9 ways to make your small business legit

However once your business is running, getting customers and business partners to trust your company is another difficult task that you need to solve.

To grow beyond other small businesses, you need to build credibility and earn trust from both new and old customers.

That is why we will be sharing with you 9 tested-and-trusted ways to establish the legitimacy of your small business.

1. Have a business account

The first step towards making your business appear legit is to open a business account. A business account is an account that is dedicated mainly to business transactions. The mistake most small businesses make when getting started is using their personal account for a business transaction. This comes with all types of challenges and frustration down the line. Also, it can make it difficult for you to access business support tools later in the future. This proves that you’re serious about what you’re doing and that customers can trust that their payments are going into an actual company account.

2. Build a strong online presence

Get your business online in order to be able to reach more potential customers across different platforms and show them who you really are as a brand. Having consistent branding across all platforms will help customers recognize your brand on any platform, boosting recognition and loyalty towards your brand. Branding starts with having a consistent logo, colour, text font etc.

3. Testimonials and reviews from customers

Testimonials from customers will help you build legitimacy as it shows that your current customers have had positive experiences with your business. Encourage customers to leave reviews on your website and even on other online platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google My Business, and other third-party review platforms.

4. Be reachable with a good customer service

It is important to provide excellent customer service in order to give potential and existing customers assurance that their needs are being taken care of. Make sure that you can be easily reached by offering different dedicated communication channels (phone, email, chatbot) and also respond quickly and promptly to queries. Let people know how long they have to wait before they get feedback to their enquiries.

5. Deliver high-quality products or services

No matter what you do or say, if you offer inferior products or services, there is no way you are going to get repeat or referred customers. With a lot of competitors, quality is key when it comes to making an impression on customers. Ensure that your products or services are of high quality and that customers have a satisfactory experience.

6. Be transparent

Being as transparent as possible with customers is essential for establishing trust in a business. Let them know what to expect from you, when to expect it, and how your product or service is going to be delivered or how it works. The easiest way to build transparency in your business is to make sure that you always stay true to your word.

7. Show social proof

Social proof can be a great way of building legitimacy. It involves showing off customer reviews, testimonials, awards, certifications, etc., either on the website or other online platforms. Start by claiming your social media account on relevant social media platforms where your customers gather. This will help customers feel more at ease when dealing with your brand knowing that others have had positive experiences too.

8. Offer guarantees

Another way to build credibility for your small business is by offering guarantees on products or services. Guarantees comes in different form and shape. Depending on the type of products or service you offer, you can provide a 30-day guarantee or have a refund policy in place. This will show customers that you are willing to stand behind your product and that they can trust what you’re selling them.

9. Protect customer data

Last but not least, it is essential to ensure that customers’ personal and financial information is kept safe and secure at all times. Investing in a good security system for protecting customer data is the way to go in order to build trust with customers and show them that their data is being handled with care. You can have a policy document that explains how you collect and use customer data. This helps to ensure that customers understand how their data is stored and helps them feel confident sharing their data with you.

With over 41 million micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria, you need to do everything to make your business stand out and find trusted ways to improve the way customers perceive your business.

Use the proven 9 steps in this article to make your small business more legitimate in no time!

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