A subject matter expert (SME for short) infuses your content with a unique kind of value. SMEs provide cutting-edge thought leadership that is up-to-date and mindful of the future. They often have access to insider information and experiences, as well, which can inform their perspectives and lead to one-of-a-kind takeaways and higher-quality content.
SME input can help your content perform better in the search engines, too. For instance, Google’s Helpful Content Update in 2023 put an emphasis on insight-rich content that provides specific, professional information. The search engine’s expanded E-E-A-T standards (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) make SME input invaluable, as well.
While it’s easy to see the value a subject matter expert brings to the table, that doesn’t make adding their thoughts and takeaways to your blog content simple. As with most growth marketing activities, you want to have a strategy in place.
Here are six steps to help you incorporate SMEs into your content marketing strategy.
Start by identifying who your SMEs are. Which individuals in your network are industry experts who can deliver a unique degree of subject matter expertise in their field? A few areas to consider in your search include:
You want your SMEs to stand out. Choose them with care and make sure they have the credentials and clarity to speak for your brand.
Not everyone is an expert in every area of your business. That’s why you want to categorize and organize your SMEs into areas where they shine.
We call these swim lanes. Select topics that your business focuses on, and then make sure you have SMEs who can confidently address each area.
As you do this, keep in mind that every business should avoid covering too broad of a range of content on their blog. Hone in on your primary area of focus and look for an individual or two in each area of your business who can provide consistent expertise in their area of strength.
One of the best ways to get information from your SMEs is to interview them about current industry and Google trends that relate to your content strategy. This is a good way to regularly glean their unique points of view and see how they’re adapting to the current changes in their field.
That said, interviews are a time-consuming activity. To save time, try to bulk your SME interviews into single sessions. Start by identifying the current trends and areas that you want your experts to speak to.
Then, interview your experts in batches to get bulk insights into where their industries are going. You can do this in person, on a recorded call, or through written questions. Each has its strengths and applicable scenarios. The key is to streamline the interview process to make it repeatable and avoid wasting resources. And after those bulk interviews, add all the best pull quotes to a spreadsheet so you can easily access and incorporate those in your content.
Once you’ve interviewed your SMEs, it’s time to use their unique thoughts to infuse your blog with one-of-a-kind content. The key here is to preserve their SME individuality.
The best way to use SME opinions is to present their thoughts in an individualized, perspective-based format that is highly unique. Don’t make their takeaways part of your brand’s general amalgamated opinion. Maintain each SME’s identity and the unique qualifications that they have for providing an opinion on each subject (more on that in the next step).
Google loves this kind of content. When a unique and up-to-date perspective is provided, it has a better chance of showing up as a reference in Google’s AI Overview content compared to more generic content.
In the past, it was important to keep content takeaways broad and simple. Many brands would stick to the collective “we,” too.
Now, the script has flipped. You want readers to know why an opinion or perspective is specific to your subject matter experts. You can do this by directly attributing their thoughts and knowledge to themselves in your content.
Another option is to create bios when it makes sense. These can either be positioned as the author of a piece, or they can be included alongside an author to support the information presented. In either case, use a bio to highlight who your SME is, include any credentials like MD or PhD, and add why they’re authorized to speak to a subject.
SMEs are often pre-established influencers within their fields and industries. They can have robust networks and a significant reach amongst your target audience.
Use this influence to broadcast your content whenever you can. Tag SMEs in your branded posts that they’ve contributed to as you share them online. Ask them to share recent posts on social media, too, and even see if they’ll post original content linking to each blog post.
The buzz that this generates provides social proof and indirect endorsements of a blog asset. This can signal to search engines and readers alike that it is a piece of quality content worth reading.
Subject matter experts can introduce a unique aspect of authority and information to a company blog. They can provide up-to-date information and share cutting-edge thoughts and perspectives that genuinely add value to the online conversation in their industry.
Using SMEs in your blog strategy is a good idea, but you want to do so the right way. Use the steps above to incorporate SME perspectives into your blog in a way that helps your content shine out, attract attention, and rise to the top of search engines and social pages alike.
If you need any help creating a content strategy that includes SMEs, we’d love to chat. Relevance can help you create a strategy that goes beyond your blog, infusing all of your online content with a level of expertise designed to help your brand thrive in the unpredictable and ever-changing modern online landscape.
