Website traffic is undoubtedly one of the most important marketing metrics. The more unique visitors you attract to your website, the more business opportunities you’ll have. And content marketing plays an instrumental role in generating high-quality website traffic.
But, it would be a mistake to focus all your efforts on this pursuit of clicks and visits when content can do so much more for your brand.
Building authority and confidence with your potential customers, boosting awareness, and more effective nurturing are other equally important pieces of the content marketing puzzle that ultimately contribute to more conversions and revenue. A recent consumer survey corroborates this claim since more than 80% of participants said trust is a determining factor in their buying decisions.
In this article, we’ll explore different ways content marketing can help you establish brand credibility and build a loyal customer base.
1. Address Niche Pain Points
Effective content has to add value to your audience and resonate with them on a personal level. That’s the only way to position your brand as a go-to resource your potential customers will turn to when they need answers to their not-so-frequently-asked questions.
At the core of this approach is addressing very specific, that is, niche pain points your target audience faces. The first step is understanding and creating content that revolves around their unique needs and preferences.
So, how do you do that?
Keyword research is an essential part of the content creation process because traffic is one of the primary goals of content marketing. But if the topics you cover are motivated only by traffic, it’s easy to forget the ultimate goal of relevant content: addressing issues that are genuinely valuable to your readers.
To avoid this mistake and show you care about your potential customers, develop several buyer personas and identify what they struggle with in their daily lives. This way, you can pinpoint one or smaller subsets of your general audience to whom your content can cater.
Not only will producing niche content allow you to increase brand loyalty, but you’ll also tap into a specialized market segment with fewer competitors breathing down your neck.
Miro’s blog is a study of intelligent topic choices. The collaboration tool’s content marketing team members are experts at not identifying hyper-niche pain points and expanding them into remarkably helpful articles that appeal to a surprisingly large spectrum of their readership.
Take a look at this post that focuses on creating a good working environment for introverted employees. This isn’t a topic that many content teams would think to cover, yet it’s an issue that many employers face–how to accommodate the varying needs of a diverse workforce.
2. Showcase the Expertise Involved in Creating Your Content
With so much content being generated on a daily basis, it can be difficult to sift through all the information we encounter and distinguish between fact and fiction.
It’s no wonder 69% of people believe brands are increasingly spreading fake news or misinformation. This alarming stat shows how hard it is to earn the trust of your audience, so making sure they understand you go to great lengths to produce well-researched, high-quality content is a must.
So, being committed to creating insightful, educational content packed with an abundance of in-depth information presented in an easy-to-understand way won’t always suffice. People need a reason to trust you in the first place.
If you’re getting a qualified expert to write about a particular topic, let the readers know. Some brands even create a review board to ensure that facts are correct and the information doesn’t contradict industry standards.
For example, Eachnight’s guide on the best mattresses made in the USA leaves nothing to chance. Their readers are informed immediately that this piece was medically reviewed and fact-checked by a certified chiropractor.
Hovering over the “Fact checked” element even displays the medical reviewer’s details while clicking on the “fact-checked” element launches a popup that reveals the brand’s fact-checking policy.
Additionally, readers can also access the writer’s full bio by hovering over their credentials with the cursor. The same applies to the writer of this guide, who’s a “professional sleeper,” well-versed in this field.
Source: Eachnight
3. Post Frequently
It’s not enough only to produce exceptional content; posting frequency also matters for building trust and credibility.
A good rule of thumb is to post between two to four times a week, depending on the size of your blog. On the one hand, you want to publish as much content as possible. On the other, you don’t want to spread yourself too thin and sacrifice quality for the sake of quantity. The trick is to find the right balance between the two, and according to a recent research study, it’s 13 blog posts monthly.
A busy and active blog creates the feeling of a thriving business. When potential customers see that you publish new content every week, they conclude that you’re taking your online presence seriously. This will, in turn, be a sign that their order will be received, and you’ll be there for them in case of any delivery or product issues.
4. Don’t Force Your Audience to Read
73% of people say they would prefer to learn about a new product or service by watching a short video.
So, it’s safe to say that not all your customers are eager to read your blog posts, e-books, and other text-based content. And you have to accommodate their preferences too.
Including video in your content strategy can have multiple benefits. First of all, this format is significantly more engaging than text. Secondly, given that viewers retain 95% of a video’s message compared to only 10% when they’re reading text, it’s obvious which one is better for building brand awareness.
Apart from its attention-grabbing qualities, video is a great tool for demonstrating your expertise in a clear and concise manner—something that’s not always possible to achieve with written content. Where suitable, it’s a good idea to publish certain content pieces in video format, especially if you can involve the voices of relatable industry experts.
Plus, video is easy to consume and digest since it allows for a multi-sensory experience. This is the reason why people can watch it while commuting, jogging, or doing something else. By making an effort to create videos, you’ll show your audience that you value their time and that you don’t expect them to squeeze reading your lengthy blog posts into their busy schedules.
All the above factors will help your brand come across as more trustworthy and credible in the eyes of your audience.
MarketBeat’s homepage features an embedded YouTube video in which an expert specializing in the financial sector and stock market talks about buying opportunities. Visitors who land on their website are immediately presented with valuable content that packs a lot of information in a bite-sized and economical format.
Source: MarketBeat
If your brand or product doesn’t lend itself to video content or your target audience is more interested in a deeper dive, consider launching a podcast.
Given the format’s popularity and its suitability for consuming lengthy, massively detailed content, podcasts are ideal for a brand that wants to establish itself as a thought leader in a specific niche.
The “conversational” format also means that each episode can be an opportunity for your potential customers to get to know (and trust) the faces behind your brand.
It can also be used to “borrow” the credibility that some of your guests might bring to the table. Picking the brain of a successful, respected guest from a well-known brand is a great way to establish trust with the leads you’re nurturing.
This last approach is something that SaaS specialists Trust Shoring focused on when building their Product Stories podcast. Each episode has its own dedicated landing page, which proudly features the guest’s face and credentials.
Conversations are insightful and accessible and go a long way toward establishing the hosts as a brand that knows what it’s talking about.
5. Give Away Valuable Information
If you are worried that giving away valuable information is counterintuitive, don’t be. Although it may seem like sharing your trade secrets and losing a competitive edge, it’s actually a powerful way of showcasing your expertise.
When you explain a complex concept in detail, you establish yourself as an authority in the field. Having a strong command of the subject matter you’re talking about shows and helps get your audience to trust and perceive you as a credible source of information.
Additionally, generously sharing your knowledge indicates that you genuinely want to help your potential customers solve their pain points and succeed, which creates a sense of reciprocity and fosters more meaningful relationships with them. In a nutshell, being helpful can bring you more business opportunities than a more sales-y approach. So, don’t hesitate to demonstrate how much insight you have into your industry and share the information you use to drive your product.
In their comprehensive guide on how to find cheap flights, Going dissects the process they use themselves. This lowdown is super helpful and equips their readers with the tools and practices they need to do their research.
6. Showcase Your Product at Its Best
Making a great and memorable first impression is critical when it comes to branding and credibility.
It takes only about a fraction of a second for your visitors to form an opinion about your website and decide whether they will explore it further or return to the search results page. The way they perceive your website also affects their opinion of your entire brand. A poorly designed site with blurry, pixelated images sends a message that you don’t particularly care about your brand or your audience. It can erode your reputation in the eyes of your potential customers.
A study has found that 46.1% of participants evaluate a website’s credibility based on seemingly superficial aspects such as its visual appeal or design. Similarly, another source that analyzed how different factors influence visitors’ trust in health websites found that 94% of first impressions were design related, while only 6% of the feedback referred to the actual content.
Since a blog post will be the first time many potential customers encounter your brand, make sure that the visuals you use show your product in the best possible light. Mediocre images and video is a massive missed opportunity to generate trust in your product and show your audience what they will get. This especially applies if you’re running an online store and people can’t go to a physical location and check out the item they want to purchase in person.
Besides, customers might be skeptical and unwilling to share sensitive information (such as credit card numbers) if your site doesn’t instill trust.
GILI Sports understands the importance of high-quality visuals, and their blog post comparing a paddle board and kayak doesn’t disappoint in that department. The piece is supported by a number of professional-looking crisp photos of their products. The brand pays a lot of attention to detail, so readers can see what GILI paddle boards look like and how they’re used.
Source: GILI Sports
7. Feature Your (Real) Customers
Social proof is synonymous with building trust.
Brands in both B2B and B2C industries can greatly benefit from sharing what their happy customers say about their products or services. However, this approach works only if your social proof is authentic, meaning if it comes from your real customers. So, don’t even think about staging it.
Video customer testimonials and interviews go a long way toward convincing your audience that your brand is reputable and legit. Instead of tooting your own horn, it’s much more effective to give your existing customers the floor and let them talk about how your products or service made their lives easier. Hearing others with similar pain points and frustrations share their positive experiences with your brand can prompt fence-sitting prospects to take action and make a purchase.
Bay Alarm Medical takes advantage of this compelling tactic by sharing a number of video testimonials on their homepage. Existing customers vouch for the quality of the brand’s medical alarm systems and dispel any potential concerns or uncertainties about the effectiveness of these solutions.
B2B brands need to showcase the tangible value their product or service brings to customers and back these claims up with data. Case studies are a format that best serves this purpose since it allows you to tell a story of how your solution contributed to a particular customer’s success. Improved metrics speak volumes about what businesses with similar pain points can expect regarding outcomes. The fact that a customer agreed to participate and allowed you to share their success story serves as a seal of approval.
Hubspot leverages case studies to illustrate the impact their software has on their customers’ internal processes. Aside from comparing the before and after adoption numbers, the brand also explains how it helped customers solve particular pain points.
Source: Hubspot
8. Generate New, Proprietary Knowledge
We’ve already mentioned the importance of thought leadership for building trust with your audience. However, distinguishing your brand from the competition isn’t possible if you’re churning out the same ol’ run-of-the-mill content that only recycles what others have already said.
Instead, invest in trailblazing content that will push the boundaries and share new industry insights to show off your unique expertise.
To achieve this, you’ll have to conduct your own research or customer surveys and do what you can to generate new knowledge. Unearthing fresh data that no one else has covered and shared before will be proof of your competence. Such an approach has the added benefit of being extremely link-worthy, which will also boost your domain rating, and, in turn, brand awareness.
Apart from creating super useful how-to guides and other high-quality content about the video, Wyzowl also publishes annual statistics and industry reports about the state of video marketing. Their proprietary insights are frequently quoted by other sources, which proves the brand’s expertise.
In Conclusion
To build credibility and trust with your audience, your content has to add value to them, address their pain points, and demonstrate your expertise in the field. The tips we discussed will help you add extra zing to your content and take it from good to great. Bear in mind that building trust takes time and won’t happen overnight, meaning that the final ingredient you need is consistency.
At TechWyse Internet Marketing, we offer top-grade content marketing services that will put your business on other people’s radars and generate more traffic and conversions. We also specialize in many other services, including digital strategy, website design, SEO, paid media, and more. To get started, call (416)-410-7090 and book an appointment or contact us here.
Karl Kangur is a serial entrepreneur. He founded his first online business as a teenager and loves to deliver amazing results to his clients. He is also a competitive bodybuilder, against the warnings of his doctor.
