I love it when someone says, “It’s true…I read it on the Internet.” Keep in mind that these people are serious.  Do you know how hard it is to keep a straight face when someone says that?  I’m not implying that everything on the Internet is made up but the reality is that it’s challenging to build trust and credibility.

The article “6 ways to get people to believe you online” can help you become a bit more trustworthy.  A few of these tips may bring out the Boy Scout in you.

Talk like a real person. Nothing gives the impression that you’re faceless more than using completely neutral third person language across your site. This is something I had to learn early on, after spending years writing hundreds of third person articles for magazines. Sometimes it can be all about you.

Respond directly. This could mean using a tool like Twitter to respond directly to customer feedback, or simply posting comments on blog posts that mention your business or the category your business is in. A little attention can go a long way.

Use multimedia. If you can find a way to include more images of your retail location, or a photo gallery of your employees working together, or video of your products – each of these can go a long way to sharing the inside story behind your business and establishing a basis for trust. OK, already. It’s time to get started on videos.  (That’s a reminder to myself.)

Encourage advocates. Sometimes the best way to build trust in your business is to have lots of people online saying good things about you. The old saying, “It doesn’t matter what people say about you so long as they spell your name right,” doesn’t cut it anymore.  Someone spreading lies about you isn’t OK, even if they spell your name correctly.