Building Brand Authority
Brand authority is defined as the trust that a customer has got towards a particular brand. An active online presence and capturing unique content are some of the factors that heavily contribute to the influence of brand authority. LinkedIn reports that over 54% of consumers do not trust brands. It is further reported that a big majority of this distrust roots from not delivering on the consumer’s expectations to broken promises. As trust is essential in any kind of relationship, brand authority plays an essential role in a brand’s market share and interactions with both existing and potential customers. This article will walk you through 5 ways you can build brand authority.
- Create On-Site Content
This is content on your website that ranges from About Us page, Contact pages, FAQs, guides, blog posts, to even how-to-pages. On-site content helps keep visitors on your website engaged and interested in what you have got to offer. It also shows a consumer the level of expertise they possess. This is especially true when it comes to how-to content featuring on your website. On-site content is also a great way for your brand to rank well in search engines. Content that has been written with specific keywords or terms will increase your percentage of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) on search engines. This will help you not only reach your target audience but retain them on your website, which is the ‘sweet double win’ of relevant content. To keep your visitors engaged and coming back, regularly update your website with valuable information and watch your brand authority increase.
- Regularly Update Social Media Profiles
It is without a doubt that social media plays a HUGE role in brand authority. Worldwide, it is reported that social media had well over 3.78 billion users in 2020. In the year 2017, social media users were estimated to be about 920 million. The most popular social media platforms are Instagram, Youtube, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Whichever social media platform(s) your brand has a profile on, it must be regularly updated with information about your brand. For example, if your business opened up a store in 2012, but you moved to a different location in 2014, you must update the store’s location on your profile. A potential customer may want to buy your product/service and decide to visit your store. They will be highly disappointed if they go to your store’s old location and find you had moved years ago! A minor detail like this makes the customer lose trust in your brand no matter how good your products/services are.
In addition to having an updated social media account, it is equally important to make sure you are actively posting. A stagnant social media profile might make a customer think that your brand no longer exists. An active social media profile will always have an opportunity to interact and engage with potential as well as existing customers. This will further lead to brand awareness which will slowly build your brands authority. Consumers also prefer a brand that they can interact with so make your content engaging with polls, quizzes, competitions and more. This engagement is part of customer experience and the more the better.
- Showcase Achievements and Awards
A consumer will often be more convinced of your professionalism and expertise when they see acknowledgments of the same. A research study conducted by Hendricks & Singhal from the University of Western Ontario and the Georgia Institute revealed that brands that won some form of award or even nomination experienced a 37% growth in sales. These brands also reported a 44% higher stock price when compared to their competitors. Awards are important especially if you are a small business just starting. Awards like The Score Awards, Best In Biz Awards as well as Thrillist Awards could add weight to your brand’s awareness and credibility. Moreover, being featured on the blogs/websites of the host’s awards will often expose you to a new audience filled with potential customers.
- Host Events
This is usually a great way to physically interact with both potential and existing customers. It is a great opportunity to make your brand shine as well as prove just how sophisticated your products/services are. Events are a creative way to launch new products/services. By offering testers/ samples to guests at the event, it helps in creating excitement for the newly launched product/services. When satisfied customers begin recommending the product to their friends/family, the hype about the brand mounts as the word about your new product/service spreads.
In conclusion, just like trust, brand authority is an attribute that is earned and not self-implemented. Build this with consistently being reliable and credible enough to spark the flame of both the confidence and trust in your consumers. Brand authority is all about recognition through positive reviews/testimonials, referrals as well as awards and achievements from highly profiled platforms. Finally, keep your consumers interest up with engaging on-site content on both website and social media profiles and hosting events.
