6 Ideas to Help You Build Brand Authority through Your Digital Content
As a professional in your industry or as a brand, one of your main goals should be to build authority. Authority is what separates successful digital marketing initiatives from those that just don’t deliver the real return on investment (ROI).
But what exactly is authority and how can you use it to take your brand to the next level?
What is Authority?
Authority refers to the trust a brand has earned among customers or followers as well as your level of expertise in your particular subject matter and how well you promote that expertise across your digital channels. Many things can influence authority, including:
- Your presence online
- How much you engage with your audience
- How compelling your content is
What is the Value of Authority?
Authority helps drive successful marketing, which is very valuable to any brand, but let’s dive into that more. Authority is what drives real business growth. In essence, brand authority is what allows you to become a strong brand and have a strong online presence. As you use authority and interact with your audience, it not only helps retain a loyal customer base that seeks you out over competitors, but it also helps grow a highly engaged audience as prospective clients or customers will be more likely to engage with your content. This can in turn attract the attention of influencers in your industry, who can then use their own authority to promote your brand to an even wider audience.
Now that you know what authority is and why it’s so valuable to grow your brand, you probably want to know how you build authority. We’ve got you covered!
Using Valuable Content to Build Authority
The best way to build authority online is to share something of value, also known as rich content, and to create thoughtful conversations around that valuable content. Why? Today’s consumers are savvy. They know when they are being sold to and desire more than just being hit continuously with sales pitches. Let’s face it, constantly being hit in the face with ads is annoying.
With that in mind, here are some ways you can provide valuable content to your audience.
1 | Use Your Website as a Resource
Go beyond providing valuable and thought provoking content just on your socials. Add rich content to your website so that people can turn to your brand as a credible source. One way to do that is to start a blog. Each post you write should be relevant to your audience and allow them to walk away with more information than they had before. Regularly update your blog and write in a way that keeps your readers engaged and delighted, and positions you as a thought leader in your industry.
2 | Share your Rich Content on Social Platforms
Make your blog go even further by cross promoting your posts on your social profiles. Tease what your audience will get out of reading your article and why that information is valuable to them.
3 | Ask Thought Provoking Questions
You don’t always have to take your audience somewhere with a link in your social posts. In fact, getting your audience to engage with you on your social profiles is one of the biggest drivers of growth on a social media platform. A simple way to get your audience to engage with your content is to ask them a question. Include a call to action that encourages them to sound off in the comments.
4 | Engage Back with Your Audience
Part of building authority is engaging back with your audience. Once you get people commenting on your social posts or blog posts, reply back. Ignoring your audience after they have taken time out of their day to engage with you is a sure fire way to lose their trust. Engaging back allows you to build those thoughtful conversations that will continue to increase the engagement level of your posts. We know that taking time to reply to comments can be time consuming, especially if your audience is large. So spend a few minutes each day replying to some of the best comments and then liking other comments to acknowledge the contributions of other audience members.
5 | Host an Event or Conference
Hosting an event can be a great way to position yourself as a thought leader in your industry or niche. This can be an online conference or event. These events can be used to develop your relationship with potential clients (like a two-day event where your audience can take free classes to learn how to use your products) or to build relationships with other brands or people in your industry (which is especially helpful for B2B brands). You can even host exclusive online events or live streams that provide valuable content and create a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out), which is a powerful marketing tool that gets audiences highly engaged!
6 | Develop and Host a Podcast
Rich content isn’t limited to text, images, or video. It can also be audio only. Podcasts are making a huge resurgence and are a great way to share your expertise. Podcasts also allow you to market to a new subset of your audience who prefer to connect through audio-only content. Be sure to generate enthusiasm and establish yourself as a thought leader by inviting guest experts to chat and exploring topics that are relevant to your customer base.
Key Takeaways
Remember, each touch point is an opportunity to build authority and trust with your audience and to position yourself as a leader in your industry. By focusing on providing something of value to your audience, it demonstrates that you understand your audience and their needs. This in turn leads to them seeking out your brand over competitors, helping drive your ROI and placing you in a league of your own.