How to turn a company into an industry expert?

6 ways to improve your image and promote your website

1. Publish articles online

Share knowledge with others

The author (e.g. a company) of a well-written article (in which they share their expert knowledge) starts to be perceived as an expert in a given field. It is one of the low-budget PR activities.
Opinion-forming articles or the ones where the author shares their knowledge and gives advice can help win new customers. If a reader likes a given article, it is highly probable that they will visit the author’s website in search for other equally relevant information. The analysis of statistics by Migomedia interactive agency shows that when the readers of articles published on other websites visit the author’s website (e.g. a corporate website), they spend much more time browsing it than a potential customer who has never read an article by that author.

2. Start a blog

Gain authority among customers

An expert blog or an interesting corporate blog may attract people interested in a given subject as well as potential customers. Blogs are more and more frequently used as e-PR tools.
Running a blog is time-consuming and it requires consistency and regularity. It is thus recommended to delegate that task to a selected employee or outsource it to an agency. A good blogger attracts customers. If you write 5 times a week for 3 months, you get a collection of 60 useful articles/advices. A blog is a flexible and cheap solution as well as a very good piece of intellectual capital, which may reinforce the company’s market position if combined with a well-planned strategy.
A corporate blog run by a competent expert or consultant who shares their knowledge and experience may help win the trust of potential customers.

3. Post on discussion forums and vertical portals

Be visible

By posting on websites devoted to specific subjects, you can reach a given target group directly. However, be careful not to put the readers off your company. Self-advertisement is not welcome. In the past, discussion forums were often used to write posts such as: “I heard about a great store called X.” However, such actions are not only unethical, but may also have the opposite effect, i.e. expose the company to ridicule and harsh criticism as the readers figure out that the post is in fact an advertisement. Discussion forums are a good place to give advice to people who describe their problems and ask for help. It is a free service but apart from gratitude it can also help the company win customers – not only the person who asked the questions, but also other readers, who find the answer via a search engine or the discussion forum itself. Giving advice may be a way to gain comparative advantage over competition as few companies try to reach customers through discussion forums. Potential customers appreciate consulting.
When promoting yourself or your corporate website, you can post links or notifications about articles and reports published on your website. This way, you recommend knowledge that which is a notable benefit from visiting your website.

4. Prepare an e-mail course or an interesting newsletter

Keep potential customers in mind

In addition to contacting potential customers, you can also collect user e-mails to send them later an updated offer or information about new products, for example. User e-mails can be collected through a newsletter subscription form on your website.
Of course, you can also purchase a database of e-mail addresses. When buying such a database, check if it is up-to-date and verify its origin and the profile of recipients. Are they your target group?
You should buy databases from reliable sources. Purchasing them at an online auction is quite risky, though inexpensive. If the database origin is unknown, you have to trust the seller. Sometimes mailing campaigns prove ineffective. The subscribers may be users with special accounts created just for subscription purposes (to earn money). In addition, e-mail addresses are sometimes acquired illegally or simply copied from other websites.

5. Write a book/e-book

Become an industry expert

An interesting and useful book/e-book may encourage many readers to visit your website and order your products/services. An e-book can also generate passive income and build the image of your company as an industry expert.

6. Organize a competition

An original competition may attract crowds

Among the solutions that have recently gained popularity are the SMS platforms used for competitions and lotteries organized by companies. This may be an effective channel to convey your message to a large number of potential customers.