Soapbox: Brand authority is the most underrated marketing goal

Everyone understands the value of increased organic traffic or a higher rate of conversions. That’s because these metrics are closest to the money.

But some top-of-the-funnel rewards for creating high-quality content can contribute a significant amount to your growth, and they center around your brand’s perception.

Brand awareness is often recognized, but that’s the first step. Brand authority comes next and deserves more credit.

And I’m not just talking about in the context of E-A-T (Expertise-Authority-Trust) and YMYL (Your Money Your Life) pages. I’m talking about building your overall brand authority, which of course still involves creating authoritative content written by authoritative people.

But having this zoomed-out brand perspective allows you to strategize a little differently and recognize wins that are often ignored.

Ask yourself: Is your brand addressing the most appropriate topics in its on-site content? Are you using data to back up these claims? Do other authoritative sources support you (via social mentions, backlinks, etc.)? Are you ranking because Google acknowledges your authority?

Because here’s the truth: At the end of the day, a customer will nearly always choose a brand they’ve consistently seen as an authority over a brand that impressed them once.

Soapbox is a special feature for marketers in our community to share their observations and opinions about our industry. You can submit your own here.

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Marketing Land. Staff authors are listed here.