Content is critical to any marketing strategy, writes John Hall in What Successful Brands Do Differently With Their Content, but merely creating it isn’t enough. To be successful, you have to do more than write blog posts and upload them to your website. You have to actively use your written work to engage with your audience, to build trust with your prospects, to deliver practical advice directly to the people who will benefit from reading it.

… sharing helpful content allows your audience members to learn more about you right away and shows them that you know what you’re talking about. Sometimes, that content might even address some of the concerns they haven’t voiced yet. If you can alleviate those concerns, you’re already well on your way to a strong, trusting relationship.

Hall’s post is a good reminder that even if you build it, they won’t necessarily come. Read the post. Start putting your content to work. You’ll be glad you did.