Having a great idea for a product or service is not enough to bring your business to the forefront. A good reputation is all the more essential because you can’t sell more if there’s a lack of trust. Building a successful business is all about creating a trustworthy image that appeals to the people who need your offers. Accomplishing that starts with investing time and effort in building your brand authority.

Brand Authority Defined

The world’s most successful brands come across as familiar and memorable to many. This is the definition of brand authority, which is essential to getting more people to buy your products and services.

More importantly, brand authority allows businesses to access more opportunities and networks outside their niche. If you have a business that wants to set up a presence in another industry or sector, boosting your brand authority will help increase your visibility to brands in that industry or sector.

With brand authority, you can forge partnerships with other brands, run promotional campaigns that excite your target market, and improve your application for additional financing. However, getting there isn’t so simple because it takes a massive investment in terms of time and money. The good news is that there are easy ways to get started on building your brand authority. 

Here’s how you can develop a strategy for enhancing the reputation and memorability of your business.

1. Invest in your social media presence

You would be missing out on numerous brand awareness opportunities if you’re the only brand in your niche that doesn’t have a social media marketing campaign. You won’t go far if you don’t use social media correctly to build your brand identity.

Aside from posting a diverse mix of visual content, you can also use your LinkedIn and Facebook profiles to connect with fellow business owners. On LinkedIn, you can sign up for a Premium account which lets you connect with potential leads and influencers in your industry. 

Facebook can also be an ideal platform for building brand authority. If you don’t have the budget to run social media ads, you can use the platform to post and share helpful content in your newsfeed or the groups you joined.

Videos are also a great way to let people know your business is legit. They are also essential in sharing insights and ideas that add credibility to your brand. With the right approaches coupled with an effective strategy, your brand could dominate social media and get more people to notice it.

2. Share your wisdom across platforms

Brand authority is best exercised by sparking conversations about the trends and disruptions in your industry. You have a lot to talk about, and so long as you have a compelling stand on these issues, you could join discussions that allow you to spread your influence. 

One way you can do that is to join forums in your industry. If you are a real estate professional, platforms like BiggerPockets are worth joining because they offer the online space you need to talk about your niche, whether you’re investing in multifamily properties or connecting investors with mortgage lenders. 

Another way you can share your expertise is by joining podcasts. Nearly every industry has podcasts focusing on specific issues and niches. If you want to be in your industry’s top podcast, consider connecting with influencers who have a presence on YouTube, iTunes, and Spotify. You can also start your own show. You just have to invest in the right equipment and publish your episodes across multiple streaming sites. 

3. Do original and thought-provoking research

Research work is what sets authoritative brands apart from generic ones. It takes a high level of experience and expertise to write case studies and industry reports that support decision-making in your sector. Pulling that off successfully can boost your reputation and position. People trust brands that do their research, so you should publish articles, blogs, and explainer videos.

Articles that include statistics and takeaways on the latest trends are bound to be used as reference materials by other organizations. In case you are dealing with healthcare institutions, talk about the latest technologies and approaches such as the use of telehealth and wearable devices for delivering remote care.

Blogs are also great sources of information for businesses that are doing their research for the content they’re developing. Avoid publishing generic how-to articles and, instead, opt for articles that talk about the direction the industry is going. With original research, your brand could stand as an authoritative voice that others can rely on!

4. Get expert help

Enhancing your brand authority should be an easy process for a small business. It gets more complicated if your business expands across different locations and industries. Lacking the infrastructure and expertise for managing your brand assets could spell trouble, so it’s important to build a team that manages all aspects of your brand identity.

In addition to a branding and marketing team, you also need a separate group for public relations and crisis management. If you can’t recruit locally, you can delegate these functions to a remote team, especially one that uses white label reputation management software to track reviews and ensure your brand image remains professional online and offline.

You just need to make sure the experts you hire have the right amount of experience in digital PR and branding to match your business’s needs. You need a team who can do more than just basic reputation management. Having someone who specializes in crisis communication can help maintain your brand authority even in the face of a major PR issue. 

Takeaway

Building your brand authority involves numerous complicated steps, but you can get around them by focusing on one thing: value. Educating, informing, and engaging your market can help you go places with the reputation you have. Use the tips above to start spreading wisdom online and build a business that everyone else looks up to.