9 Ways To Build Your Authority as an Expert with Your Dealership Blog
As a marketer, you know your dealership blog has great value in driving traffic to your website. But, if you use it correctly, your blog can also establish your dealership as an authoritative source of industry information and advice. You do that by offering quality content that helps readers grow their business and resolve their most pressing challenges. And by adding your own unique twist or insight.
Who cares?
Building authority attracts a broader audience for your blog, reinforcing your dealership’s brand and building trust among prospective and existing customers as well as other industry experts. The greater your online influence, the easier it is to stand out from competitors, too. It’s an upward spiral. And in today’s marketplace, where competition within the construction and trucking industries can be stiff, that can be a distinct advantage.
Ready to get started? Here are 9 ways you can use your dealership blog to build authority.
1. Focus on content that is truly useful
One way your website serves visitors is by offering helpful e-books. Using your dealership blog to promote your e-books builds authority in two ways. Rather than capturing leads only from website visitors who download the e-book, you can “launch” it via your blog and attract new visitors in search of the book. Of course, your e-book has to deliver content readers want and can easily put to work to benefit their own business.
Likewise – and you already know this – blog articles must deliver valuable content. Actionable tips and recommendations. Your own insight or a new take on industry news. Real-life stories about how customers are solving problems you know are common to others in your dealership’s audience.
Good, relevant content also helps boost Google rankings, building authority and audience by exposing your blog to more online searchers.
2. Write for your readers
The easiest way to adhere to the time-honored tenets of great blog writing – relevance and timeliness – is to put your readers first. Study your analytics to see which content draws the most attention. Ask your prospects and customers and blog followers and social media followers what information they need or want most. (Hint: ask them about their top business problems or fears.)
If your posts are relevant and timely, they will be shared – again building our reach and authority.
3. Talk about trends
The trucking and construction industries have changed dramatically in recent years, so there is no shortage of trends to zero in on. As a dealership, what has your experience been with some key trends? What do YOU think will happen next? And – most importantly – how do you think that will affect your customers and the industry overall?
It’s OK to be a contrarian, too – if you disagree with the pundits or have a different slant on something, speak up! You’ll draw more attention to yourself with original thinking than by parroting the thinking of others – as long as you have something worth saying.
4. Promote your dealership blog offline
Letting everyone know you have a blog, and that they can subscribe, is yet another way to expand your audience and build greater authority. Get creative with this, for example inviting blog readers to stop by your trade show booth and introduce themselves in return for a small gift. (How ‘bout a T-shirt emblazoned with, “I wouldn’t miss the XYZ Dealership blog!”
5. Become a collaborator
Cross-promotion is a tried-and-true technique to boost visibility. So get to know other influencers in your industry and link up with them to promote your blogs. Write a guest post for them, and publish one from them (with back-links, of course). Comment on their articles (with a gentle link to your own blog). Share their articles with your people, with a note about why you think it’s worth reading.
6. Publish case studies
Case studies offer real-life examples of how your dealership helped a customer. They are great for building authority and trust because they’re seen as impartial, focusing on the success of a third party. You can offer them as downloads on your website, but use them as blog content fodder, too.
7. Invite readers to join your audience
Industry colleagues, your LinkedIn and other social contacts are all potential readers. Don’t wait for them to figure that out, invite them to subscribe (and tell them why they should!).
8. Promote your dealership blog content
Share (and re-share) links to blog articles via email, social media, etc. Promotion reinforces your name familiarity and broadens awareness.
9. Educate in other ways
Take advantage of your growing authority, and continue growing it at the same time, by hosting webinars or similar educational events for your target audience, online or off.
