One of the exercises some budding marketers do is to pick a random industry and see which websites are the first to come up. For instance, when you simple type “search engine optimisation” on Google, you will likely see Quicksprout, Moz, Copyblogger, Hubspot, and Kissmetrics in the results. This means that they have become quite an authority in that field, more than just thought leaders, but also instructors to those who have just started in their digital marketing journeys.
It took them years and a lot of effort to be at the forefront of their industry, which some of us just do not have the patience to do. But if you think about it, slowly building your credibility and authority makes sense, especially in a business perspective. No buyer will purchase goods from a website that does not seem trustworthy. And to become trustworthy, one must be able to stamp their brand identity everywhere and put themselves out there.
You can do this through content creation. It involves writing articles, publishing research and case studies, adding value to discussions, and starting dialogues with fellow industry players. This is what will show users that you are relevant, that you are en expert, and that you are definitely worth their attention.
In this article, we will talk about how you can use content to build authority and credibility online to drive in traffic and encourage conversion.
Content writing
Indeed, establishing brand identity and expertise is more than just going to a domain name host site to register a business name and sharing it online. There has to be efforts to support the proliferation of the brand.
Having a blog tab on your website will be extremely helpful, not just for your ranking, but for showing that identity and expertise. Firstly, you will be using keywords for some of the blog articles that you will be publishing, so they will surely be crawled by search engines. But secondly, and most importantly, you would be able to write niche content that you are very knowledgeable with. Instead of the usual generic topics, you can definitely dive in and write about the nitty gritty of your industry for the benefit of those who are already part of your target market. And as your reader pool increases, that is when you slowly step back and cover umbrella topics to attract a prospective pool.
You should also write about industry updates, showing your audience that you are on top of trends and constantly does research to get new information. You may also choose to publish your own research. For instance, you might have started a case study on a problem or gap in your customer funnel, and you would like to share the results that were yielded from that study.
Consider hosting webinars
Reading content is all well and good, but there are people who prefer a more personal touch. So consider doing a webinar through apps like Periscope or uploading videos on Youtube. In this way, you will be able to cater to an audience who learn more through visuals and audio. And this also gives them a chance to see you present your expertise to them, even if it is just on a screen.
Create eBooks
The trend with websites nowadays is offering long-form content that users can download for in-depth studying. These are eBooks with a much detailed research and case study, or a compilation of how-to guides. This has proven to generate more leads, but more than that, it is the kind of content that can help extend your reach to prospective visitors.
Become a guest blogger
Writing for other websites offers a unique opportunity to tap into the audience of other industry players to drive traffic to your website. In a way, it also solidifies your authority because you were trusted to publish an article on a website that is not yours. But becoming a guest blogger is not as easy as cutting a deal with other webmasters. Your article will definitely go through extreme screening. So being allowed to get published by other industry players is definitely a strong mark of a thought leader.
Engage on social media
One of the simplest ways is to engage in discussions on social media. The platform is informal so your language will definitely be casual and not filled with industry jargon. And there is no barrier between industry expert and learner, so the conversation tends to be more natural.
Remember that you want others to understand you and the nature of the business you are trying to build an identity for. Always make sure you use palatable language, and write content that is informative and relevant. In this way, you will not only establish yourself as an industry leader, but also one who makes sure that any user will be able to understand them.
