How To Leverage Content To Build Trust

How To Leverage Content To Build Trust

Your content plays an important role in building trust. It affects how people perceive your brand in obvious as well as subtle ways. In this post, we’ll look at different ways you can leverage content so that your audience trusts your brand sooner and is willing to buy from you.

Both trust-building and content creation are ongoing processes that will help you get results in the short and long run. Here are the different content types you need to create to build trust continuously and to create a solid brand image.

Publish blog posts regularly

Have you ever visited a website and then wondered why they haven’t posted any content recently? Visitors to a site will notice if a website does not update their content. This can create discomfort because it indicates a lack of activity and will make users wonder if the business will respond to them.

This makes it important to create blog posts regularly. Whether you post a blog post once a month or every week, the important thing is to do it consistently. And you can also update your create evergreen posts by adding edits and making the date field show when the post was last updated. Google notices when your posts are updated too and this impacts how well your content ranks on search engines.

Stay on top of your social media posts

Just like your blog or website, you need to create and post content regularly on social media. If you’re starting out or are a small company and don’t have a large following yet, it’s still important to keep posting content often.

Even if you get most of your leads from other places, your social media content still matters because your activity level implies that you are likely to respond to queries from your audience.

So, create posts on a daily basis if not multiple times a day. And make posts that use natural conversational language so that your audience feels like you’re talking to them directly and in a friendly way.

Respond to comments

Along with your blog and social media posts, visitors to your site or social media profiles will explore comments people leave. It is critical to reply to comments that users make on your posts. When your audience sees that you respond to comments, they’ll feel assured that you listen to people. They’ll expect you to similarly respond to customer complaints, which will make them comfortable.

It’s important to create responses that are personalized, informative, and that sound authentic. Canned responses like ‘We appreciate your feedback’ alone will make your audience feel like you’re not really listening. Try to speak to your readers in a natural tone of voice and have a conversation instead.

It’s small touches like these that create a good image of your business.

Keep your emails out of the spam folder

One powerful way to make sure that your content builds trust is to make it ‘spam-proof’. Today, email service providers take spam protection seriously. Steps like making sure that your email copy doesn’t have any spam trigger words will ensure that your content doesn’t land in the spam folder.

It is also vital that you send email content only to people who have explicitly agreed to receive content. Sending newsletters with helpful content to your email list helps you build a relationship with your audience. So, it’s important to ensure that your email arrives in their inbox.
Make sure that you configure your email settings correctly and authenticate your email so that it lands in your user’s inbox. This step can be difficult to do and it’s a good idea to use a plugin like WP Mail SMTP to help you. You can also get a white glove set up done for you in case you need additional help.

Leverage user-generated content

Your audience expects marketing messages to portray your company in the best light. However, if customers and other audience members engage with your business and leave positive feedback, then your leads are more likely to trust you.

User-generated content consists of posts, reviews, testimonials, and other types of content created by your audience or customers. Content on forums, pictures on social media, discussions, ratings and similar material can be leveraged on your website or social media.

Ask your customers for testimonials and add them to your website with the customer’s headshot, company name, and position.

Use a social media feed tool to integrate social feeds into your website so that you can share posts created by the public in a feed on your site pages.

Highlight the number of users your product has or feature positive reviews left by happy customers on your landing page.

Steps like these add social proof to your site, creating compelling arguments in favor of your business. Visitors to your site and people researching your brand will trust you sooner and buy from your business.

Create FAQ pages

An FAQ page makes it convenient for users to find critical information. It also shows foresight on your part. As you carry out your usual business activities, take note of challenges that your users face or common questions people ask about your solutions.

Address these issues with an FAQ page so that users can quickly get the answer they’re looking for and make the decision to buy from you.

This type of content subtly conveys a large amount of information about how prepared and aware your business is. The effort and research you do to create content that helps your users by providing just the information they need will speak volumes about your reliability.

Back to you

To build trust, you not only have to explicitly promise your users that you’re reliable, you also have to back your claims by carrying out ongoing content creation activities.

We’ve covered several ways that you can build trust through content. You are certain to come up with more ideas of your own that will lead to a stronger brand image. So, focus on your content creation and management to win over your audience.


Syed Balkhi is an award-winning entrepreneur and online marketing expert. He is the co-founder of OptinMonster, WPBeginner, MonsterInsights, and WPForms.

Leverage The Power of Social Media to Make Your Infographics Popular

Leverage The Power of Social Media to Make Your Infographics Popular

Infographics are getting more creative as brands continue to experiment with new ideas. Many businesses have jumped into the fray, and just like any other brand messaging tactic, Infographics too require ‘marketing’ to maximize the content reach.

Infographics and social media together reveal the evolved trend of ‘brand visualization.’

Social media has proved to be to be an effective tool from the perspective of brand marketing, irrespective of the domain in which your business operates. And talking about infographics, it is increasingly being used by different companies to communicate their message in an effective manner, in a compact visual format.

The crux of the matter is that brand communication is taking a new shape, and it is everything to do with catchy, visually-appealing, message formats. And, it is indeed an opportune time for brands to make optimum use of this new communication pattern, considering the short-attention-span the internet-audience has in today’s times.

So, here we are. Social media users are also tired of text overload. Any interesting visual sight is sure to attract attention, and even drive the ‘visually packaged’ messaging virally.

A majority of the viral links on social media are now videos or GIFs. A quick go-through message using Youtube, Pinterest, Facebook etc. leaves a lasting impression. Users are enticed to view the compelling brand stories (said through graphics or pictorials), rather than taking out time to read text loaded links.

infographics-and-social-media-together-reveal-the-evolved-trend-of-brand-visualization

In other words, a visual hunt is likely to fetch your better brand attendance now. If you have ‘brand illustrations’ or infographics to share, then go a step ahead and put it on social media platform, to gain quick online traction. You just have to get the combination strategy right. Here’s how:

1. Message ‘In-boxed’’

Bind your brand think-tank with social media subscribers. When you are trying to increase your brand reach (using infographics and digital networking), it should result in online conversations. Therefore, the idea is not to just present the brand differently but to do it to make a difference.

Social media users should be able to absorb the ‘implied’ message and pass it on. Once you get it right, your message or brand is expected to get multiple clicks in no-time.

2. Message ‘Checked’

Unlike your mass brand campaigning, through email or mobile messaging, for example, social media users have a ‘right-to-dump’. But then, the opposite is also true. A powerful Infographics, good in design and messaging, is expected to drive ‘brand impression’ in the most dynamic fashion. You just need to ‘tail-it-right’.

3. Message ‘On-board’

Once you start campaigning on social media, you will try and connect with the maximum number of users. Use different social media platform to maximize your reach. Facebook and Twitter are likely to be your first choice but, it is really Instagram and Youtube driving the ‘diagrammed’ traffic.

Initially, when you are cultivating a brand through online networking, it is good to use all social media channels available. A tried and tested approach works, to ‘personalize’ brand reception later, using the same e-channels. The thumb rule is to be everywhere to begin with.

use-different-social-media-platform-to-maximize-your-reach

4. Message ‘Mobility’

Imagine you make a ‘deal’ on your mobile phone. Infographics is your best way to reach the busy and mobile, social media users. Quick attention span and no time to read can only be dealt with ‘smart sketched’ web tactics.

An attractive display of your ‘message’ in the form of a simple infographic is the ice-breaker. Later, it can set the mobile social media users on fire. People check their social media accounts multiple times in a day.

5. Message ‘Sorted’

Social media impressions are here to stay. By, leveraging your brand content through ‘infographics’ on social media, you built ‘intellectual capital’ and ‘to-do image’. One, your customer ‘know-how’ is reflected through clear messaging, and second, once a brand is consumed ‘visually’, it is expected to create a better recall.

Brands are here to stay. Once you have connected the ‘product features’ with the right set of consumers, you have added value to the whole category, and at the same time, created a brand worthy in the segment.

It is now evident that visualization of brand information is going to reach the next level, with the help of infographics and social media both. As we continue to find ways to compress information and reach out to people who actually consume it, social media is a proven way, further fitting into delivering on your exact purpose.

You don’t need to tell people to come and see your brand. Instead, you invite them, confluence them, and at the next stage, you drive ‘brand-led’ conversations without making a real effort. If you are confident of having the right marketing strategy in place, there should be no reason to say, “I can’t do it”.

Infographics and social media channels are a lethal combination which should find a place in your marketing plan. Together, they form a consumer-led brand world, which survives on cutting visuals, designs, text, data, and knowledge.

social-media-impressions-are-here-to-stay

Rounding Off

It is important for a brand manager to put the best brains behind the job. Infographic Design Team is a team of strong talent put together to execute infographics projects. By good talent, we mean a diversified team of creative ninjas, multi-dimensional designers, and professionals, who can add ‘real’ value to your brand, viz. a viz. digital brushing of your brand image.

So, whether you need interactive infographics, short infographics, 3D infographics, presentations, social media graphics or video Infographics, our team of over 120 experienced professionals has delivered over 2000 projects to over 700 clients across the globe over the years. Our technical competency is adequately matched with our intuitiveness to assist you in establishing a strong brand-connect and creating an everlasting bond with your target audience.

So, give your brand the ‘Midas touch’ with the right infographics and turn things a notch higher by leveraging social media to take the message far and wide.

How can your Brand leverage the brand new “Carousel” Feature of Instagram?

How can your Brand leverage the brand new “Carousel” Feature of Instagram?

 

By infographicdesignteam.com

 

 Last week, Instagram launched a brand new photo sharing “Carousel” feature wherein users can choose up to 10 photos or videos to feature in a single post. As Instagram writes explaining the new feature – “You no longer have to choose the single best photo or video from an experience you want to remember. Now, you can combine up to 10 photos and videos in one post and swipe through to see them all.” Basically, you can share a mix of up to 10 photos or videos as a single carousel post that friends can swipe through.

Unlike its Snapchat stories clone, Instagram now wants you to share a complete picture of your experience, as Instagram albums. The feature rolls out globally on iOS and Android over the next few weeks.

And the functionality is darn simple. You can simply click a new icon that allows you to select more than one photo or video. You may choose the order of their appearance, apply a filter, and tag your friends. There will also be an option for caption and location in addition to the comments. After you share, your friends will be notified by a series of blue dots, alerting that you have indeed shared a carousel post. Even more, to identify a carousel post, Instagram will add an icon to the post’s thumbnail.

Well, now the question that makes me think is, will this feature be availed only by the youngsters and individuals? Can any brand leverage this feature and get any benefit?

I guess yes. Because ultimately what do brands want? They want to share their interesting and value added content to their target audience so that the brand engagement is sustained. And in the process talk about the product or service they offer. This new Instagram feature is an excellent way to do that for brands who are intensely active in Instagram.

In this post, we’ll discuss as to how you can leverage this brand new photo feature of Instagram for your brand.

1. Show a step-by-step process
Since this new feature gives you the freedom to post multiple images, you can show a step by step process by placing the photos in a particular sequence. Be it a product, or a demo, a recipe, or whatever you want to show in a gradual progression. And this is nothing wrong or unconventional but is a very elegant way to demonstrate your product.

2. Explore a panoramic photo
If you have an image of your product which doesn’t fit within the square format on Instagram, you can take multiple pictures of it, and share as one single image. Multiple photos as in, one large photo split into sections. Suppose your product is a new motorbike, then you can easily take two three images showcasing the front, middle and back part of the bike. And then you may post the image as a single one, that will let your fans explore it.

explore-a-panoramic-photo

3. Showcase multiple products
Earlier in Instagram, to showcase multiple images you were required to split the frame up into pieces. Now with the new feature, you can highlight several images of your product making it easier for your fans to view those, from different ranges.

4. Ask a multiple choice question
Imagine you receive real-time and instant feedback on any of your business decision or any new product launch. Instagram now allows you to share multiple images that you can use as an opportunity to seek real-time feedback from your fans. Share each image as a choice and ask your fans to comment on each image. Thus you can get instant feedback instead of conducting a time-consuming fan survey.

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5. Incorporate video and animation
Not just photos, but Instagram “Carousel” enables you to use both, photos as well as videos, or a blend of both! If you are selling a product, you may shoot a video as to how people should use it. Or if you are selling a service then you can shoot a video of you talking about the services you offer. Also along with the video, you may share a supportive image. That’s all you need to do, and you would see the level of engagement soaring higher and higher. Because whatever you do, whatever you share is all real-time.

6. Tell the story of a day
With Instagram stories, you could tell a story about your day as it unfolds. But with multiple images, you could do the same thing, but in a bit more polished manner. Choose the best photo or video that sums up your day and present it to your audience. Your audience is sure going to love it. Share about an event in your office or annual meetings. This helps in fostering your brand engagement.

tell-the-story-of-a-day

It’s your turn now
So how do you think you would utilize the new “Carousel” feature on Instagram? Do you have any other idea as to how brands can reap benefit from this feature? Let us know in the comments below.