How to use content marketing to gain trust

Posted On 29 Mar, 2017 by Vishal V

Not long ago, there was a meme that went viral. It had a picture of a famous personality saying “The problem with quotes on the Internet is that it is hard to verify their authenticity.” However, the personality in the picture was Abraham Lincoln who was dead decades before the Internet or even the computer was invented. So obviously he couldn’t have said that.
It was funny but proved the whole point that you just can’t trust most of the information on the Internet. Trust is perhaps the only thing that is available in a very short supply on the Internet.

A content marketer has to work hard in order to gain the trust of his readers.

Here are a few things that would help you do just that:

1. Establish yourself as an authority: Experts were, are and would always stay in demand. If you establish yourself as an authority, it would bring you a fan following that would be steady and loyal. While it would take time, effort, study and a lot of content, but once you are established, it would be totally worth it.

2. Get an authority’s help: Till the time you are not established as an authority, it won’t hurt to take help from one. If an authority shares your content with his assumedly large fan following, it would not only earn you and your content validation, it would also reach to a much bigger audience. While that share would do wonders, imagine the authority contributing to your content, wouldn’t that be sweet? This won’t be easy and you would have to reach out to them personally. Don’t expect this to happen through an email. Schedule an appointment or at least a phone call.

3. Honesty is the best policy: Internet is full of rubbish. Don’t contribute to it. If you don’t know something, admit it. If you ever made a mistake, apologize and correct. And for God’s sake don’t use click baits, you would end up paying a much bigger price by losing trust.

4. Be personal: Sharing your personal stories would bring you out as a living breathing person who people would be able to relate to. “I invested $1000 in XYZ and earned 20% return” is much more appealing than “Investing in XYZ would bring you 20% return.”

5. Care for your audience: This cannot be emphasized enough. Interact with your audience. Have a dialogue with them. Talk to them like a friend not a salesman. And most of all, keep in mind their benefit. Honesty is indeed the best policy especially in the cyber world full of cons, scams, and lack of trust.

Earn their trust, the money would follow.