Let’s take a minute to think about something as simple as buying a new toothbrush. When you pull up Amazon, there are over 2,000 purchase options, which is overwhelming to say the least. Beyond the basic differences such as adult versus kid or manual versus electric, there are countless brand options to choose from. As a consumer, you are going to want to pick the most reliable, trustworthy brand to entrust with your oral health.

Now let’s flip to the brand side. All of these brands believe in their products and take pride in offering high-quality toothbrushes.

So how do brands stand out as a brand authority?

This is where the concept of brand authority comes into play. Yokel Local Internet Marketing defines brand authority as “the trust a brand has earned among customers and the degree to which they see your brand as a subject matter expert.”

Yokel Local further says a strong brand can help you “retain a loyal customer base who seeks you out before turning to your competitors” and “attract the influencers within your industry, who can then use their authority to promote your brand.”

So how do you actually achieve brand authority? Here are some proven ways to do so, including creating original, compelling content, being active on social media, and perfecting your brand’s visual appearance.

1. Create Original, Informative Contents
What better way to establish your “brand as a subject matter expert” than to share your expertise on the subject matter? Content marketing not only is a powerful tool to demonstrate your knowledge, but it also is a great way to bring in new business. In fact, Demand Metric found that content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing endeavors yet generates 3x more leads.

There are many forms of content marketing, including blogging, creating videos, and even doing a podcast. For the purposes of industry authority, the key is more what you are sharing than how. Here are some ideas to get you started.

2. Answer Your Customers’ Frequently Asked Questions
Thinking back to the toothbrush example, you could create content on “what kind of toothbrush to get,” “what is the difference between a manual and electric toothbrush,” or “what to look for in a toothbrush for kids.” A great way to get ideas about customer questions is to talk to your sales team, or whoever interacts with your customers, to gain more insight.

3. Look at Your Competitors’ Content
If your competitors already have solid content, look to them for inspiration. However, do not merely re-create their content. Create it better, with deeper information or from a new angle.

4. Be a Journalist
Don’t just share your own knowledge and advice. Interview other industry experts and share their knowledge. A good example of this strategy is the “Top 25 Investment Strategies for Small Business Owners” by Fit Small Business. Rather than share their own knowledge of investment strategies, Fit Small Business interviews 25 small business experts.

5. Generate Case Studies and Share Reviews
No one can qualify you as an expert more than your existing customers who have worked with you and seen success. Use customer data to create case studies and share publicly what your customers have to say about you.

6. Contribute Guest Posts
Writing for your own website or blog is one thing, yet contributing to other publications really establishes you as an industry thought leader. It also helps create awareness about your brand and build traffic to your website.

7. Be Active on Social Media
There are over 3.2 billion people worldwide on social media. Take advantage of social platforms by reaching their users. Do not just create content. Build your authority by sharing what you have created.

Keep in mind, each social platform has a different purpose and posting etiquette:
• Facebook: Post 2-3 times weekly, share news, curated content, and videos
• Twitter: Post daily or more, share news, blogs, and infographics
• Instagram: Post daily, share visual elements such as photos or quotes
• LinkedIn: Post 2-3 times weekly, share job openings, company news, and professional content
• YouTube: Post once weekly, share videos such as how-tos and other tutorials

Social platforms also provide opportunities to engage with your audience as well as other industry leaders.

If you’re not already on social media, do not rush to create accounts everywhere. Start with the channels that play to your strengths. For example, if you mostly have professional news, get started on LinkedIn, and if you mostly have videos, get started on YouTube, and so on.

On any of the platforms, you can build industry authority, generate leads, form connections, and participate in conversations surrounding your space.

8. Make Sure You Have a Strong, Visual Brand
Strong design matters. Even if you have the best toothbrush, if the packaging and visual appearance do not match the quality of the brand, you will not be an industry authority. Additionally, all visual elements have to be consistent across all mediums to be seen as authoritative.

Think about it this way. Imagine if McDonalds did a billboard with a purple M, and a lime green background. Would that even register in your head as a McDonalds ad?

McDonalds is an expert at branding and has worked hard to be universally identifiable. Follow their lead and make sure your logos, typography, messaging and colors are cohesive throughout all materials. This will make you recognizable and help you to create a strong first impression and convey to customers that you care.

Ready to Elevate Your Brand?
If you need help building a cohesive brand and are ready to fully maximize your marketing potential with strong branding and design, Evoke Idea Group is ready to help. We are a creative partner for marketing teams and help brands across all industries tell strong stories through smart design. For more than three decades, we’ve helped some of the world’s most trusted brands captivate and convert customers through impactful print and digital projects. Our experience allows us to hit the ground running on any size project. Find out what we can do for you in a complimentary consultation. Schedule yours today by email at hello@evokeideagroup.com or give us a call at (630) 639-8985.

About Evoke Idea Group

Evoke Idea Group is a Tucson, Arizona-based creative agency and marketing partner helping businesses nationwide solve marketing, branding, and communications challenges. For 30 years, we’ve helped businesses build stronger brands and connect with their audiences through strategic marketing, brand strategy, logo and identity design, graphic design, advertising, advertising campaigns, marketing campaigns, digital marketing, social media, video and motion graphics, packaging, print and sales materials, presentation design, trade show displays, infographics, and other creative services.

We work with businesses and marketing teams that need an experienced creative partner to turn ideas and strategies into effective marketing. We develop the creative concepts, produce the deliverables, and execute the materials needed to bring campaigns and communications to life. From a single creative project to a comprehensive marketing or advertising campaign, we help businesses move from strategy and concept through creative development and execution.