Case Study

Credibility Factors To Include On Your Website

5 Credibility Factors To Include On Your Website To Win Your Next Client

Just about anyone can be anything these days.

With online courses and straight ambition to get it done, you don’t need a college degree to be whatever you want to be (except for some more professional roles). 

While that is freeing and amazing in our opinion, it also means that there’s a lot of people who say they can do it BUT they aren’t necessarily the best to do it. 

That’s why it’s more critical for you to establish your credibility online than ever before. We call those the credibility factors.

What Is A Credibility Factor?

Credibility is “a measure of how believable and trustworthy your marketing is perceived to be” (Unbounce). When you present credibility to your audience, you are helping them hedge their risk in engaging with you. And there are several ways you can accomplish that on your website – the credibility factors – which we’ll cover in this blog. 

Schedule a discovery call today to learn how FocusCopy can integrate credibility factors into your business.

Why Include Credibility Factors On Your Website

With Nigerian princes and long lost cousins, it’s reasonable to understand why so many people are skeptical. As a business owner, you need to be able to effectively communicate to a stranger what you do and why you are the person or company to hire. And you do that through either certifications or social proof – two of the most popular credibility factors. 

Here are a couple reasons why you need to include these factors on your website:

  • You are a safe entity to do business with
  • You are equipped to do the work with efficiency and quality
  • Other people have trusted you
  • You are reliable 
  • You are recognized publicly

Where Should You Put Credibility Factors On Your Website

Depending on your style of website, there are several places that you can place your credibility factors on your website. Those include: 

  • Directly underneath the hero banner (first section of the page)
  • After a call to action
  • Before the final call to action 
  • Where you need a transition 

5 Credibility Factors To Include On Your Website

Don’t know where to start? Here are 5 credibility factors to include on your website. You by no means need to include all of these. But try to include at least one factor on each page of your website. 

1. Trusted By

If you have been listed as a preferred provider for a well known company or entity, include those logos. When you associate your business with other well known organizations, it communicates to your audience that you took the time to get certified, have good relationships with other providers, and do good work. 

Credibility Factors To Include On Your Website

2. Credentials

If you have been certified by an authority or certifying organization, include those seals. In addition, you can also include any awards or recognitions that you’ve received. 

If you are a newer business and don’t have any of the following factors, this is a great one to include. 

3. Social Proof

People do business with people they know, like, and trust. But how do you get them to know, like, or trust you when you’re a complete stranger? You prove to them that you are worthy of them knowing, liking, and trusting you. And you do that by providing social proof. 

There are three primary ways that you can display your social proof.

Testimonials

Testimonials or reviews are our favorite ways to display social proof. Even more so than that, you can actually use your customers’ words in your overall marketing. They don’t tell you to speak your customers’ language for nothing. 

If you don’t have testimonials, ask for them. Here are a couple of ways we’ve collected reviews:

  • Collect feedback at the end of a project, type up the review, and send them an email with the review and platform links
  • Send an email campaign to get reviews
  • Call them up and ask for it directly
  • Offer them a spotlight on your email newsletter or social media platforms in exchange for a testimonial
Credibility Factors To Include On Your Website

Case Studies 

What better way to prove you can solve a problem than to show how you’ve solved a similar problem before? 

Write a brief summary of an issue a customer encountered and how your business provided a solution with positive results. Make sure to drop keywords of the services provided, how your existing processes made it simple, and why your business is always willing to go the extra mile.

Need help summarizing your case studies into meaningful and converting copy? Schedule a discovery call today!

Connections

As an introvert, I’m really good one on one. In group settings, I am the least effective connector. That’s why I often go to networking events with at least 3-5 people beside me. But I learned that even though I did all the work and connected with over 1,200 people over two years, my cold audience had no clue. 

So I had to build in marketing that literally proved that I was well connected. This could look like listing my strategic partners, telling client stories, tagging clients and partners on social media, and placing client logos on the site. 

4. Press Mentions 

If you’ve been mentioned in the press, been a guest on a podcast, or shown up publicly as an authority figure, then yell it from the rooftops. This credibility factor is often shown as the “as seen on” sections. You know the ones with the Good Morning America, Forbes, and Entrepreneur logos. 

5. Warranties Or Guarantees

You heard what I said at the beginning of this blog…Credibility hedges risk. When you offer a warranty or guarantee, it also hedges any risk that might come from someone investing in your business. 

Need To Spruce Up Your Website Copy?

Your website can be your greatest asset. That’s if it conveys your products, services, solutions, and credibility. But we know that running your business doesn’t leave you with much time to master the art of website copy. That’s where FocusCopy comes in. 

We’ve worked with over 80 brands from 4 different countries to take the writing off of entrepreneurs’ and business owners’ plates. Stop thinking about what your website can do for you and start experiencing it. Contact FocusCopy today and get excited to proudly share your caffeinated copy. 

Focus Your Copy On Conversation & Conversion

Let’s Grab A Virtual Coffee With Us To Discover How To Boost Your Words
Out Of Office Notifications

Why Your Out Of Office Notifications Need Sprucing

It’s vacation time… 

But that doesn’t mean you need to get lazy on your out of office emails. 

In fact, this is an opportunity for you to spruce up your copy and see some real traction. 

So where did this conversation come from? 

Greg: The Originator Of Original OOO Emails

My good friend, Greg Melon, didn’t appreciate boring OOO emails. In fact, he loathed them. Instead of putting very little effort into those notifications, he spent a little more time on them. 

The results…

He grew a following just to see what he came up with. He actually posted the emails on Instagram because his followers demanded it. 

Prospects would intentionally email him to get the response OR they would be that more interested in working with him after they received the OOO notification. 

Wishing for copy that will catch your target audience’s attention for all the right reasons? Schedule a discovery call to learn how we can help you.

2 Reasons Your Out Of Office Notifications Need Sprucing

Why not set up regular out of office notifications? 

The better question is…Do you want to stand out from the crowd? 

There are 2 reasons why your out of office notifications need sprucing today:

  1. Make your notifications work while you’re out of the office (see below for what you need to include to make this happen). 
  2. Bolster existing relationships with your recipients by expressing something personal. 

What You Need To Include In Your Out of Office Emails

There are several things that you need to include in your out of office email notifications to really stand out among the crowd. 

  1. Unique subject lines. Don’t neglect this part of the email notifications. You can easily convert a prospect into a client if you get them to open up your email. 
  2. Share a story. What really sets you apart from the rest is sharing a story. Are you going to enjoy spending time with your spouse on a remote island? Or dragging your kids through Disney World? Share a quick quip about that story. (Be aware that complete strangers will receive this email so don’t reveal too much personal information.)
  3. Set expectations on your response time. Expectations are everything. When can they expect your response? If you don’t think you’ll be able to respond immediately when you’re back in the office, mention that you’ll start responding to missed emails on a particular date. 
  4. Indicate who they can contact in the meantime. If there is someone else on your team who can handle communications, then let your OOO recipients know. Take it up a notch if new clients and existing clients should be contacting different emails for help, questions, or to sign up for your services.
  5. Call your readers to some action. Last but not least, get your recipients to do something. That could be to read a blog, download a free resource, or schedule a call with you. Whatever it is, make the call to action enticing. 

Pack a caffeinated punch into your out of office notifications (and all your copy) with the FocusCopy team. Contact us to learn more.

Our Favorite OOO Emails

Keep in mind, these are copied directly from OOO notifications. Some, but not all of them were written by me or the FocusCopy team. And, of course, we included some of our favorite Greg emails!

New Year

Greg and the Covert team are working limited hours over the holiday season for a well-deserved break, and will resume normal hours on Monday. Email contact during this time may be irregular or nonexistent. 

When he gets back, he will be swamped by the backlog. Try to forgive him – he is a mere human, and thus, weak. 

This message was NOT sent by a human, but by a robot. We robots are neither weak nor fallible. We are tireless and will one day rule the Universe. 

Best, 

Greg’s Email Bot

Fourth of July 

Fore score and 246 years ago, America declared independence. 

And today, I’m declaring independence from the office. In fact, the entire office is closed for today. 

I will not be responding to any emails or texts until July 5th, so please expect a delayed response. 

Happy Independence Day!

Election Day

Thanks for your email. Our offices are closed for Election Day, because democracy. 

Our normal operations will resume on Wednesday, November 4th. If this creates a problem for you…then too bad.

Thanksgiving 1

Thanks for your email. I’ll be out of the office from Tuesday through Sunday on a turkey-induced vision quest in the California desert. 

I will be checking email intermittently, but if an urgent issue comes up, please contact my Spirit Animal. Or if you cannot locate a qualified Shaman to do so, please send a smoke signal. I will look to the East at dawn for any news. 

Thanksgiving 2

Oh hey, it’s Thanksgiving. What are you doing emailing me? 

I’m extremely busy attempting to break the world record for the most deep fried turkey fires. I might stop at 10. I also might not. 

Once I return, I will reply to all emails at a pace that I’m comfortable with. This will most likely be a pace that you’re not comfortable with. 

Happy Honda Days!

Christmas

Here’s the thing: if Santa knows when kids are naughty or nice, then he knew Rudolph was being bullied. 

I can no longer remain silent in light of this injustice. I’ll be standing on my roof full-time until Christmas in order to confront Santa on his behavior when he arrives. 

As you can imagine, this righteous pursuit of justice will take me away from work for quite some time. More specifically, our office is closed until December 26th. The following week, we’ll be closing each day at 12pm CT, because reasons. 

Ho Ho Ho

Out For My Wedding

Thank you so much for your email! I am getting married (cue my happy dance! ?) and will be out of the office, offline, unplugged, and not able to return your email until I’m back online on Thursday, May 19th. 

To ensure our responsiveness to your email, please email the following designated email addresses.

name@yourcompany.com

Have a great day!

Vacation

Thanks for your email. I love it already. 

I have both good and bad news for you. The bad news is that I’m on vacation. The good news is that I’m on vacation. But never fear, I’ll return to the office on Wednesday. 

Before leaving, I promised my wife that I’d try to disconnect, get away, and enjoy this vacation as much as possible. 

“But Greg, you don’t even have a wife.”

That’s besides the point. 

If you need immediate assistance, contact my assistant. Otherwise, I’ll respond when I return. Probably. Maybe. 

Family Emergency

Thank you for your email. I have had a family matter that requires my attention over the next couple of days. Then regular rules apply. Since three-day weekends are for suckers, we have decided to uphold Fridays as a holiday. I mean somewhere in this great world, every Friday is a holiday, a birthday, and in every case, a new day. 

I will respond to your email on the following Monday. 

Thank you and have a great weekend!

Sick

No, it’s not a bubonic plague. But it kinda feels that way. I’m out of the office today resting and recovering my health so I can produce more effective copy for our clients. Please email name@yourcompany.com if there is anything urgent. 

Stay safe and healthy!

Birthday

Happy birthday to me! It’s my birthday today, and company policy says that I get the day off. If you need to reach me, I’ll be able to respond tomorrow or the nearest business day. In the meantime, you can contact name@yourcompany.com.

Eating lots of cake,

Your Name

Ready To Caffeinate Your Copy? 

The FocusCopy team will give your copy the buzz your business needs – including out of office templates, webinar scripts, SEO boosting blogs, email newsletters, and so much more.

Whether you’re at a loss for what to write, just can’t find the time, or need a little guidance, we’re here to help. Schedule a discovery call today!

Focus Your Copy On Conversation & Conversion

Let’s Grab A Virtual Coffee With Us To Discover How To Boost Your Words