Retargeter

David vs. Goliath: The Battle For Hearts And Clicks [Part 5]

Knowledge is Power

This is the final post in a five-part series on how to use online marketing to look as big as your biggest competitor.

In the age of online transparency and rapid communication, reputation has become more important than ever. You can help enhance your brand’s reputation by becoming a respected thought leader in your industry.

How can you establish yourself as a thought leader?

• Prove your industry expertise by producing high-quality and useful content. This can include white papers, e-books, blog posts, web videos, or SlideShare decks. Don’t confuse these materials with sales collaterals—the focus here should be on educating people and demonstrating your experience in the space.
• Engage with the big names in your industry on Twitter to associate yourself with major players and earn visibility through association. Another great resource are industry-specific LinkedIn Groups, which are a hotbed of B2B discussions and also show who the top “Influencers” are in that group based on how much engagement their posts generate.
• Become a trusted and thoughtful voice on reference sites such as Quora and MetaFilter, and develop a reputation for expertise and helpfulness. If you’re successful, respect for your brand will increase accordingly.

Even though the online playing field may not be level, there are tools at your disposal to produce outsized returns on even the smallest of budgets. Your largest competitors may have more money and a larger staff, but that doesn’t mean you can’t outfox them with your persistence and your hustle.

Here’s a recap of all of the posts in this series:

1. Google and the Magic of Meritocracy – discusses how Google’s algorithm evaluates pages, and what you can do to improve your site’s search engine ranking
2. Anywhere They Go, You Go – a primer on how to use backlink research to expand your online visibility
3. Don’t Just Get Noticed—Be Remembered – explains retargeting and how it helps maximize return on ad spending and boost brand awareness
4. It’s All About the People – an argument for creating genuine connections over social media to enhance brand prestige and foster customer loyalty