One of the things that excited me as a young, aspiring journalist was the noble responsibility of the news media to act as the "fourth branch" of government.
All the Presidents Men was still a clarion call when I learned the ins and outs of investigative reporting and dreamed of being the next Woodward or Bernstein with a breaking news story that would land POTUS in the hot seat.
Fast-forward 20 years.
Today, our politicians do a fine job of implicating themselves on social media; they no longer need our help. And a full 61% of the world deems journalists as nonobjective—even partisan, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer. "Fake news" is so pervasive our schools have to teach kids how to recognize it.
Despite that sad state of affairs, there is a silver lining for your business. The same poll finds that 61% of the world trusts your business vs. nongovernmental organizations (57%), their country's government (53%) and the news media (51%).
Your customers, consumers, and the general public are ready to trust you. So, how can your business become trusted by the masses?
The answer: by building a customer-focused content marketing program.
You can use thought leadership to show customers what your business stands for and, more important, why trusting you can help them alleviate their worries and organizational challenges.
Six Elements of Building Brand Trust With Content Marketing
1. Lead with empathy
Begin your content with customer pain points. Let your audience know immediately that you understand why an issue keeps them up at night. Give them the answer to their problem only after you've demonstrated you "feel their pain."
Case in point: Here are excerpts from a blog post I wrote recently on unemployment insurance fraud. The business' audience is small to midsize employers:
Unemployment insurance fraud has skyrocketed across the US and Canada since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Using phishing scams and database breaches, criminals have targeted billions of dollars in unemployment aid....
Unemployment insurance fraud does not require the victim to be unemployed. Instead, identity thieves procure personally identifiable information—such as a date of birth, Social Security number, or driver's license information—then sell or use the information to file an unemployment claim....
Many victims are unaware of the fraud until they receive a letter or benefit card from a government unemployment agency. Others may find out when their current or former employer asks to confirm they have applied for unemployment benefits.
If you are an employer reading that, you'll likely be worried enough to read the rest of the article detailing ways employers can prevent that type of fraud.
2. Enlist your subject-matter experts (SMEs)
The previously cited Edelman study also asked respondents which leaders they trust most within businesses. The highest level of trust (59%) is bestowed upon technical subject-matter experts and academics; CEOs trail with 44%.
The takeaway? Have your SMEs author your content. Allow their subject expertise, best-practices, and lessons learned to be the main focus.
TIP: Your internal experts are short on time and may not be the best writers. That's OK. You can effectively extract SME knowledge and inject it into your content.
3. Show up even when you're not selling
Teach your target audience what they need to know, even if it doesn't end in a direct sales pitch. You can do so by creating tangential content.
