Tactics to Gain Credibility

We often mention the four textbook phases of marketing communications: - visibility, credibility, authority and leadership. Everything that shows up in ink or on the air creates visibility, but visibility alone and unmanaged is meaningless. If our ultimate goal is to create sales, visibility must exist in a context of positioning, counterpositioning, strategic planning and tactical message management. Yes, that's an obvious statement that doesn't require much think time before heads nod - but can we apply the same criteria to our second phase, credibility?

Credibility stimuli.

What tools can a publicist engage in pursuit of credibility? Once we take a look at our "equipment", we may be able to see how management disciplines apply to a seemingly philosophical task. If we approach the task of turning a reader into a believer (that's credibility in a nutshell) as a behavior modification task, the starting point will be asking what stimuli promote credibility as a response. As a class, these stimuli have one trait in common: they offer the direct or implied endorsement of an apparently objective third party who either is trusted or is at least not distrusted.

Formal reviews.

Formal editorial reviews of books or products are a clear example of how PR efforts can boost credibility. In case we need a restrictive definition of this kind of review versus some less effective credibility builders, let's call them experientially based objective reporting on real-world performance attributes of a product. Several publications further enhance the credibility of reviews by using scoring systems and awarding best-of-class medallions, which are good credibility sources themselves.

Column reviews.

The contributing editors (columnists) who appear with some aura of celebrity in a good many of these same media outlets each offers a separate venue for reviews, if a somewhat less objective one. Regardless of how subjective the reporting, if one of these people writes that he or she likes a particular product, that's a very valuable endorsement and a solid credibility builder. These alternate review opportunities can greatly magnify the strategic impact of reviews as a tactic for building credibility.

Customer stories.

If writers of reviews and columns offer objective third-party credibility, what about "real people"? They're as close as your customer list - either end user or dealer customers. An interview with a user at XYZ Amalgamated who says your product is the best of its kind they've ever seen, and saving them umpteen thousand dollars - well, that's the kind of endorsement that gives the rest of your credibility effort a frame of solid steel girders. Ditto for the reseller who reports easier sales or strong customer acceptance.

Given these tools, the art of management reduces to the more mundane tasks of targeting, penetration and maintenance. Just like getting in with the right crowd back at school - as many of us will be hearing around the dinner table. Just be glad you're there - it won't be long before the busy product intro, trade show and buying season keeps us away from the table all too frequently. Here's hoping you can invest a little extra time in your family now.