5 Easy Steps to Build Brand Authority
Last update: 27 September 2023 at 03:58 pm
5.00/5With just over 1 billion websites on the internet, it is very easy for yours to become one of the many. With this number continuing to grow by the second (literally), so does competition. If your website is looking to make any kind of profit, it’s going to need to stand out amongst the crowd, and what better way to do it than by taking control of your ‘Brand Authority’.
Yes, it’s possible to be completely in charge of how much you shine within your expertise amongst the crowd and it all comes down to trust. People now turn to those they trust the most, not only with people but with businesses as well. An increase in trust increases authority, which in turn increases profit. The perfect business equation. Let’s see how you can make the solution work for you.
What is brand authority?
“If you are saying the same thing as everyone else, then why would and why should anyone think you are different from anyone else” – Loren Weisman, Brand messaging strategist
The word ‘authority’ in itself reflects power over something else and the ability to do something that others cannot. In terms of business, brand authority is the mere idea that you are the best at what you do and audiences will turn to you first for anything related to your products and services rather than to your competition. It’s what makes you unique. At its core, brand authority is built on how you portray your brand to others and how well you execute what you advertise by implementing the “right mix of digital marketing and brand building strategies.“ If you can deliver on both these things, your brand authority will naturally rise. Now, of course, it’s a little more complex than that, but this is the main idea behind the concept.
Let’s have a look at a brand that’s killing it in brand authority. Netflix.
The most popular video streaming platform in the world is not ‘the most popular video streaming platform in the world’ for no reason. Almost everyone has a Netflix account, or the password to someone else’s Netflix account, or access to someone else’s Netflix account without knowing the password, or knows what Netflix is. What makes this multi-billion-dollar business stand out amongst the competition: what it has to offer.
Netflix’s library of movies and series, quality of content, and originality of self-produced media are immeasurable compared to its competition. They keep It affordable (although recently, increases in prices seem to be a little more frequent than before…), follow trends, and make user experiences as personal as possible to connect with its clients. They offer offline material, accessibility on almost all devices, and have content for all ages. The list goes on, but let’s focus things back on you.
Why is brand authority important?
If you are looking to maximize your profits, you should invest as much time as possible in brand authority.
Take a look at the leading company amongst your competition. If they are doing things right, they are most probably making a higher profit than your company on an annual basis. If you are selling the same products and services, this means that you have the potential to be making the same amount of profit, or more, per year. The most probable reason for the current disparity between you and your competition is brand authority. The concurrent company has created a larger audience via trust and is persuading others that they are the best in their field.
If you want to surpass them, try following these steps.
DIY Brand Authority
Here are some tactics to building your brand’s authority. Hopefully, these five steps were of use to you, but if you feel like you need some additional help or maybe you do not have the time, our digital marketing agencies in the UK or other countries are ready to help.
1. Who, what, and why?
Before taking care of your website or expecting an increase in revenue, go back to the drawing board and answer these three questions:
– Who is my audience?
– What is my brand selling?
– Why is my brand selling these products and services?
Once you have answered these three questions, ask yourself one more: are they specific enough?
In order for you to have a chance at being an authority, you need to find a very specific niche you can target, provide and compete in. If any of your responses to these questions are one-worded answers, think more specific. If they are only two words, think further.
Take a look at this example.
Imagine a clothing company trying to raise its brand authority. This would be an ideal way to answer the previous three questions:
– Who is my audience? Professional, men and women mountaineers
– What is my brand selling? Men and women’s clothing and accessories for warm and cold professional mountaineering activities
– Why is my brand selling these products and services? Provide professional mountaineers with a more targeted attire for their activities
Look at the difference in competition (search results) in Google between someone selling themselves as a ‘clothing’ brand rather than a ‘clothing for professional mountaineering sports’ brand.
If you are struggling to find your competition or differentiate yourself from them, do some research. The Google search bar is a great place to start. The autocomplete option can show you what people are usually searching for and how specific you may need to sell yourself. Brand positioning is also an important factor in building brand authority.
2. Content creation
Once you have a clear idea of who your brand is, its target audience, and why it is in business, you can start thinking about your content. If you already have a website, it may be time for a change. If you are just getting started, the world is your oyster. In either case, whether you are revamping old material or creating a new one, your content should be unique, original, helpful, and presented in an engaging manner. It can even be fun!
Create content that gets people involved. Find challenges, trends, and deals that your customers can come back to or use as a reference. For example, Amazon relies heavily on trends to push sales. Their home page is not only unique to every account holder, but they also push products that could interest customers based on current trends. If we look at what the Amazon home page looks like in March 2021, you can see that the common trend is still (unfortunately) life in lockdown. We are watching more TV than ever, so why not get the “Ideal TV”. Gyms are still closed and summer is just around the corner so why not “Get fit at home”?
Another way of attracting visitors to your site with your content is by answering their questions. Audiences will be drawn to your products if you solve their problems. Take a look at ‘Google’s Most Asked’ and answer some of the questions related to your products and services. If Google thinks that your answer is good enough, you’ll appear on their results page as a trustworthy source.
Top tip: Build a strong SEO strategy for all your content to rank highly on search engine results pages. Read our article on how to build the best SEO strategy or look at some of our agencies who are ready to help.
3. Get people talking
If your content is original enough, people will start talking about it, and hopefully, you will be recognized by other authoritative brands that can get the word out. Ideally, a few journalists will stumble upon your brand and find it interesting enough to write a piece on. If you do not notice this happening, go to the writers yourself. Involve someone from your PR department to reach out and interest people in writing about your brand.
The more people talk about you, the bigger your reputation will be and with a bigger reputation comes trust.
4. Promote your brand
Sell your brand on every platform possible. Google is no longer the only resource for people to find products and services anymore. Advertise your products on various social media platforms and don’t forget about Pinterest!
5. Keep it current
Once you have gotten your brand off the ground, it’s not time to sit back and relax. You’re only just getting started! Make sure to update your material on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Trends nowadays don’t last as long as they used to. To keep your brand’s authority, you will have to keep up with your customer’s demands so that they continue to trust you as a viable source.
Conclusion
To beat out the competition, you need to prove to your target audience why you are their number one source. Prove that your products and services are trustworthy in your field and that you have something unique to offer.
