Understanding your customers’ pain points and concerns through empathy, as highlighted in our previous article, is only part of the equation for effective marketing.
Equally important is authority, which is all about establishing yourself as a reputable, qualified, and trustworthy professional who can guide your customers towards success. When building your authority, the key is to show that you have solved similar problems before, and you know exactly what you are doing.
Our digital marketing agency in Bangkok helps our clients establish authority (along with empathy) so we can deliver top-notch brand storytelling to their audience. But what does it take to establish authority in marketing? Today, we share some tips to help you get started.
Position yourself as a leader
Demonstrating authority boils down to one simple concept: Proving that your business works in real life as well as it does on paper.
The most direct way to accomplish this is to showcase the results of any previous work you may have completed. Case studies and testimonials do an admirable job of showing that you have solved similar problems before. If a potential customer has a problem but is hesitant to purchase your product or service, they will be greatly reassured to see that you have helped others out of the same situation.
The effect can be enhanced by strategically positioning yourself as a leader in your industry. Offer expert insights through blogs and thought leadership articles. Deliver keynote speeches, then post the videos online. Take part in networking events through Chambers of Commerce and other organizations, and ensure you share pictures of the event to your LinkedIn page. These actions build your reputation as an expert in what you do: customer trust and loyalty will naturally follow suit.
Work with both authority and empathy
Authority establishes your competence as an organization that delivers results. Empathy lets you see eye to eye with your potential customers, understanding their needs as well as their mindset. A complete marketing strategy combines both authority and empathy, as one cannot succeed without the other. Your customer will often walk away if you don’t show any expertise in your field – even if you understand their concerns inside and out.
As general marketing concepts, both authority and empathy are relatively simple and straightforward. Yet the relative importance of each may vary depending on the industry and product being marketed. For example, customers purchasing fast-moving consumer goods often make each shopping decision in a matter of seconds. Clients of professional services firms, which offer legal, insurance or accounting services, more typically enter into an agreement after days, weeks, months or even years of observation.
A proper establishment of authority and empathy will therefore depend on the industry you are serving, as well as customer demographics and other marketing variables. At Lexicon, we ensure that our clients integrate these key qualities of authority and empathy within their communications – and we can do the same for you. Let our digital marketing agency in Bangkok help with the more delicate aspects of marketing, and guide your business towards greater success.