Would you like to grow your brand reach, but don’t know what to focus on first?
Does your audience really understand the value of what you have to offer them?
There are several ways in which you can build a brand reputation of authority in today’s ever-changing online arena. As trends and technology have changed so have titles. The term influencer has become too widely used and doesn’t project what your brand is truly about. For example, you could be seen as an expert on a particular topic, subject or niche in your target market. This may have come from a demonstration of your knowledge through remarkable content, publishing, and personal interactions on your social networks. This category has now become known as being a thought leader in your industry. An influencer is one that is visibly scene — making their mark through video, visual content, and live interactions with an audience.
If you’re after brand sponsorship and high level connections then influencer marketing is the direction to go in. On the other hand, if you are a company who wants to sell a product or service then the goal is to move towards Thought Leadership which can become the go-source of reliable and trusted information.
The process still begins with the basics of establishing a loyal brand audience through fresh and original content, frequent activity online through your blog and social media, and building authentic relationships with customers and other influencers.
When you consistently focus on these initial steps you will begin to move closer to your goal. The key to success is to start with a plan that will work best for your business model and to be authentic in your approach.
One of my clients began the process of building their brand through my services in 2015. The first step was to create a professional website that included a blog and updates on his books and travel as a solo pilot. Today he’s well established as an author and speaker who is spreading the word on making aviation possible through his writing and flight. This all became possible through regular content posted to places like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Focused and relevant posts and tweets have both helped build an active and engaged audience who is truly interested in the topic of aviation. Using the right hashtags has also attracted the right followers on social media, including industry contacts. Here are a few key strategies I used to build visibility:
In order to grow a great network you need to be engaging with specific niche communities and share their content as well. Here’s how you can boost your influence online and move toward thought leadership if that is your goal:
Your blog is the main hub to share your expert knowledge on a regular basis. As you build content over time you can attract news media outlets and guest blogging opportunities. This will help improve your subscriber rate as well and help move your website up the rank up on Google as you include helpful information that can be featured in their snippets section. As your content is shared on social media any audience reactions will also have an impact on your visibility through social signals.
