The journey to becoming an authoritative brand is not easy. It entails a lot of knowledge, skills, effort, and commitment; but the tremendous benefits one can gain make all the effort worth it.

In this article, you’ll learn the meaning and importance of brand authority as well as how you can boost your brand authority using content.

What Does Brand Authority Mean?

Brand authority equates to a brand’s trustworthiness and expertise in their industry. In other words, it signifies the trust earned by a brand from its consumers and which is also recognized by their competitors.

Why Is It Important?

Customers perceive a brand with high authority as legitimate and the most trusted source among its competitors. In effect, this amplifies sales and revenue. Plus, it strengthens connections with other authoritative brands.

Does Content Help Improve the Authority of a Brand?

Content can definitely improve a brand’s authority. With the right content marketing strategy, a brand can make itself memorable to its customers. Achieving this state alone can make you unforgettable to your customers or prospective buyers.

You’ll gain the following advantages when you properly educate your audience about your products or services through content.

• Strengthen your relationship with your existing customers
• Attract industry influencers who will promote your brand
• Increase conversions and sales

Tips on How to Build Brand Authority With Your Content

There are several ways a brand can boost its authority through content. Remember these strategies as you build your own brand authority.

Show Expertise When Answering Audience’s Queries

Content marketing is not just about publishing informative content about your company and your products or services. Rather, it is about providing value to your audience. One way to add value to your content is by answering the questions of people interested in your industry.

Here’s a perfect illustration for this: Round Around Tire, a company that sells premium tires Stoney Creek, Canada, created a landing page entitled, “What Tire Is Right for Me?” to guide customers in choosing the best tire that fits their needs and budget.

The company did not only provide answers. They also showed that they know this industry well and can expertly recommend tires based on a client’s needs and budget.

How to Implement:

1. Find out what your target market is curious about.

• Ask your customer service representatives to submit all kinds of questions they get from customers.
• Do keyword research and list down all keywords that are relevant to your audience. Use tools like Ahrefs or Semrush.
• You can also use Google Search’s autocomplete or People also ask, or even Answer the Public, if you’re tight on budget.

1. Evaluate the existing content about the topic/question and see if you can do better.
2. Back up your content with facts and data from industry experts.

2. Showcase Online Reviews and Testimonials

Flaunting positive online reviews and testimonials is another strategy to improve your authority as a brand. It’s an effective way to confirm that you’re good at what you do with the help of other people, which in this case, are your customers.

Local SEO Search, Inc., a Toronto SEO company, has created a page that features testimonials from their clients. Take note, they’re not just featuring quotes or reviews in text format — they’re in video format!

Imagine what will happen if you have something like this on your website. Your authority will not only increase, but you’ll also earn more patrons.

How to Implement:

1. Go to your social media profiles and gather reviews that are featuring your products or services.
2. Alternatively, you can ask for reviews or quotes from your current clients.
3. Get the best ones and place them on your website, like on the homepage or a conversion page, where they can easily be seen.

3. Invest in Original Research or Reports

If you’re looking for an effective way to empower your brand authority, creating original reports based on new data, such as surveys, is another option. Use the data to unearth new insights.

With this strategy, you’re not only providing valuable content to your audience but also attracting media or influencers to make your content as a reference.

How to Implement:

1. Remember the questions you’ve gathered in the first tip? Go back to them and examine which ones can be answered by data.
2. Alternatively, you may conduct surveys or polls to further understand your audience. Use the results to reveal new insights about the topic.

4. Collaborate with Other Authoritative Brands

If you know where to look, you can find brands that will enhance your authority when you collaborate with them and vice versa. When you work together, you will be exposed to their audience and them with yours.

For instance, Lakeport Metalcraft Inc, a Toronto-based manufacturer for forklift rear post and forklift rear guard technology, called The Backbone®, has worked together with a major automotive manufacturer to promote safe work environments for reach trucks and stand up forklift operators.

Though they did not mention the brand for confidentiality purposes, you get the idea they’ve joined forces with a big name who petitioned Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration (OHSA) for a ruling so they can install a product that will protect their employees from injuries.

That act alone is a big move for both companies which can inspire others, making them unforgettable.

How to Implement:

1. Find brands that have a natural affinity with you in terms of values or objectives.
2. Brainstorm how you can join forces to offer something of value to both of your audiences.

5. Tap Into Your In-House Subject Matter Experts

Every company has one or more subject matter experts (SMEs). This could be your CEO, Founder, team leader, or regular employee who has the knowledge and expertise about their current roles in your company.

However, not all SMEs are confident in sharing their knowledge and expertise in front of a crowd or on screen. Thus, you need to approach them differently. Give them options on how to impart their knowledge in ways that are useful to your audience.

How to Implement:

1. For experts who are confident on-screen: They may have done some vlogs about the subject matter before and may already have an established authority at some point. You can encourage them to create more videos about certain topics that are specific to your industry.
2. For experts who have no experience sharing anything with the public, you can encourage them to do podcasts, write blogs, design infographics, or create data-driven research or case studies.

When you regularly create informational and helpful content for your audience, you’re not only giving them reasons to remember you; you’re also increasing the likelihood for them to trust your brand.

Likewise, search engines like Google will recognize your authority once you’ve gained backlinks through your well-researched content — as your backlink profile also reflects your expertise and trustworthiness in your industry. In return, it will reward you by placing your content in SERPs.