5 Things To Do RIGHT NOW to Make Your New Community More Credible

Your New Website Is Ready to Go But… (00:01:07)

• A brand new website and membership community is ready to go, with a identified problem and a provided solution, a targeted niche audience, a acquired domain name, clear messaging, and a clean homepage design, but it still lacks trust and legitimacy from potential members (00:01:07).
• The website has all the basics down, including established membership plans and a sign up page, but it is still the new kid on the block and people are not sure if they can trust it (00:01:52).
• There is no proof to show that the website and community are seasoned and legitimate, and potential members are hesitant to trust it with their information and time (00:02:03).
• The goal is to build trust, legitimacy, and social proof for the website and community, and this can be achieved by following certain steps (00:02:12).
• The first step to building trust and legitimacy is being discussed, starting with setting up a key element to establish credibility (00:02:23).

1) Set Up Social Media Accounts (00:02:25)

• Setting up social media accounts immediately can be a major help in establishing a credible online presence, and it is essential to create accounts on platforms where the target audience is most active, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube (00:02:25).
• After setting up social media accounts, it is crucial to share relevant content published on the website to demonstrate knowledge and authority within the target niche, boost brand awareness and loyalty, and increase web traffic and SEO value (00:02:40).
• Having a social media presence allows for the establishment of social proof and credibility, as people are more likely to follow and engage with accounts that have a certain number of likes, shares, and comments, indicating that others are interested in the content being shared (00:03:51).
• Optional social media advertising can be considered, but initially, focusing on publishing useful and relevant content and sharing it on social networks is more important, as it helps cultivate a sense of community among followers and makes the brand look more established (00:04:22).
• Regularly posting on social media, even if it’s just a simple update, helps to keep the brand looking active and up-to-date, disarming any fears that the company may be outdated or inactive, and can be achieved through automated posting tools or simple, consistent updates (00:05:07).

Be Active on Social Media (00:06:32)

• Creating a sample post that demonstrates authority in an industry by sharing useful information is important, and it does not have to be overtly promotional, as long as it shows expertise and provides value to potential customers (00:06:33).
• The post should contain relevant content that can be shared on social networks, and having a few likes on the post can serve as social proof, making the community appear more credible (00:06:49).
• Having relevant content on a website that can be shared on social networks is crucial, and it is separate from cultivating the community, with the goal of appearing more credible and active as a recent poster (00:07:05).
• Jason mentioned that creating a post should not be overthought, as long as the content is relevant and useful, and can be shared on social networks to demonstrate expertise and authority in an industry (00:06:58).
• Using tools to create and share posts can be helpful (00:07:15).

Schedule your social media posts with Hootsuite (00:07:16)

• Hootsuite is a tool that allows users to schedule social media posts, which can help manage time and provide a consistent online presence (00:07:17).
• Scheduling posts can be done directly on platforms like Facebook, or by using tools like Hootsuite, which offers a free plan, to plan and organize content in advance (00:07:26).
• Utilizing scheduling features and draft tools on social networking platforms can help streamline the process of creating and publishing content, allowing users to prepare posts for the next couple of weeks in just a few hours (00:07:48).
• When starting out, it can be challenging to come up with posts, but sharing related industry news, such as articles or updates from other companies, like The Walt Disney Company, can be an effective way to create content (00:08:11).
• The primary goal of scheduling social media posts is to create a credible online presence by showing potential members that the site is active, with recent posts, which can be achieved by focusing on the user experience and highlighting relevant information (00:08:23).

2) Strong About / Mission Page (00:08:30)

• Building credibility and trust is crucial, and having a strong about page can help achieve this by providing a mission statement, team information, and background details about the person behind the website, such as Jason, a solopreneur, to give prospective members a clear understanding of the website’s goal and intentions (00:08:31).
• Including personal information, such as a picture and background, on the about page can help prospective members connect with the person behind the website and build trust, especially if they have personal experience in the target industry or niche (00:08:59).
• Having a separate teams page or including team members on the about page can also help build credibility and trust, and demonstrate that the website is mission-oriented and confident in its solution (00:09:10).
• The about page should tell the brand’s story, including why the community was created, what problem it solves, and how it is different, to get prospective members emotionally involved and excited about the community (00:10:39).
• By sharing the brand’s story and being transparent about intentions and goals, the about page can help create a connection with prospective members, humanize the person behind the website, and make them more tangible, which can ultimately help build credibility and trust (00:12:11).
• Creating a website with a personal touch, such as an “about” page that tells the story of the organization, can help establish a trusting relationship with potential members and make the organization more personable and credible (00:12:21).
• Having a concise and informative “about” page that includes basic statistics, a mission statement, and a promise to users can help build trust and establish a connection with potential members, and can also include a link to a longer page with more information and storytelling (00:12:44).
• Including elements such as the story of how the organization was founded, the people behind it, and its goals can help create an emotional connection with potential members and make the organization more relatable and credible (00:13:18).
• Using storytelling techniques, such as including embarrassing pictures of the founders, can help make the organization more personable and human, and can also help to create a sense of excitement and romance around the brand and mission (00:14:04).
• By sharing the story of the organization, including its beginnings, obstacles, and successes, potential members can get a sense of the organization’s history and values, and can become more invested in the brand and mission, making it easier to onboard them as members (00:14:34).

3) Your First 100 Members (00:14:54)

• Getting the first 100 members can seem like a daunting task when starting out, but it is crucial for establishing credibility, especially if the website is built around a community or directory, and forming a relationship with these initial members is important for gathering valuable feedback (00:14:55).
• The initial members can help refine the membership plans by identifying additional things that are not being offered or things that are not useful to them, and they can be rewarded with an early bird or founding member discount, such as 50 percent off their premium membership for life (00:15:27).
• Featuring the founding members prominently on the website, such as on the homepage, and asking for testimonials from them can provide social proof and help establish credibility, and these testimonials can be sprinkled throughout the website, including a dedicated testimonials page (00:16:03).
• Utilizing the initial members to build credibility and displaying that credibility can help capitalize on it and gain more members, and tactics for getting the initial members have been covered in previous webinars, but the focus is on showing a level of credibility (00:16:52).
• Forming a good relationship with the initial members and using their feedback to better craft the offerings can lead to a more refined and attractive community, which can ultimately lead to increased membership and a more credible website (00:16:48).

Start by adding some initial content (00:17:01)

• To make a new community more credible, it is essential to add some initial content to the site, which can be a challenging task, especially when aiming to add 100 members, depending on the industry (00:17:01).
• Populating the site with content is crucial, and it is recommended to start with a limited number of post types, such as events and coupons, to make it easier to manage and maintain, rather than having a heavy main menu with multiple options (00:17:26).
• Member categories should also be limited to a manageable number, such as 10 or 20 broader categories, to make it easier to populate them with members and provide a more helpful resource (00:18:36).
• The goal is to pass the “click test,” where a user can click on internal links four or five times and find valid content, such as from the home page to the about page to a member search results page (00:18:52).
• Adding the first 100 members is about populating the site with enough content to make it look established and useful, so that when someone clicks around, they can find something useful, and it is recommended to spend time figuring out what content is needed and adding it to the site (00:19:20).

Examples of How You Can Feature Members (00:19:59)

• Featuring members on a website can be done in various ways, including implementing a featured blog article slider, pinning featured posts, highlighting members in member results, featuring members on the homepage, and adding profile badges to members, which can help establish credibility and attract new members (00:20:01).
• By showcasing existing members and their content, a website can alleviate potential users’ concerns about joining, as most people are hesitant to be the first to try something new (00:20:29).
• Implementing these features can help ease users’ qualms about signing up for a website, making them more likely to join if they see that there are already active users (00:20:42).
• The idea of featuring members is to give a great first impression and make the community more credible, which can be achieved by showcasing members and their content in a prominent way (00:20:50).

4) Get A Professional Logo Made (00:20:53)

• Creating a professional logo is one of the easiest things to do to make a community more credible, and it can be done by hiring a professional graphic designer on sites like Fiverr or Freelancer, or by using online tools for free, although the latter tends to produce more generic results (00:20:55).
• A custom-designed logo promotes a great first impression and projects a professional image, as it is designed with a concept in mind to fit the brand, making it unique and not generic (00:20:59).
• Having a custom logo adds a great sense of credibility, especially when it is displayed on social media pages, and it also gives the business a custom sense of identity, making it stand out from other companies (00:21:08).
• A custom logo can make it easier to build a brand, as it provides a unique and individual identity, and it also comes with different formats and variations, such as light and dark versions, and different file formats, making it easier to utilize in various areas (00:21:11).
• Hiring a professional graphic designer to create a custom logo is relatively affordable, with prices starting from around $20, and it can make a huge difference in people’s perception of the brand, with the average price being around $150 (00:21:15).
• To get a custom logo designed quickly and affordably, it is possible to hire multiple designers, such as two or three, and have them work on the project, which can provide a range of options and ideas to choose from (00:21:19).
• Using freelance websites like Fiverr can provide access to a range of designers, with prices starting from around $20, and it is possible to find a designer who can create a custom logo that fits the brand’s needs and budget (00:21:21).
• The benefits of having a custom logo include increased credibility, a unique identity, and ease of use in various formats and contexts, making it a worthwhile investment for any business or community (00:21:41).
• Overall, creating a professional logo is an important step in establishing a credible and professional online presence, and it can be done quickly and affordably by hiring a professional graphic designer or using online tools (00:21:47).
• Creating social media accounts is essential, and having a professional image logo for the company page is crucial, as plain text is not sufficient, and a logo with the company’s brand can be created on platforms like Fiverr for around $20 (00:24:16).
• The logo should be clean and simple, with a design that fits the brand’s mood, and it is recommended to go for a safer option with flat colors, skinny text, and minimal shadow effects, making it easy to read and understand (00:24:52).
• The logo design should include two or three colors that can be coordinated with the design settings, such as button colors, to create a cohesive brand look and feel, which helps to establish continuity across different platforms (00:25:21).
• Having a professional logo and coordinating it with the design settings can make the company look more established and uniform, which can trigger people to sign up with the community and help the company look more credible (00:25:58).
• It is recommended to get a basic logo created, even if it’s just a simple design, as it is better than using a text logo maker, and it can help to create a professional image for the company, which is essential for making a great first impression (00:26:27).

Great Logo Examples (00:26:37)

• Custom-made logos are preferred over generic ones, as they can be designed to relate to the name of the community, such as the Canada Care logo featuring a Canadian maple leaf, making it easier to build a brand identity (00:26:39).
• A good logo should have a simple and modern design, using a limited color scheme, typically two or three colors, and clean, legible text, which makes it easier to design a website and social media profiles around it (00:27:07).
• It is not necessary to overthink the logo design, as it can always be rebranded later, and the main goal is to get a direction and move forward with the project, with logos available for as little as $10 to $20 (00:27:21).
• A simple logo makes it easy to design a website around it, by choosing colors that complement the logo, creating a cohesive environment on the website, and transitioning that to social media profiles (00:27:41).
• Having a custom logo and a consistent brand identity is important, as it provides continuity and branding, making it easier for people to identify with the community and its website (00:28:00).

5) Pay For Press (00:28:06)

• Submitting Press release is a method to gain immediate online exposure, and companies like PR Web can help share a story with targeted media, websites, industry publications, blogs, social networks, and search engines, which can add credibility to a brand (00:28:07).
• Press releases can be classified as news on platforms like Google, and when a press release is submitted, it can end up showing in the news section of Google, which can add credibility to a brand, especially when people google a website and see news articles about it (00:28:09).
• Press releases are relatively affordable, provide immediate exposure to established audiences, have major SEO benefits, increase web traffic to a website, and provide a greater sense of authenticity to a brand (00:28:11).
• To write a press release, one can write about how their website is different, shaking things up in the industry, and making it available for people to join, and then submit it to a site like PR Web, which offers different pricing packages and can help distribute the press release to local news organizations (00:28:14).
• When a press release is published on a site like PR Web, it can be aggregated to local websites, allowing the brand to claim that they have been featured on those websites, which can help build credibility, and the press release can also be shared on social media accounts to recycle the content and build established credibility within the industry (00:28:16).
• The real value of press releases lies in the ability to make a claim like “as seen on” and showcase the newsworthy news on social media accounts, which can help build credibility and establish a brand as a noteworthy website (00:28:18).
• Press release are typically simple, usually just a bunch of text, but depending on the package, images can also be included, and they tell a quick story like accepting members or shaking things up in the industry (00:28:20).
• The theme of creating news about oneself and showcasing it on social media is a key aspect of making a new community appear more credible, and press releases can be a useful tool in achieving this goal (00:28:23).
• The behind-the-scenes benefits of press releases include the ability to create news about oneself, share it on social media, and build credibility, which can be a valuable asset for a brand (00:28:25).
• Press releases can be used to create a sense of excitement and importance around a brand, and by sharing them on social media, a brand can create a sense of buzz and establish itself as a credible and noteworthy website (00:28:28).

Summary (00:33:02)

• To make a new community more credible, it is essential to pay for Press release, such as those from PR Web, and get a professional logo made, which is definitely worth the investment, around $10 or a bit more (00:33:02).
• Adding content to the site and populating it with meaningful information is crucial, so when visitors come to the home page, they can find valuable content by clicking four or five times on random links, and reducing the number of categories and searchable post types can help (00:33:13).
• Passing the four to five click test on the site ensures that visitors can easily find meaningful content, and reducing the number of categories and searchable post types can help achieve this (00:33:15).
• Creating a strong about admission page that tells the community’s story and purpose can help people understand where the community is coming from, making them emotionally invested, which adds to trust and loyalty (00:33:40).
• Being active on social media is vital, as it shows the community’s vital signs and helps build credibility, with the frequency of posts being more important than the number of followers, as people want to see when the community last posted, whether it was three days or three years ago (00:34:01).