How to Maximize Credibility for Your Brand’s Content Marketing Campaigns
No one wants to be known as one of the “shady brands” in their industry. Establishing yourself as a credible source of information in your industry will ultimately help boost customer loyalty and increase sales. So, how do you make people trust you more? How do you become a trustworthy brand everyone wants to work with?
In this article, we’ll explore the topic of increasing brand credibility by focusing on content marketing. We’ll share with you some great insider secrets on how to make your content stand out, how to make sure your online presence elicits trust, and how to leverage the power of social proof.
At the core of every content marketing strategy is creating high-quality, informative, and relevant content that addresses the needs and interests of your target audience. This will help establish your brand as a go-to source of information in your industry.
Below, we’ll also give you some real-life examples of brands that have nailed the credibility game and show you how to do the same.
So, whether you’re a small business owner who’s just starting out or a self-taught marketing professional, our tips will arm you with the tools and knowledge you need to start shaping your brand as a credible leader everyone in your industry wants to be associated with.
Highlight Your Editorial Expertise
One effective way to maximize credibility for your brand’s content is by highlighting your editorial expertise. This includes showcasing the qualifications and experience of your team members, as well as the research and sources that you use to craft your content.
To do this, you can start by:
You can also consider having a dedicated “About Us” page on your website that details the qualifications, experience, and background of your team members. It’s also great to feature any awards, certifications, or recognition your brand or team members have received.
By highlighting your editorial expertise, you demonstrate to your audience that your content is based on credible sources and is produced by experienced and qualified professionals, which ultimately helps establish trust and credibility with your audience.
Eachnight is an industry leader in providing mattress guides and bedding resources. Check out their guide on 8 Best Split King Adjustable Beds of 2023, where you’ll notice a “Fact Checked” button that opens up a popup describing their fact-checking process. Below the title, you can also notice that the article was medically reviewed by a professional whose titles are all listed.
Discuss Real Solutions to Actual Pain Points
Another effective way to maximize credibility using content is by discussing issues that your customers can relate to. This means identifying and addressing the specific problems and challenges that your target audience is facing and providing actionable solutions to those problems.
One way to do this is by conducting research on your target audience and identifying their common pain points. You can do this using surveys, questionnaires, focus groups, or by monitoring online forums or social media groups. Once you have a clear understanding of your audience’s pain points, you can create content that addresses those problems and provides solutions.
For example, if your target audience consists of small business owners and their common pain point is managing their finances, you could create content that provides tips and strategies for budgeting, increasing revenue, and managing expenses. This shows that you understand their specific problems and are providing valuable, relevant information that addresses their needs.
Another way to do this is by featuring case studies or success stories of real customers who have used your products or services to solve their pain points. This not only adds credibility to your brand but also helps establish trust and confidence in your brand’s ability to provide real solutions.
By providing actionable answers, you demonstrate that your brand is in tune with the needs and challenges of your target audience. It’s how you’ll show that you are committed to constant improvement so that you can always fulfill your customers’ requirements.
For example, Zendesk, a CRM and sales software service, regularly features customer success stories. All of their articles in this section explain in great detail how Zendesk tackles multiple pain points to benefit their customers.
Publish Dynamic Content
Dynamic content refers to regularly updating and publishing new and relevant content that keeps your audience engaged and informed. This helps establish your brand as a reliable and up-to-date source of information in your industry.
A great way to keep your content always fresh is by creating a content calendar that outlines the topics and themes that you will be covering, along with a schedule for publishing new content. This will ensure that you’re consistently providing time-sensitive information that addresses the needs and interests of your target audience.
Another way to create dynamic content is by leveraging different formats and media. This includes text-based content such as blog posts and articles, but also multimedia content such as videos, infographics, and podcasts. This helps keep your content fresh and engaging and also allows you to reach a wider audience.
You can also consider creating interactive content such as quizzes, polls, or surveys. This type of content not only helps engage your audience but also allows you to gather valuable information about your audience’s preferences and interests.
To go one step further and be on top of your dynamic content game, you can hire a web developer and create a website tool that gives visitors accurate information in real time. This is the best way to demonstrate that your brand is committed to providing valuable and relevant information that keeps your audience informed and engaged.
That’s how MarketBeat, an online outlet for stock market news and research tools, tackles this approach. They provide a multitude of free online tools to their visitors, such as their interactive Penny Stocks List for 2023 chart. This way, everyone that needs to access this type of data for their investment needs knows where to look.
Create Original Images
Using original images instead of stock photos or images from other sources will help you build your brand image as an established industry authority.
Original images are more authentic and relatable while aiding your efforts in creating a more personal connection with your audience. They can also help differentiate your brand from competitors and make your content more memorable.
You can create original images by taking photographs or videos of your products, services, or team members. Showcasing the real people and products behind your brand further helps nurture trust and credibility.
Additionally, creating infographics, illustrations, or graphics is great for breaking down complex ideas or data into bite-sized, easy-to-understand visuals. Your audience will reward you with more engagement if you make your content more accessible.
By creating original images, you demonstrate that your brand is committed to providing high-quality and professional content that is visually appealing and engaging. Hiring a graphic designer or a professional photographer may require a larger investment, but having high-quality images that resonate with your brand’s style adds an extra layer of credibility for your business.
UAG, a mobile cases and accessories supplier, features original images and videos of professionals using their products. It’s apparent that they were taken by a skilled photographer as they are captivating and present UAG’s products in a spectacular light.
Highlight the Number of Social Shares
Social shares refer to the number of times your content has been shared on social media platforms. By displaying the number of social shares, you can leverage the power of social proof and demonstrate that your content is not only popular but also genuinely valuable to others.
Make people aware of how popular your content is and how many people have found value in it. When they see that others are engaging and sharing the content, they are more likely to trust the information and take action on it.
Including social sharing buttons on your website or blog makes it easy for visitors to share your content on their own social media accounts. This helps increase the visibility of your content and encourages others to share your content as well.
Displaying the number of social shares prominently on your website or blog has its benefits as well. This could be in the form of a counter or a widget that displays the number of shares in real time.
We’ll take BaseLang, an online Spanish tutoring hub, as a successful example of this practice. All of their blog posts feature a social shares counter, letting visitors know how engaging a post is. Their How to Learn Spanish Fast in 2023 guide boosts a great deal of credibility for BaseLang, as everyone can see that people have shared the guide over 5,700 times.
Create New Knowledge
Start producing original research, insights, and data. As a researcher, you can demonstrate that your brand is committed to providing valuable and relevant information that goes beyond what is already available.
Creating new knowledge through your own efforts can give you the opportunity to be referenced in your industry and beyond. Your brand credibility will skyrocket when other brands share your content on their blogs and social media channels.At first, you can start conducting research through surveys and interviews, as well as analyzing your marketing and sales data. Then, depending on the scale of your findings, you can choose one of the following content formats to publish them:
An example of a business that leverages this approach is Wyzowl, a video production company that conducts an annual survey on how videos are used for marketing purposes. They publish their results in a praiseworthy Video Marketing Statistics report, thus positioning their brand as an industry “captain.”
Final Thoughts
There you have it, a comprehensive guide on how to maximize credibility for your brand using content marketing.
By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to establishing yourself as that one reliable brand that other brands and customers want to do business with.
But always keep in mind that building credibility is not a one-time thing. It’s a never ending process. Planning a long-term content marketing strategy is the best way to ensure your brand enjoys high credibility in the years to come.