A person who decides to read one of your articles on a website, in a magazine or in a newsletter wants good information. If they want to read for escapism, they will choose a story or the comics. A person reading an article has a specific purpose: to get something out of the article to help them get something else. The something they hope to get from your article is how-to advice, tips, insights and the like. The something else they hope to acquire from what you give them in an article is:

* a new way of doing things

* an improved way of doing things

* information about a new product

* information about a new service

* inspiration to carry on towards a goal

* remedies for solving problems

* direction on where to find additional resources

If your content gives them one or more of these things then you are doing your job as an information provider. Your readers begin to trust you; the more quality content you give them, the more they trust you. You build a strong relationship with your readers who then consult you through your articles and websites on a continual basis. If you sell a product or service, you need to establish trust between yourself and your potential customers. When they trust you as a knowledgeable source of information, they will trust your product or service.

Quality content in articles builds trust because a person sees you as someone who has their best interests at heart. They see useful information presented in an intelligent manner that answers questions and provides solutions. They will devote time to your writings because they see value in them. If they read an article and find they've read words that tell them nothing, they feel cheated. They know they have spent time with nothing to show for that time but an empty feeling.

Today, people demand quality for time or money invested. Think of it; you plunk down your hard-earned dollars to see a film that received a great review in a newspaper. You sit in the theater watching and half-way through realize you're watching an over-hyped B picture. Your time is wasted, your money is gone and you have no positives coming out of the experience. You no longer trust that movie critic, or the filmmakers. You invested time and money for the newspaper to read the review. You also invested money and time to watch the film. They gave you nothing of value for what you invested.

It's the same with your article content. Give readers a pleasurable experience that gives them something valuable. Useful information imparted to them is something they can employ in their lives to greater gain. If they achieve, acquire or improve in something because of information and advice you gave them, you become gold in their eyes. They will seek your wisdom out again. You are their personal expert that they rely on in a particular field. They trust you. Be that source they seek out next time they need relevant information. Provided value for their time spent reading your article.

People seek knowledge sources when they feel they don't have full grasp of a subject. When you help them gain understanding through quality content they file you and your business's name away for future reference. This is especially true when they need a product, service or any information on a regular basis.

Say you need a computer software package and need information on how to utilize its capabilities across different aspects of your business. Someone who is an expert in that software is someone you want to seek out. You want information from them on how to use the software in your particular business. When they give you that information and it works when you try it in your business, you appreciate their expertise. You know they're a source to keep for future reference.

That's how you want others to look upon you after they read one of your articles. You want them to think, "Hey, this person knows what they're talking about. I never would have thought of that." When you have them thinking that, you're on you way to building relationships that span across decades of business operations.