Are you looking to create exceptional content in your company that wins trust, traffic, leads, and sales? Are you trying to stay ahead of the curve in a world where AI is revolutionizing how marketers approach their work?
At INBOUND 2023, content marketing expert Marcus Sheridan shared what types of content you should be producing to establish credibility within your industry, all while maintaining a human touch that resonates as authentic, trustworthy, and helpful.
Read on for his takeaways to create world class content and win trust in the AI era.
THE FOUR KEYS TO BUILDING TRUST
In today’s online world where access to information is readily available to anyone, establishing trust with your audience is of the utmost importance. Buyers are more informed, have more access than ever before, are more impatient, and are doing more research and vetting. In short, buyers are in charge and it’s up to marketers to build trust. How do you do that?
[slide graphic courtesy of Marcus Sheridan's presentation]
Be the brand that shares what others don’t, answer the real questions your audience has, highlight your unique selling proposition, and always include a human touch — people connect with people.
TELL: WHAT DO BUYERS REALLY CARE ABOUT?
Next, Sheridan introduced the “Big Five” areas that influence buying decisions across industries:Cost, Problems, Vs/Comparisons, Reviews, and Best options:
- Discuss Costs Openly: While it might feel counterintuitive, talking about pricing in a way that is transparent and provides helpful information to your customers can significantly increase trust.
- Address Potential Problems: preemptively answering “what could go wrong” type questions can build more confidence in your brand. Blog posts or resourceful content that dive into those questions (ex: “Is it true that…”, “your competitor said…”) can alleviate friction in the buying process.
- Create Honest Comparisons: Help your audience make informed decisions by providing clear, unbiased comparisons. There are a number of ways to frame this, including “You vs. Your competitor”, “Your method vs. their method”, “Your product vs. your product”.
- Reviews and the Best: Use data to back up why something is the best choice, making your content a valuable resource.
SHOW: CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION CAN HELP INFLUENCE DECISIONS
Provide comprehensive information to answer questions and help contextualize your offerings. Examples from Sheridan include transparent company data, financial accountability, deep dive content into business models and more. Do you have a product video or tutorial? Showing the number of views builds additional credibility and trust.
[slide graphic courtesy of Marcus Sheridan's presentation]
SELL: LEAN INTO YOUR UNIQUE APPROACH
How does your selling approach differ from your competitors? Highlight it. If you provide transparent pricing, double down on that. If you offer customization options, make sure to key in on those features and go the extra step in providing supporting content.
[slide graphic courtesy of Marcus Sheridan's presentation]
HUMANIZE: KEEP YOUR BRAND RELATABLE
Sheridan shared his P.E.R.S.O.N.A.L brand framework as a blueprint for ensuring your brand remains relatable and engaging in a time where AI content creation is the norm.
- Personal: Write in the first person to help infuse your company’s tone with authenticity.
- Engage: Be present and connect with your audience in the moment — from Q&As, social media, or webinars.
- Realness: Be vulnerable, share behind-the-scenes content and authentic moments.
- Storytelling: Develop captivating storylines about your offerings, customers, or values. Create memorable experiences that resonate deeply.
- Originality: Don't simply conform to trends. Embrace uniqueness. Innovate with groundbreaking ideas that set you apart in your industry.
- Nurture: Establish and build on connections with your followers. Demonstrate genuine interest in their loyalty and feedback.
- Audience: Continuously collect and assess your audience's preferences, actions, and responses. Prioritize understanding their needs.
- Love: Love your audience, your produce, your service and let your enthusiasm and passion show.
Use AI to personalize your content at scale, but ensure every piece has a human touch — show the people behind your brand.
TAKEAWAYS
In the digital world, creating content that resonates with your audience and builds trust is more challenging and important than ever. By leveraging AI strategically while maintaining a focus on authenticity and transparency, you can create content that not only ranks well, but more importantly, resonates deeply with your audience.
Download Marcus's full IN23 Presentation Deck here.
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