Becoming an authoritative brand has many key benefits. By building brand authority, you make sure that your clients start to count on you for their specific needs. A prime example would be SEO Charleston, an authoritative brand serving Charleston County, SC. Building your brand awareness in your local market and then building client trust, one satisfied client after the other. And when this kind of trust has been built, you can be sure that your relationship with clients will ultimately lead to more sales. The formula is simple, make your clients smile and then brag about it. Brag loud and often, screaming from the roof tops.
But how exactly can you start from scratch, building brand authority? The answer is quite simple: you need to focus on content. Following are some guidelines that will help you:
Answer Your Audience’s Questions
Top brands always focus on ways to provide the information that their clients look for. If your content marketing efforts don’t focus on this aspect, then it means you are not providing the answers that your audience is looking for.
It is highly recommended that you build on-site content that offers this kind of value. With it, not only can you increase awareness for your brand, but you will also build authority. To achieve this, use different ways to figure out what exactly your target audience is curious about. These methods may include performing keyword research, talking to your customer service representatives, using tools like Answer the Public, etc.
Create Newsworthy Studies and Reports
Unearthing new insights and information is a great way to demonstrate your brand authority. When you create your own reports, surveys, and studies by unveiling new insights or using the new data, you offer value to your readers.
To achieve this, first learn about what exactly your target audience is looking for. Then, focus on the general questions about your industry that need answers. In this way, you will be able to create reports that unveil new data, which you can use to take advantage of digital PR and ultimately answer the key questions with it.
Utilize the Authority of Your In-House Experts
While large brands like Apple can build authority solely around a particular persona, small and new companies cannot use this strategy as it can intimidate people. That said, they can show their authority by taking advantage of a similar strategy if they have subject matter experts.
To do this, first consult with your internal experts and find out if they are comfortable contributing quotes or blog posts to your website. If they are willing, pitch them to be on podcasts and/or as sources for relevant news articles if you use Help a Reporter Out. Make sure that they demonstrate their knowledge in ways that your audience finds useful.
Highlight Case Studies, Reviews, and Other Proof of Expertise
From reviews to testimonials to social media share counts and more, there are a wide range of authority signals that you can highlight. When highlighting these authority signals, make sure that you identify the ones that can offer the best results according to your products or services. It is important that you focus on their placement as well.
Your goal is to leverage third-party validation to demonstrate your target audience that you know what you are talking about. To achieve this, first figure out a way to collect this type of content. You can do this by reaching out to your top clients and asking for their feedback, pulling the best reviews that you have received for your products/services, etc. Once you have collected enough data, place it on the homepage of your website.
Collaborate with Other Authoritative Brands
Aligning with other authoritative brands has many advantages. One key benefit is that you will receive the same trust that they are receiving from their users/customers. So, it is important to consider collaborating with brands that are doing right by their clients. To do this, it is highly recommended that you brainstorm which brands have the best natural alignment with your company, its objectives, and values. Then, figure out a way to work together so that you can offer something of value to both of your audiences.
Give Away Some of Your Secrets
This strategy may be scary for a lot of marketers and it simply won’t apply to some companies. However, in certain cases, particularly for service-based businesses, sharing the key, secret information and breaking down exactly how your brand achieves that greatness can help you build authority and trust. To effectively execute this strategy, it is recommended that you identify the type of information that you can share with your audience. If you can share information that your competitors cannot, this can very helpful for your brand as it will leave a great impression that you are open about your industry in ways others are not.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you want to build brand authority, then it is very important that you invest in content marketing. By creating reliable, quality content that your audience appreciates, you demonstrate your own knowledge and your ability to utilize your expertise. By following the above-listed guidelines, you can greatly improve your chances of building brand authority and make sure that your audience trusts you.