Tips for Boosting Your Content's Credibility

Nicole Karlis reports:

"As content becomes more crucial to a company’s success, the need to have top-notch quality content is also increasing. Companies competing in today’s marketplace need to establish themselves as an authority in their respective industries by exhibiting credibility in all aspects of the business, including content creation. One of the best ways to establish credibility is to not just give the appearance of expertise, but prove it. Credibility adds value to a business. People want to buy products or services from businesses that are trustworthy....[Y]ou need to write with confidence — below are a few ways to do just that...Subject matter experts (SME) are a good source of information when writing articles, blog posts, white papers or any type of content. SMEs have a high level of knowledge in their area of specialization. When getting answers from an expert, you add more depth to the content. This helps readers to see the article or white paper as being of higher quality. By interviewing a few experts for one content piece, you gain more perspectives and open the door for online conversations...You can identify the best sources by restricting your research to certain types of media. This means using information from known authorities on a subject such as university websites, research studies, reputable newspapers and magazines, well-regarded polling service firms, government agency data, books, and industry trade associations. When using a source, be sure to use the original sources, such as a university study, instead of an article or press releases about that same study. The Content Marketing Institute suggests using references that your target market already uses and trusts to gain more credibility...Statistic[s] are a good way to prove the points in your content. By using facts and figures from reputable sources in your writing, you add more perspective to the topic. You can find facts and figure[s] by using search engines to find authoritative sources. Statistics are a small element to most content, but it helps with establish[ing] truthfulness in a piece...Fact[-]checking is also necessary for increased content credibility. One inaccurate detail could bring the entire article into question. If you make an error that people quickly notice, they will doubt everything else. You can look for other sources of the same information by using databases such as Factiva to make certain that any facts you use are up-to-date and accurate. A study by the Content Marketing Institute reports that if there is an error in your content, people will go elsewhere for their information and won’t rely on your company [anymore]. Don’t let that happen to you!"