Your prospects will only buy from trusted brands. PwC discovered that trust in a company is the number one reason potential buyers choose to do business in the future.
Your website is your main source of communication with customers. You must use it to tell your customers who and why you trust them. Telling prospects to trust you is not as effective as showing them. Content marketing is about showing rather than telling. According to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), 96% of top-performing B2B marketers said that content has helped them build customer trust. How can you start creating trustworthy, helpful content that creates a relationship?
Focus on Helping over Selling
One of the fundamental tenets of a successful content marketing strategy is not to make it all about you. CMI’s research revealed that 90% of successful businesses put the needs of their customers first when creating content. This is not about creating content that sells but content that helps.
Make content that shares both the pros and cons.
Although it may seem counterintuitive initially, creating content that reflects who you are is not a good fit for buyers can be incredibly beneficial. This is especially important in B2B. It builds trust by being open about it. This content is time-saving for both your prospect and your sales team. You don’t have to follow up on prospects who are not a good fit.
Compare Content
You can save your prospect time and provide the information they need to decide. You can, for example, write a blog about your company vs a competitor’s brand. Although it may appear that you are promoting your competitor’s brand, it is helping the buyer.
Demonstrate your Expertise
People seek after experts. Building trust and showing your expertise is key to standing out, especially if you’re a B2B marketer. Share your thought leadership content, industry tips, or ways to make prospects’ lives easier. These things will make you a thought leader within your industry and help build trust with your prospects.
Talk about the Negatives
Everybody wants to know why something doesn’t work or why they don’t like you. It’s time for you to share that information so people can find it easily. When I meet with prospects looking for inbound marketing services, they often ask me which situations this program will not work for. I am open with them and tell them exactly what situations inbound marketing would not work.
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