing.
Content Bait and Switch
This is a way of sharing that I’ve seen that does not sit well with me. This is when you ask, “what do you think about this, x or y.” It lulls people into a false sense of security as you’re using the people who are picking Y and saying why they are wrong.
I’m all for healthy debate. But if you’re telling people they are wrong, how do you think that makes people feel? They have been brave enough to come out and share their opinion and then shot them down. I’ve seen this happen in talks as well. It it not the way to get business or help get people on your side.
For me, this is a big no-no and it really does damage your credibility and your reputation as a leader. If you are looking at that as a great way to demonstrate your expertise, it is not. Have healthy debate and gracious conversation.
If you recognise any of these, it is time to change this and be more strategic about how we show up.
Useful links:
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Send your emails to jen@jen-hall.com
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