Think about it: Right this minute you’re already a goldmine of valuable industry insights. With more than a decade of progressive experience in your industry, you’ve seen it all. You understand consumer and market trends better than most. People look to you for answers and you feel energized when you share your wisdom with others.
Now it’s time for you to raise your profile even more and become top-of-mind as a go-to expert in your field.
Gain credibility and stand out from your competitors by sharing your expertise with a broader audience, including your ideal customers, industry peers and the media.
Use these tips to position yourself as an expert in your field:
1. Lead with your strengths:
What makes you stand out from your peers and rivals? Start there. Perhaps your thorough, meticulous approach to leadership allows you to always exceed expectations. Or you’re a visionary who spots market trends before they make headlines. Whatever sets you apart, build your marketing strategy around your greatest talents.
2. Be socially active:
Create – and consistently use – personal accounts on LinkedIn and Twitter. (Consider Facebook, too, for its power to fuel word-of-mouth marketing.) Show, don’t tell, by sharing case studies, e-books and videos that inform your connections about how you help others. Answer questions in relevant LinkedIn Groups. Generously tweet valuable tips your target can use. The more you interact, the more people will get to know, like and respect you for your expertise.
3. Get published online:
Start a business blog as a communications hub that showcases your expertise. Guest post on relevant blogs in your industry. Use strategic keywords to boost your rankings using search engine optimization (SEO). Give your presentations greater mileage by adding them to SlideShare. The more high-quality content you publish in your area of expertise, the more you will be perceived by your target (and Google!) as an expert.
4. Offer to give interviews:
Build your personal brand as an expert by using the third-party credibility offered by the media. While mainstream business publications are ideal platforms, consider trade magazines for your industry, too. Sign up for Help a Reporter Out (HARO) to offer your industry expertise and opinions in return for opportunities for flattering media coverage to boost your visibility among the masses.
5. Speak up:
Gain influence by taking the stage at industry conferences or participating in panel discussions your target market attends. Public speaking is a powerful way to command attention and engage the right audience. To gain momentum, start local, then build up to speaking at larger, national events.
However you choose to position yourself as an expert, keep your messaging clear, simple and memorable. Giving away your wealth of knowledge can help you position yourself — and profit — as a successful industry expert.
How else could you position yourself as an expert in your industry?
Lisa Goller helps businesses tell their story. As a Toronto-based Strategic Freelance Writer & Editor, she helps executives and entrepreneurs stand out, look good and save time. Learn more at lisagoller.com
Related articles:
Boost Your Credibility as a Thought Leader
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Resources
Fleiss, Will. 6 Tips for Crafting a B2B Thought Leadership Marketing Strategy. Outbrain. August 27, 2014.
Patterson, Maggie. 5 Tactics for Positioning Yourself as an Expert Starting Today. Female Entrepreneur Association. August 7, 2014.
Riklan, David. The Top 10 Ways to Position Yourself as an Expert Using Social Media. Early to Rise.
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