5 Not-So-Secret Techniques To Build Brand Authority With Content Marketing

When it comes to branding, consistency is the key.

Without consistency, it will be hard to achieve recognition, which is another crucial aspect of branding. Consumers will have a hard time recognizing your brand without consistency in your marketing messages across different digital marketing channels.

With consistency, your company’s values will be seen, felt, and heard in all your marketing messages. People will be able to easily identify your brand from an ocean of other brands through the consistency in your messaging and the values you identify with.

If a brand has consistency, recognition, values, and awareness, then it will have authority.

What does brand authority mean?

Brand authority means having the power to influence your industry. It is a brand’s ability to become an industry leader that has an impact on both consumers and competitors.

Brand authority and brand awareness are two different things. A brand may be able to create a buzz that has the entire internet-verse talking about it, which means that it has successfully created awareness. But a brand that is synonymous with a product or service is what gives it authority. Google, for example, is often used as a verb in the internet community. “Please google it for more information.”

In other words, brand authority goes beyond brand awareness. Moreover, brand authority is a reputation you earn over time based on several factors.

• Expertise – the company’s knowledge and experience in the industry
• Quality – the effectiveness of the brand’s products and services
• Trust – the brand’s ability to deliver on its promises and guarantees

All of this will work together seamlessly to create the perception of a brand’s authority.

Another good example of brand authority is Samsung. Its brand name is synonymous with its products. As such, Samsung has made a significant impact on both its consumers and competitors. People know them to be experts in mobile devices. Everyone knows and trusts the quality of their products. This is why consumers want to own a Samsung and competitors want to be like Samsung.

With that said, brand authority can change from one consumer to another based on factors, including customer experience, personal preference, and needs.

But why do brands need to become an authority?

Having brand authority is the only way to future-proof your business. Think of Google, Xerox, Kodak, Nike, Coca-Cola, Tesla, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.

Research shows that consumers trust these brands and are thus, loyal to them. When consumers are loyal to a brand, this can translate to the following:

• They recommend such brands to their peers.
• They buy more products from these brands more frequently.
• They spend more money on these brands.
• They share more of their experiences with these brands.

On the other hand, 43% of consumers say that they would stop doing business with a brand that they feel they can’t trust or have lost trust in. To simply put it, brand authority can help you promote loyalty, foster brand integrity, and prevent brand switching. When you achieve all of this, your brand will be established as a go-to brand in your niche, which means that you’ll have a sizable and profitable customer base for years to come.

So, how do you establish brand authority?

What to do to build brand authority?

The key to building brand authority is content marketing.

You will need a content strategy that will not only focus on creating the actual content but also put emphasis on content placement through channels you have no control of.

Here’s how you can start establishing your brand authority with content marketing.

1. Answer questions from your audience.

This is one of the foolproof ways to start building up your authority. Users are more inclined to trust brands that provide them the information they are looking for. So, you need to make sure that answering your audience’s most common questions is part of your content marketing.

Moreover, you need to build onsite content that provides value to your audience, which should help you position yourself as an expert, especially for those who don’t know you yet. Why this is so important is because Google does a lot of work to curate answers for users, making sure that it is able to provide the most appropriate results for every user query. When Google positions your website at the top of the search engine results pages, users automatically view your site made it through its algorithm for good reason and that you know exactly what you’re talking about.

Your customer service team is the best source of information that will help you execute this strategy effectively. Find out what a majority of your audience is curious about. You should also perform keyword research to know what content related to your business already exists and how you can do better.

2. Conduct studies and write newsworthy reports.

To be an authority in your niche or industry, you need to display your never-ending interest in discovering new information and insights that will help you better your products and services. The only way to achieve this is to conduct your own research.

Through original research, you’ll be able to discover new insights that will provide value to your readers. Aside from that, you’ll be a leader in innovation, which will make you a media sensation. This gives you media mileage while getting high-quality backlinks that will signal Google that you are an authority.

To do this, you will need to find which questions or problems in your industry still need answers or solutions. Research on how you can answer or solve them and create a report that will thoroughly discuss how you are able to come up with the answer or solution.

3. Take advantage of the authority of in-house experts.

Brands can benefit from having subject matter experts or SMEs who are experienced, knowledgeable, and are an authority in your industry.

In-house experts can share their expertise with the public through a blog, video, or podcast. You can make them excellent sources of relevant news articles that will make people believe that you have brand authority.

4. Associate with other authoritative brands.

The phrase “Show me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are” also applies in marketing. You need to align yourself with respected brands that are known for doing it right, are trusted by a lot of people because some of that trust will be transferred to you.

What you can do to execute this move successfully is collaborate with authoritative brands in your industry. This will get your company in front of a new audience.

Once you’ve found a trusted brand to collaborate with, write about and get people excited about your tandem. Just make sure that you team up with brands with the same objectives and values as you.

5. Let people in some of your trade secrets.

Have you ever noticed personalities who have gone from being a newbie in their field to becoming a superstar overnight?

These people have given away some of their secrets on how they earned millions in sales overnight. They have broken down how they achieve greatness, which gives people hope that they, too, can become successful.

Why is this an effective strategy? You will be sharing information that no one else shared. You are giving people access into a secret world that only you have the key to.

Bottom line

Content marketing should be all about creating content that will be beneficial for your audience. It should be about sharing your knowledge and expertise on a subject matter with your audience. By doing so, you are building trust in your brand not just to your audience but also to Google and other search engines.