8 Techniques to Boost Brand Authority with Content Marketing

Because of this, you need to curate a proper content strategy and ensure that you tick the right boxes in production to meet authoritative requirements.

However, don’t jump into this just yet. Make sure you know where you currently stand. Consider whether you’ve been getting increasing volumes of attention and from where it’s coming. Once you’re aware of this, you can take the next steps.

8 way to supercharge your brand authority

Here are some ways that the right content marketing strategies can help you improve your leadership position.

1. Cover your niche extensively

Most businesses will focus on specific areas, and your content should be the same way. While it can be tempting to cast as wide a net as possible, building relevant content in-depth will do more to showcase your expertise.

The impression you want to pass to customers is that you’re the best in your field. Doing so isn’t just for human consumption, but search engines like Google will also recognize your expertise based on the detail in which you cover your topics.

To do this, you have to understand the level of detail that topics cover. Generic topics like “What is Antivirus” are useful in a broad sense. However, real detail means providing hard-to-find information and simplifying it for a mass audience.

2. Pay attention to content quality

Whether you build content in-house or outsource, writers come with different skillsets and produce varying quality. If you’re serious about building brand authority through content, you need to focus more on the quality you’re putting out.

Building good content isn’t just about solid language skills - that’s something that you can adjust through the use of a good grammar checker. There are many other considerations when it comes to content quality, including;

• Understanding buyer intent
• Adequate topic research
• Embedding the right keywords

If you’re unsure about what makes good content, there are many guides available that can showcase the essentials of solid content quality.

3. Listen to what people are saying

Businesses often have a clear target market, and this data goes into sales and marketing efforts. You can use that same data as part of your content strategy. By knowing your target audience, you can choose to target your content more incisively.

Put your finger on the pulse of the community and deliver what it needs, rather than just what you want to share. You can even create content based on community events and turn it into something with a ready-made audience.

4. Answer questions comprehensively

Comprehensive content demonstrates authority, and search engines recognize it with positions of dominance in ranking.

Many times, content has left readers with more questions in mind after having read it. This situation isn’t ideal. To adequately demonstrate authority, you need to be the one that provides answers. If not, they’ll seek them elsewhere instead.

Content published on your site has the potential to convert readers into customers. They need to be able to read your content and acknowledge your leadership position in the field. Again, search engines can assess how well you address questions in topics, which contributes to how well your content ranks.

5. Build content worth sharing

A picture paints a thousand words, and where humans are concerned, that’s a point to leverage. While people may pass on excessive text, a single impactful image or infographic is something they will readily share.

The use of infographics as a means to generate leads is also an excellent reason to build them. These, combined with the right content, can be a formidable combination of authority and attractiveness for sales.

6. Leverage on partnerships

Mark Weins is a popular YouTuber who sometimes promotes VPN services since he travels frequently.

Websites need to be associated with others - it’s simply another way that search engines tell how good you are. Just as birds of a feather flock together, the assumption is that authoritative websites are associated with the like.

Because of this, it’s a good idea to work on partnerships with strong associates, be they influencers or other successful websites. You can easily gauge how well a website is doing by observing the volume of conversation about them or simply using a tool (like Ahrefs) that helps gauge authoritativeness.

Working with influencers can also help propel your brand forward. They generally have a ready group of followers who are willing to hear them out. If these influencers are willing to work with you, it can be a quick way to generate recognition.

Be aware that you should choose to work with influences that have a suitable following for your brand and that this isn’t a great long-term strategy.

7. Demonstrate proof of expertise

Showcasing expertise involves more than just saying stuff - you need to prove it as well. While one way of doing this is by using recognized research, that doesn’t go as far as producing your data - for example, by publishing a case study.

This case study can then be used as a core concept for other content and give rise to the possibility that the information contained will be cited by others.

One excellent example of this means for leadership demonstration is SAP. The company is a solutions provider with a global reach. It showcases a good number of customer success stories, offering proof that their solutions work.

8. Use the right mix of elements

While long-form content is excellent to give in-depth coverage, it can also be boring to read. Nothing shouts monotony louder than chunks of text and more text. When building your content, always ensure to break it up with the correct elements.

For example:

• Make use of bullet points where appropriate
• Insert a relevant graphic
• Highlight actionable steps
• Structure content with appropriate headers

For longer pieces of content, consider adding new dimensions such as embedding a video summary of the topic at the top of the page. You don’t have to follow a fixed structure; just remember to mix things up a bit to build interest or even interactivity into the flow.

Conclusion

Content marketing comes in many ways and forms, but you have to understand that you need to give people a reason to buy. Running long articles that expound on features simply isn’t going to cut it.

Authoritativeness is something that must go into every nook and cranny of your content marketing efforts. From the topics you cover to the exact words used, you have to exude confidence - and be able to prove what you say.