Establish Your Brand Authority in 5 Simple Steps: A Practical Guide
Last update: 11 May 2023 at 11:23 am
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 profit, it will 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; it all comes down to trust.
People now turn to those they trust the most, not only with people but with businesses. 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’ reflects power over something and the ability to do something others cannot. In 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 your competition. It’s what makes you unique.
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. Of course, it’s a little more complex than that, but this is the main idea behind the concept.
Let’s look at a brand that’s killing it in brand authority. Netflix.
The world’s most popular video streaming platform 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, or access to someone else’s without knowing the password or knowing what Netflix is. What makes this multi-billion-dollar business stand out is 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, price increases seem to be a little more frequent than before…), follow trends, and make user experiences as personal as possible to connect with clients. They offer offline material, accessibility on almost all devices, and content for all ages.
The list goes on, but let’s focus things back on you.
Why is brand authority important?
Brand authority is the most probable reason for the disparity between you and your competition. The concurrent company has created a larger audience via trust and is persuading others that they are the best in their field.
You should invest as much time as possible in brand authority to maximize profits.
Take a look at the leading company amongst your competition. If they are doing things right, they are probably making a higher profit than your company annually.
If you want to surpass them, try following these steps.
How can businesses build brand authority?
Here are some tactics to build your brand’s authority. Hopefully, these five steps were useful to you. Still, if you need additional help or may not have the time, our digital marketing agencies in Australia 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?
To be an authority, you need to find a specific niche you can target, provide and compete in. If any of your responses to these questions are one-worded answers, think more specifically. 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’s 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.
Research if you struggle to find your competition or differentiate yourself from them. The Google search bar is a great place to start. The autocomplete option can show you what people usually search 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. It may be time for a change if you already have a website. 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 your customers can return to or use as a reference. For example, Amazon relies heavily on trends to push sales. Their home page is not unique to every account holder, but they also push products that could interest customers based on current trends.
Amazon’s homepage reflects the continued trend of transitioning from lockdown living. With economic conditions shifting, many opt for at-home workouts, making “Get fit at home” a popular choice over gym memberships.
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.
Look at ‘Google’s Most Asked’ and answer some questions about 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 building 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 contact 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. Advertise your products on 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 daily, weekly, and monthly. Trends nowadays don’t last as long as they used to. To keep your brand’s authority, you must keep up with your customer’s demands so they continue to trust you as a viable source.
How long does it take to build brand authority?
Building brand authority is a long-term process and can take several months or even years to establish. It requires consistent effort and a commitment to delivering on your promises.
Consistency
One of the key factors in building brand authority is consistency. This means consistently delivering high-quality products or services, consistently communicating with your target audience, and consistently maintaining your brand image across all touchpoints.
Consistency builds trust and credibility, which are critical components of brand authority.
Promise
Another important factor is delivering on your promises. Your brand should be associated with reliability and dependability, which can only be achieved by fulfilling your customer commitments.
When you consistently deliver on your promises, you build a reputation for being a trustworthy brand, which further enhances your brand authority.
How can businesses measure their brand authority?
Brand authority can be measured through various metrics, including customer loyalty, engagement rates, website traffic, and social media following.
However, it’s important to note that brand authority is not solely based on quantitative metrics and also involves qualitative factors such as reputation and perception.
Conclusion
To beat the competition, you must prove to your target audience why you are their number one source. Prove that your products and services are trustworthy and have something unique to offer.
Ultimately, building brand authority requires a combination of trust, differentiation, and consistent delivery of high-quality products and services. By focusing on these key areas, businesses can establish themselves as the go-to source for their target audience and stay ahead of the competition.
