9 Ways to Establish Yourself as a Field Expert
Whether your business is about to launch or has been around for generations, establishing yourself as an expert is the best way to maintain income and garner respect both locally and on a larger scale. The modern economy has dragged many businesses out of the market because they couldn’t prove they had the knowledge or skill to earn and keep the trust of their customers. This is essential to survival in a tightfisted, consumer-driven industry. Here are nine ways to give your business an edge in competition and marketing without sacrificing too much money. These suggestions may require you to step outside your comfort zone, but if you can stand squarely on your expertise and sell it, you’re sure one step closer to success.
1. Pick a Specialty
Being a topic authority is ideal, but proclaiming a specialty within that field is like mining gold. When you pick a specialty, you can hone even more into that topic for many of the following suggestions. Make sure that whatever you choose to focus on is something you actually know best, and that you can prove your knowledge in regards to it. For example, you may have a gardening business, but you are an expert at pest control due to being raised on an orchard or years of helping local greenhouses resist a certain species of bug. This sort of specialization will make you stand out even more and give you more to discuss or write about as you establish an expert stance. Potential and current customers will know if you’re not walking the walk.
2. Make Opportunities to Speak
This tip in establishing expert status may take a bit more of your time but is worth it. There are hundreds of opportunities to speak about your field. It’s recommended to start researching local avenues such as farmer’s markets, community clubs, conferences, or the Chamber of Commerce. Universities, colleges, or other schools also love having real life speakers for specific topics to educate and encourage their students. While most of these events aren’t paying, getting your name and face out there is sure to garner your business some respect in the listeners’ eyes.
When you do give a speech, be sure not to hawk your products. . Chose a topic related to your goods or services that presents useful information to the audience. Show your enthusiasm to help them achieve something and they’ll recall your assistance when they need something only you can accomplish. In keeping with my above example, you could offer to speak on pest control for early spring sprouts. You’ve armed the listeners with useful knowledge they can take home and implement. But if they are having a hard time getting a certain bulb to sprout, they will remember the kind speaker who knows their flowers. Guess who they’ll be calling to pay for more help. That’s right, you the expert!
3. Stretch Your Writing Skills
Whether or not you consider yourself a skilled writer, using your knowledge in written form will demand respect and establish your authority on the topic. You can find a local journal or paper to write a regular subject column for or query articles to major magazines or newspapers. Either way, the moment you get your name in print, you’ve placed yourself in a position of authority on the said topic. It’s good for business and good for your reputation.
4. Set-Up an Online Presence
In the modern business world, an online platform is key to stationing yourself in the professional ring. If you don’t already, setting up social media pages such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Tumblr can give you options for sharing pertinent information and your own knowledge. A masterful website and/or blog can also attract a lot of attention and give you the expert advantage. Within these mediums, use SEO to further your cause. When referring to yourself, put keywords such as expert, expertise, and source nearby. In doing this, you are setting up your expertise in search engines and those hits are sure get out the word about who you are and what you know.
5. Guest Interview for Blogs and Radio Talk Shows
Even if you have your own blog that regularly gets posted on, it’s a wonderful idea to also guest blog at relevant websites. Do some research and try to find up and coming bloggers on your field. These newbies will be eager to grab a great attraction and you’ll get free advertising out of it.
Radio is another great way to get some exposure as an expert. Local and business specific stations are all over the world, and contacting them is easy. The big bonus to this type of “speech opportunity” is that you get to prepare most of it ahead of time and it also gives your personality a chance to shine.
6. Consult a Senior Expert
There is an important bit of humility that is often present in a specialist’s demeanor. You can not only practice your own, but capitalize on an even better expert in your same market. By interviewing or sharing the story of someone that’s gone before you, you give yourself great learning opportunities but also network with potential mentors. You can learn a lot from another professional’s successes and failures. Be respectful of yoursuperior. The world will sit up and notice.
7. Organize an Event
This tip is dual purpose, offering not only a chance to share your knowledge but also to do some subtle marketing. Orchestrating an event either in your store front, in the community, or online can boost your ratings and elevate your reputation as an expert. Consider offering a class or creating a presentation. Even something as simple as a Facebook Event where you answer followers’ questions can help crank up your proficiency repute.
8. Keep Growing your Expertise
Abraham Lincoln said, “I don’t think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.” No matter how much you know there is always more you can learn. With the great advances being made daily in almost every field, it’s worth your time and money to continue to grow your knowledge. Subscribe to blogs or newsletters about your topic. Keep track of studies being done around your market. Taking classes, participating in relevant conferences or training’s, or even just grabbing the latest reports or books and reading them will give you a leg up in your field and continue to keep you on point.
9. Create Informational Products
This last suggestion also sets up money making strategies. Why not reiterate your knowledge and produce additional income? Turn your know-how into products and distribute them both through your online platform and locally. Producing reports, brochures, or even publishing a book gets into the physical hands of customers and offers the chance for referrals. If you want to streamline this project, consider online options such as eBooks, podcasts or YouTube videos of you discussing the topic you’re known for. These can easily link to your website and social media, and become a trend or go viral.
Establishing yourself as an expert may not happen overnight. But if you implement these nine tactics, you’re sure to find yourself and your business in high demand. Have you used these for your business? What other approaches have you used to exhibit your knowledge? Please tell us in the comments below.
