Becoming the authority in your field is a great way to grow your business, says Brian Horn, writing for Entrepreneur.com.
The author outlines seven easy ways to become your industry’s next expert:
1) Educate. Offer your customers free and valuable information, via blog posts, seminars and newsletters.
AUTHORITY
If you want to be an authority you need to “work hard at communicating with your customers on a regular basis”, says Horn.
2) Specialise. “Instead of trying to please everyone, focus your efforts on a small amount of possible clients,” advises the author. Specialising makes it easier to appeal directly to your customers.
3) Get published. Start writing articles about your field of expertise and get them published in newspapers, trade magazines and on trusted websites.
QUALITY
Creating regular, quality content will help “build up your personal brand faster”, says Horn.
4) Write a book. Develop the themes of your most popular articles into book form.
5) Public speaking “is a great way to present yourself as an authority in your field”, says the author. Try to get a slot next to a well-known speaker so that you can reach out to bigger audiences.
6) Get on air. Contact radio and podcast hosts explaining why they should interview you or speak to past guests to find out how best to get on air.
7) Use “trust triggers”. Share your experiences as a public speaker, published writer, author or radio show guest to trigger trust in your customers.
PERMISSION
However, Horn warns that “it is always a good idea to ask permission before using someone’s name to build trust”.