How to develop trust and build authority

A great way to marketing your business online is through a blog, but blogging can also be problematic because there are a lot of jerks out there who take advantage of readers. So how does a blogger develop trust and build authority? What can they do to be seen as authentic? In other words, what can a blogger do to have people trust them so that they can successfully use their blog as a marketing tool? Here is a look at a few of the steps you can take to build trust and authority with your readership:

1. Be consistent. Persistence, hard work, and consistency are all key to building trust. If you are out there to scam someone, you probably won't last long. If you are in for the long haul, working hard to consistently write something worth reading, you will generally outlast all of the crap bloggers in your genre, and as a result, people will realize you are worth looking at. Of course, it is important to note that it is not just about lasting a long time, but about
Producing quality consistently. People should be able to trust that they can always go to your blog and find something of value, and put up regularly. In addition, you have to be consistent about topics or themes. So, be consistent with quality, quantity, and theme.

2. Interact. People are going to trust you more if they feel like they have some sort of personal contact with you, and you are not just a nameless face sitting behind a computer screen. So, do things that will give people the proper impression of you. For example, leave a comment on a blog post so that they know you are paying attention to their reactions to your postings. It also shows you are willing to interact, and are engaged. Another option is to have a conversation over email. If the person is really struggling with you, or are being vocal about their distrust of you, it might take a phone call, Skype visit, or maybe a face to face interaction to help alleviate their fears. This is a great tool for fixing false perceptions.

3. Give them something to relate to. It is important that the person feels like you are someone they can relate to. They will want to "get to know" someone that they feel a common bond with. That getting to know part is a big deal, it means readership. It means your marketing is working. It means sales, advertising, and other revenue producing results. So, show people you are normal. You might know more about something than they do, but you still have problems, passions, experiences, challenges, and more. If they see you are normal, they will trust you more readily.
Of course there are many other things you can do to build trust and authority, but the biggest is to just be trustworthy, consistent, and willing to interact and get down to real life with people.