The success of businesses can largely be attributed to the trust customers give to companies. Of course, trust isn’t earned overnight. It takes time, effort and assurance for people to trust your brand and ultimately patronize you in more ways than one.
Trust has a lot to do with how reliable, knowledgeable and informative you are. Your market will only support your product and service if you know what you’re doing and how to do it. In the realm of online marketing, it’s a little thing called building online authority.
Now that businesses are often transacted online, it’s only right for companies to learn how to win over their customers’ trust. One of which is to be masterful in creating an online presence that will not only drive people to buy what you sell but also willfully spread it like wildfire.
Today, we’re going to let you in on tips on how to build online authority as well as the importance of building online authority. Before we get into the “how”, let’s explore “why”.
Why Build Online Authority?
The Internet is the world’s most powerful tool. It is the most essential medium of communication between your company, your customers as well as other businesses.
When you have online authority, your brand can go from zero to unbelievable proportions in a matter of days or weeks. Every decision you make carries a lot of weight and can significantly change things. From here, you are in a much better position than before, earn a lot more than before and be in a place where you can heighten your influence to a whole new level.
A company with an online authority is one people can trust. Without a level of expertise, knowledge and experience, it’s extra challenging to convert lead into sales and to sustain current customers as loyal ones. Moreover, online authority gives you an edge over your competitors, ultimately considering you as the thought leader in your industry.
Tips to Build Online Authority
Now that we’ve talked about the importance of having online authority, it’s time we help you make it happen. Here’s how you can win over your customers’ trust and take your business further.
- Build an active and engaged following
Most brands obsess about gathering as many social media followers as they can that they focus more on quantity over quality. The fact is it’s better to have a smaller following that are deeply engaged with your business rather than a generic massive one. That’s why it’s equally important to not only lead them to your direction but also, find ways for them to stay there.
- Create and share relevant content
Content remains king for plenty of reasons. It’s what keeps your audience engaged, informed and interested. Furthermore, content allows you to interact with other businesses and brands that can be instrumental to your future success. So make sure you come up with content that’s relevant and links back to the best sources in the industry. If you’re an online marketer, linking with HubSpot is a good place to start. Moreover, make it superior content so your market will always be more than happy to share it with his or her own network. Make this a habit and it won’t be long until people will see you as an authority in the industry.
- Cultivate relationships with key sources
It’s not just about linking with other thought leaders online through your blog and posts. It’s also about cultivating that relationship in other ways such as social media, collaborative efforts, partnering on events and so forth. Remember, being an online authority goes beyond the Internet. Develop real-life and strong relationships too so you can strengthen all aspects of your business.
- Participate in industry discussions
Remember that being an online authority in your industry isn’t just about winning over more customers to buy your products and services. It’s also about sharing your knowledge to others and helping those in need. For example, there are plenty of industry discussions you can join in Slack. Share what you know and you’ll have countless people subscribing to you in no time. Just make sure you know what you’re getting into. You’re not just someone vying for free exposure and more likes.
- Earn media references
It’s one thing to win over your customers. It’s another to win over journalists. After all, the media has power to make just about anyone famous, for all the right or wrong reasons. Get in touch with them and build a strong relationship. Platforms like Help a Reporter Out (HARO), ProfNet and MediaSpot can help you get started.
