Submitted by Sabina Hitchen on | 0 Comments
If you are an expert or service provider, your knowledge about your niche is your power and the currency that you can trade in for more buzz and visibility in the press, as a speaker, in networking groups and on social media. The more that you show your depth of experience and expertise in your field, the more people will get to know you, trust you, see your value and spend money on you! The good news? You have access to powerful strategies every day that can increase your chances of growing buzz and thus, increasing your customer base and cash flow. It’s all in your hands. To be sure you’re making it as easy as possible for people to recognize you as a leader in your field (and pay you like one) here are some tactics you want to be sure you’re always including in your brand building plans:
Own Your Expertise in Public
Make sure EVERYONE knows what you do for a living, where your expertise lies and how you can help them via your business. This sounds lke a no brainer but I can't tell you how many people I know that live their lives as "secret experts". They may not be doing it intentionally but they aren't being their own best publicist in circles outside of work. This means in your social circles, at your place of worship, amongst your gym buddies, at your child's school, with your in-laws...heck even at your local coffee shop! The more people know what you do and how you can help people, the more they can refer you to people who may need someone like you in their lives. These people could be potential customers, members of the press, people you could collaborate and more. Bottom line: be known. You have a gift and talent to share with the world, and share it you should!
Introduce Yourself in a Memorable Way
We are a society that is inundated by information coming at us from every direction. People meet experts and business owners personally and professionally on a regular basis. You need to be sure that when they meet you, you stand out. You can't do this by simply saying "Hi, I'm Sam, I'm the president of a copywriting company" when you could tell them, "Hi, I'm Sam, I'm the founder and Chief Creation Officer at Brand BeDazzler Copywriting where we write unforgettable copy for small businesses." Instead of saying, "Hi, I'm Katie and I run Katie's Social Media Shop" add in, "Hi I'm Katie from Katie's Social Media Shop and I'm the leading Twitter and Facebook expert for small business owners in the Ohio Valley. Turn to me for anything social platform related." When I say hello to someone I'm just meeting and they ask me what I do, I don't say "I'm Sabina and I'm the co-founder of Tin Shingle" and leave it at that. I add in the fact that I'm a "Entrepreneurship Evangelist and Small Biz Fairy Godmother." Sometimes I even include my personal motto which you can also find on my Twitter and Instagram - continuity people - and tell them "if entrepreneurship was a drug, I would be its pusher."
Figure out who you are and what you are and how to describe it that is not only authentic to your business and brand, but that will leave a mark in someone's mind and impact them more than saying "I'm a self-employed accountant." It doesn't have to be over-the-top, it doesn't have to be over-embellished but it does have to tell them what you do in an impactful, sets-you-apart-from-the-pack way.
Know What You’re Worth to the Press
As I said before, your expertise is your currency. Positioning yourself as an expert or sharing your wisdom as a service provider is, in my opinion, a much easier position to be in when trying to get press. When you offer a magazine, television show or website tips, expertise, education or shortcuts for their audience, you're giving them something of value with a great takeaway that doesn't appear to be a commercial for your business. Instead, you're sharing something of value and by default, you'll be sharing your business and expertise at the same time. Offering yourself to the press as an expert is also a great strategy because if you train your mind to think the right way you will never run out of ideas or angles based on what you do for a living to share. Your tips can be seasonal, based on hot topics in the news, geared towards addressing a specific demographic (moms, kids, women, etc.) or creative and outside of the box.
Figure out how you can make people’s lives better, easier, happier, faster or more beautiful via your expertise. Turn the knowledge you have into tips and expert-based advice. Share it with the press and watch your buzz and client-base begin to blossom!
Work it on Social Media
Don’t forget to regularly share what you are up to as an expert on social media. Do not be afraid to "sell" what you do via social media posts. Sure, you can say exactly what you do in a "statement post" for time to time but you can also keep your "sales posts" fresh by sharing yoru service or expertise via promotional offers, revealing behind the scenes photos of you at work, sharing industry tips and celebrating happy customers.
Just like you should be known in "real life" (see my first tip) it's important that you particpate in online conversations like Tweet Ups or commenting and engaging on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with people from your industry.
Make sure your social media feeds are always up-to-date with conversations and statements that are relevant to your business and niche. People don’t want to see an inactive feed and it could even lead them to believe you’re no longer in business!
In Conclusion..
You work day in and day out at what you do. You may even take your expertise for granted because you've become so used to knowing so much about your industry. Don't let the ease at which you do your job fool you, the rest of us want to learn from you! We want to hear how you can better our lives! We want you to share your tips! Know your worth, use your currency and let the impact of your sharing your skill and passion turn into big business growth!
How do you share your expertise with others? Let us know in the comments below!
