Industry reports are a great way to show that your company knows everything there is to know about the industry that you are in. It’s your opportunity to let the world know that you not only have a great deal of knowledge regarding your industry but also that you are current with the trends, changes, and expectations of your niche. It’s also a great way to build authority and help your company blog become a resource.
Industry Reports… the REAL Goal
Reading a lot of industry reports while I have been in business, I can say the biggest mistake people make is trying to use their industry reports to sell their products and services. That should never be one of the goals of creating one. Industry reports are there to build trust, they are there to give people value through knowledge and showcase what you know. Of course, you may gain sales or leads as people decide to work with you based on your awesome industry report but the real reason you publish one isn’t based on making a sale. It’s to show you know your stuff.
Write About What You Know and What You Think Will Happen
There are different types of industry reports to create. You can write on a growing trend in your niche or what you think will happen in the coming year, quarter or season. You could also write a report specific to one aspect of your business or one that showcases the whole industry. You could write an industry report that showcase’s how much things have evolved over the years or even since your company opened their doors. The goal again is to showcase knowledge and insight, so it can honestly be on anything specific to your industry.
Building Trust: It’s How You Can Make Sales Without Even Trying
If you are trying to help your business stand out, an industry report can easily do the trick. Think about when HubSpot started publishing their report on the state of inbound marketing each year. It contained a ton of information, it was easy to read, easy to share and lot’s of people were talking about it. Now they publish multiple industry reports on their blog on topics that pertain to marketing including VR trends and “The State of Voice”. The lesson is, in just a few years they’ve created a blog that’s a go-to for many (not to mention the huge SEO bonus they get from it) and it all started with one simple Industry Report.
If you’re trying to sort through the noise, make some new connections and show the world you’ve got knowledge and vision, an Industry Report is something that you can do in just a few hours and have a piece that you can use throughout the year to not only reference but feature, share and build trust with. So the only question left is what are you going to write on?
J.C. Granger is the CEO of Infinity Marketing Group. Infinity Marketing Group is an inbound marketing agency headquartered in Denver, Colorado that specializes in helping SaaS companies achieve their lead generation goals.
Connect with J.C. on LinkedIn and download his free eBook, “3 Essentials of Inbound Marketing”.
