Experts Rule: 15 Ways To Establish Authority in Your Field

If your business is about you and you’re building a personal brand, then it’s essential that you look for ways to stand out against the competition by establishing authority in your field. The process starts by providing helpful information to your target audience—content that appeals to their wants, needs, and challenges. Following are ways that you can stand out and make an impact within your field.

1. Write a Book – A book is an ultimate ticket to establishing yourself as an authority. Authors are perceived as instant subject matter experts, which can attract media attention, dazzle clients and prospects, create opportunities for speaking engagements, and so much more. If this is on your list of goals, move it up to top priority!

2. Publish Articles – Writing articles allows you to share your opinions and gain exposure with a greater audience. You can write for online outlets or print publications. Better yet, write for as many outlets as you can.

3. Host a Blog – I am a huge advocate for blogging. It’s a wonderful way to connect with your audience, increase traffic to your website, and establish yourself as an expert in your subject matter. Write new posts two to three times each week for best results.

4. Build a Social Media Following – Whether you focus on just one network—such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn—or you spend time on all of them, you have an incredible opportunity to reach an audience. Share links to your blog posts, news, quick tips, opinions, and questions. Let your followers know you’re paying attention and that you appreciate them.

5. Create a YouTube Channel – These days when you search Google for just about any “how to” topic, the top ten results almost always include a video from YouTube. Invest in an inexpensive flip camera and put together a compelling series of short videos. Then promote them to your social networks and feature them on your own website for even greater exposure.

6. Become a Professional Speaker – There’s nothing like the captive audience you can have as a speaker, and it’s easier to get started than you might think. Begin by writing a compelling description for one or more presentations and then reach out to local trade organizations, schools, networking groups, churches, and other places where you can locate your target audience.

7. Be a Guest on Internet Radio Shows – This is a hugely under-utilized opportunity for subject matter experts. There are thousands of internet radio shows, many with a strong niche following. You can find programs on everything from how to be a better parent and gardening, to how to sell on eBay and strategies for growing a business. Guests are often featured for 15 minutes up to a full hour. See http://blogtalkradio.comhttp://alltalkradio.com, and http://womensradio.com to get started.

8. Host Your Own Radio Show – It’s remarkably easy to start your own radio show online. If this is a format that entices you, why not give it a try?

9. Host Teleseminars – The teleseminar format has been around for a long time now. With a conference line and a phone you can host events where you lead an educational discussion, or you can invite guests to give speeches or interviews. Offer events for free in order to build your audience and grow your mailing list. If you already have a solid following, you can consider charging for events—just make sure the content is original and valuable to your audience. Services to investigate include http://instantteleseminar.com and http://freeteleseminar.com.

10. Host Online Events – Take teleseminars and webinars to a whole new level by conducting an entire conference online. You can invite a series of guests over a period of time, charge for admission, and sell the recordings for years to come. A great tool for managing event registration is http://eventbrite.com.

11. Claim Your Expertise – You can call yourself an expert, but a better option might be to create a catchy tagline for yourself that explains what you do. It’s important to let people know what you have to offer, and this messaging should be consistent across your website, social media profiles, business cards, and marketing collateral.

12. Become a Leader – There are many ways to become an influential leader in your field. You could volunteer to serve with a related trade organization. Or, my personal favorite, start your own group—which can be in person or online. I run an online group for Nonfiction Authors on LinkedIn and a local group for speakers via http://meetup.com. These groups have allowed me to reach countless people, establish myself as an authority, and ultimately grow my business.

13. Create and Distribute Information Products – You can create products such as ebooks, special reports, white papers, workbooks, podcasts, or videos—all based on your knowledge. Then, you can either give them away for promotional purposes or sell them. Buyers will instantly identify you as an authority in your field, and that can lead to other opportunities such as consulting offers or speaking engagements.

14. Form Strategic Alliances – If you want to reach a bigger audience, connect with others who have already reached your audience and find ways you can work together. When someone else introduces you to their networks, that endorsement can lead to immediate sales. You can cross-promote each other in your newsletters, co-sponsor an event, or just agree to send each other referrals.

15. Teach Classes and Workshops – Whether you sign up to teach at a local college or adult learning center, or you host workshops in your own office, teaching is not only a powerful way to establish your authority, it can be incredibly rewarding as well.

Whatever methods you use, it’s important that you find ways to set yourself apart from your competition. Consider what makes you unique and then figure out how to build that into your overall brand. Then challenge yourself to tackle one new tactic each month. I bet you’ll find big rewards in the end.

Source: forbes.com ~ By: Stephanie Chandler & Kristi Hedges ~ Image: Canva Pro

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