How does content marketing build trust?

If you’re left scratching your head whenever you hear ‘content marketing’, don’t worry. We’re here to soothe that itch and tell you how this clever bit of digital marketing actually helps your brand and business build trust. And we all know that trust is key to any successful top-of-the-funnel marketing strategy. 

What is content marketing all about?

If you’ve heard of content marketing before, but are a bit skeptical about how and if it works, then allow us to open your eyes. 

It’s more than words on a blog, a fancy picture on social media or pulling together a content calendar. This isn’t about filling up your website’s blog for the sake of it. Content marketing forms part of a well-strategised digital marketing plan to get those conversions across the finish line. It may not produce immediate results like PPC, but it’s full of campaigns that can improve your rankings, SEO, backlink profile, brand visibility in highly targeted publications, chances of sales, and of course, your brand’s trustworthiness. 

But how? Have a little scroll.

A portal to your expertise and authority

Whether you’ve been in your industry a long time, or are starting out, you’ll have something to offer: your insight and expertise. People are longing for content that gives them something to really take away with them and apply, from fun pieces to serious guides. 

You don’t want to be just another business looking to cash in, and when pretty much all your competitors are delivering powerful content, you really need to step up.

Giving back and adding value

Content marketing is also a great way to give back, in the form of valuable content. 

Maybe you’ve invested in more sustainable methods, partnered with amazing brands or have given your employees hangover days (we love to give back!), people want to know and this can help drive incredible traffic and links back to your website. 

Or, again, you could create the best guide going on a topic related to your field.

Get on journalists’ radars

When you’re producing great content, your chances of getting it noticed and shared is far greater than your run-of-the-mill stuff. But, this isn’t as straightforward as it seems. 

You might create an impressive piece, the design is top-notch, but do journalists or your target publications care? Data and new insight is highly shareable. If you can provide a different spin on things, or even better – new data, then journos are more likely to pick it up. You just need to make it easy for them to digest. Remember, they need to know why their readers will care and want to click.

Once you’ve achieved that link back, you can build up from there and get on other journalists’ radars if they know your work has been linked to before. This helps you build rapport and a good relationship going forward to get even more links. And more links means improved SEO, more brand awareness and potential sales.

Getting mentioned in high-quality publications isn’t just good for your SEO; when readers see your brand mentioned in engaging stories, they immediately show more trust in you, especially if the topic is incredibly insightful and important. You’re building trust for both Google and readers.

Climb the rankings

As mentioned, content marketing works hand-in-hand with SEO. And when it works, your insights can reach page one on Google. Really? Yep, it really can (we do it for clients all the time.) We won’t sugar coat though, it is hard – in fact it’s very competitive – but honestly, it can happen, you just need those strategies in place: content marketing being one. 

And, when your face lights up from seeing your content climb the rankings, guess what that means? You show trustworthiness, look more reputable, and show up for your target audiences.

Quality content

Now, we’re sure you’re familiar with the saying quality over quantity, but with content marketing, it’s a good balance of both. Quality content is paramount to capture your audience’s engagement, keep them on the page, and get them to click that ‘contact’ button, but you also need to be on Google’s and people’s radars.

That means knowing what you’re talking about, having a good structure, creating professional infographics or visuals, and being able to sell without selling. Your audience isn’t stupid they know there’s a reason behind the content, but if the piece is actually valuable, sharable and too good to bounce from, then that’s the ticket.

Less salesy, more helpful

As we said though, you’ve got to sell without selling. Don’t go for the hard sell or tenuous links. Get your service or products in only if it supports the piece, not a random line thrown in there, and don’t scare off readers by being too salesy. You’ve got to show value and build that trust, so by the end of the scroll, or by reading a few pieces of content over time, your audience will be coming to you when they’re ready and convinced. It may even happen from one piece of content or a year down the line. 

Link to good sources

Another way to build trust is by using good links – whether internal or external. Internal linking to other relatable posts can help your brand and show the reader how authoritative you are, especially if you’ve been writing more around the topic. But, linking to external sources is also important, both for SEO and building trust. 

Sometimes a good source may come from a website or business that’s in the same industry, but if it helps the piece and you show support, a reader will trust you more. You’ve just got to weigh things out. It’s not a case of just linking to another brand with similar products to what you have and saying “Check these too!”, it might be a key statistic from a story that you can’t find anywhere else other than the blog of a business similar to you. 

Government sites, charities, medical journals and high-quality publications are all good sources to link to in your content for showing you’ve done your research, can back up your content and to help your SEO.

We hope you’ve been content with this content. Have some insight to share? Comment below, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us for any questions, or head to our blog for even more valuable content!

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