Standing out against your competitors is not an easy battle. You need to demonstrate that your products and services are head and shoulders above any other available option.
Luckily, there are numerous ways to differentiate your brand, one of which is through your content.
The articles you publish on your website are a direct reflection of what you can offer to potential buyers.
Knowing this, your content marketing strategy needs to be tailored to your specific demographic and distributed via their preferred channels.
This ensures your brand is front and center in times of need and when they’re scrolling for fun on social media. Below, three ways your content can help you get a leg up on your competitors.
Article Contents
1. Establishes Your Brand As An Authority
Brands that establish themselves as an authority become the go-to brands in the marketplace. They are seen as the industry leaders, driving innovation and influence.
Establishing your brand as authority isn’t going to happen overnight. You first have to demonstrate your presence by proving that you are reputable and trustworthy.
One way to establish trust is through creating valuable, educational content.
Through your content, you are able to inform your readers and provide them with information that they need. To do this, you must first come up with a content marketing strategy.
Writing on topics for the sake of covering them isn’t always the best strategy. Instead, look for keywords that you can dominate and that resonate with your brand.
For example, a Chicago yoga studio may find success in writing on indoor activities during the brutal midwestern winters.
When writing on keywords, you aren’t only establishing authority, but you may also be capitalizing on search terms that your competitors are missing.
Knowing what your competitors have yet to write on is one way to boost your SEO rankings.
By utilizing a competitive content analysis tool, you can exploit a competitors’ weakness by stepping up to fill any content gaps.
This tool will also show you how you’re stacking up against other similar brands as well as how to structure your content for the best results.
2. Generates Earned Media
Word of mouth is one of the most effective marketing tools. Following closely behind is earned media. Essentially, this type of coverage is unpaid publicity for your brands.
It occurs when a publication or industry leader references your company on their site. They may link to one of your blog posts as a source or mention your brand within their own content marketing.
There are numerous benefits to earned media. First, it’s a way for others to learn about your brand.
Earned media is a form of publicity since you aren’t outrightly paying for someone to name drop you. They are doing it from their own goodwill.
Second, it boosts your credibility because others are looking to you as the expert. Another brand is backing you, so if that brand is trusted by consumers then you are seen as a trusted resource too.
Earned media isn’t something you can necessarily track or predict. It starts, however, with producing strong content on a consistent basis.
Brands will likely only reference another brand’s content that is new and insightful. It needs to differentiate itself from other content, meaning it needs to answer a specific audience need or question.
By focusing on your differentiating factors as a brand, you are well on your way to generating more earned media from your content.
3. Increases Conversions
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, high-quality content tends to increase your conversion rate.
As readers find information on your website that is helpful, they will be more likely to make a purchase from your site.
By adding a direct call-to-action, you are leading readers down the sales funnel, going from interested perusers to purchasers.
Let’s say that you own a plant shop. Your blog content includes specific instructions on caring for different types of vegetation.
Through a quick Google search, individuals who are unsure of how to care for a particular type of plant end up on your site.
They have landed on your site through your niche keywords and they have continued to browse because you’ve answered their query.
You’re proving to be a valuable resource, so the next time they are looking to buy a plant they are more likely to purchase from you because you’ll come to mind.
This overly simple example shows the user journey and decision making process. When an individual finds favors with your brand, they are likely to return for consequent needs.
If conversions are a priority for you, focus on creating content that creates an urge for readers to take a specific action.
Takeaways
What you write about — and how you write it — can give you a leg up on your competitors.
Your content is a public display of your brand, highlighting what you want consumers and other industry experts to know about you.
When you create content that adds value and resonates with consumers, you are establishing your brand in the industry.
Avoid writing topics just to beat your competition, as this can come off as gimmicky. Be true to your brand, following your mission and overarching purpose.
Following this direction will allow you to speak directly to your target audience in a credible, authentic way.
