How to build credibility in your vertical

Want to build credibility and visibility for your agency within a vertical market?

Partner with trade associations.

Here's the thing...

Associations are often a key provider of training and education for the vertical. However, they rarely have significant editorial capabilities in-house.

Instead, they depend on 3rd party subject matter experts for content.

Herein lies the opportunity:

Find trade associations in your target vertical that need expert content...and then become the content provider.

Authoring content for the trade association naturally boosts your credibility and visibility.

Questions to ponder:

👉 Have we partnered with our vertical associations?

👉 Have we searched for opportunities to provide them with expert content?

CQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do trade associations rely on outside experts for content?

Because they often provide training and education for the vertical but rarely have significant editorial capabilities in-house. That gap creates a real opportunity for outside subject matter experts to step in.

How does authoring content for a trade association actually build credibility?

Because it puts the agency's expertise directly in front of the association's audience, under the association's own trusted banner. That association lends credibility that would take much longer to build independently.

What's the actual opportunity being described here?

Finding trade associations in a target vertical that need expert content, and stepping in to become that content provider, filling a real gap they already have rather than trying to build authority from scratch elsewhere.

Why does this tactic build both credibility and visibility at the same time?

Because contributing content puts the agency's name and expertise in front of the association's existing audience, building recognition (visibility) while simultaneously demonstrating real expertise (credibility) in one motion.

What are the two questions worth asking to act on this idea?

Whether partnerships with relevant vertical associations already exist, and whether opportunities to provide them with expert content have actually been sought out and pursued.