How to Build Trust in Relationships with Content Marketing

How to Build Trust in Relationships with Content Marketing

Reader Comments (19)

  1. I’m officially coining the “What’s in it for you?” technique as the “Brian Clark” Technique.

    My favorite example of the Brian Clark Technique – “How to Turn Disclosure Into a Selling Point” https://copyblogger.com/affiliate-marketing-disclosure/

    I hope I get a lot of replies on this comment so Brian will think I’m smart and generous, and will accept my guest post if I ever write one.

  2. “The most powerful way to establish yourself as a subject matter expert is to demonstrate your authority with your content rather than simply claim to be an expert. Trust works the same way.”

    Really powerful takeaway from this, Brian!

    There seems to be a unhealthy rise of people claiming to be experts – when their content is rehashed and rewritten – ugh!

    Seems like the Internet is fast becoming a rat race of how fast we can rewrite stuff, rather than come up with new tips, tricks and experiments that really push the boundaries of our respective industries.

    Wonder how many “Ultimate Guides” will we actually see before the trend dies off 😛

    – John @ Contentrific.com

  3. So I interpret this as “disinterested goodwill” being one reason the online newspaper websites kept losing money, and decided to come up with pay-walls. Would that analogy be correct?

  4. The most important message to me is that you should always tell the audience what is in it for you. It’s a lot easier to build trust that way! Great technique of which I plan to use more often.

  5. Very good article Brian. I think Amar Kumar made a very good point. “Marketing through content is not the same as advertising”. They are both good but different.

  6. I need to read your articles more often because I always find one takeaway that’s immediately applicable to my business. I think in some ways all of these can be summarized as “genuine transparency” that you preach with your content marketing, but the individual specifics really bring the point home.

    I especially like the “what in it for you section?” There’s no harm in disclosing it because people don’t care what’s in it for you–they care what’s in it for them. But like you said, knowing what’s in it for you makes sure people know there’s nothing they are missing. In example, I may not want to sign up for free copyblogger ebooks because I think the only way you could give away that great of free content is to sell my email. If you tell me that your email list is valuable when you have win-win paid offers in the future, that dispels my fears.

  7. “I began getting emails from people who didn’t understand why I was giving everything away for free without asking for a sale.”

    LOL – this made me laugh, thank you for the post Brian.

  8. I’ve seen a number of bloggers starting out exactly as you did by giving away free valuable content. These bloggers are making a killing now with online courses. I do wonder though if it was easier for you guys starting in 2007. Do you think this ship has sailed or is it really possible to start simply with great content in 2017?

  9. Great advice for many different types of clients. I’ve been part of several non-profit organizations for several years, and some give and give. They have great credibility, but little income, they survive and need more people to sustain them. Others are dying. There comes a time when they have to toot their own horn in a disinterested sort of way. Your article hints at ways of doing that. Thanks so much. 🙂

  10. Hi Brian,
    I love this concept of disinterested goodwill. When you think about it, it really makes good sense. I also agree that demonstrating that you are trustworthy is a much better tactic that simply claiming to be an expert.

    Trust is a huge factor in all marketing and probably more so in online marketing due to the very nature of how we use the internet. I enjoyed your article, thanks.

  11. Right on Brian. I’m a strong believer of building trust with our clients/customers. This has served me where in one particular business I have never had the need to advertise it. Loyal customers are our assets. Have a great day.

  12. Thank you for the excellent advice! I’m researching content marketing because I want to offer good, valuable blog content on my website. My business is new and I realize that content marketing will be one of the most valuable strategies for me to boost my website’s seo, credibility, and brand. I’ve been having trouble brainstorming relevant topics, but this post made me think about topics in a different way. I really do like to share information and I’ve done it a lot on my blogs and social media – tutorials, diy’s and advice. I was initially worried about creating content that had a “what’s in it for me” message as you say, but I realized after reading your post that it’s an excellent way to build trust, and that I in fact trust brands more when they are up front.

  13. Thanks so much for the tips! I’m always telling people how important content marketing is for the Know Like Trust factor, but you make a good point that Trust is often overlooked, even though it’s critical to getting Google to rank your content.

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