Presenting yourself as an authority figure who is knowledgeable about a specific topic within your industry creates confidence in your audience to invest their time and money with you. There are a few strategies you can use to position yourself as an expert and build the “know, like, trust” factor with your audience.
Seek out opportunities to share your expertise. You may have amazing ideas and knowledge to share, but no one will ever know if you don’t make yourself visible and find opportunities to share it with the right audience. Make valuable, relatable, and relevant contributions to conversations both on social media platforms and in person. Collaborate with other business builders and other companies that complement yours. Look for events to be a guest speaker, a guest blogger, or a guest on a podcast. Go to conferences or volunteer your time for relevant causes. Build up your network. It’s more important to be visible to the right audience versus everyone.
Build upon your visibility with consistency. Consistently show up on the platforms you choose and then make sure to have a consistent tone across all forms of communication like your website, blog, social media posts, and emails. Having a consistent voice will elevate your brand and increase trustworthiness as you position yourself as an expert.
Develop a singular focus. Be specific, while still allowing for future expansion as your business grows and changes. Take the time to figure out what expertise you can offer and be willing to pivot as your brand grows and changes. Leave space to grow, change, and eventually narrow your focus.
It’s tempting to want to be an expert on everything, but just like you can’t be for EVERYONE, you can’t know EVERYTHING. While you don’t have to have all the answers, you will gain trust by directing customers to people who can help them with a question you don’t have an answer to. Build relationships with others in your industry and be willing to send referrals.
Be so familiar with your content area that you could be ready to talk about it on short notice. Show your audience and potential clients that you truly understand their problems and they will look to you for a solution. Teach what you know and have the awareness to know when something is beyond your expertise. In fact, you will build stronger, trusting relationships when you use discernment and stick to what you know, and refer customers to trusted, credible sources on topics that you don’t know.
Building trust and first impressions are important. Present yourself confidently and use your branding cohesively across your social media, emails, marketing collateral, and website to build a trustworthy brand and position yourself as an expert in your industry. Reach out for client testimonials and show social proof of what you have to offer.
Use your website to provide valuable information. Your website is often the first point of contact for potential clients. Give your target audience the information they need and make it easily available. When it comes to your website, it should be easy to navigate and follow your branding. It should be undoubtedly you. Looking to create a website or update what you have? Let’s chat!
Providing information on your website ensures that potential and current clients are informed and educated about what solutions you are offering. Focus on providing evergreen content and information versus emphasizing current trends. Content should be relevant to the needs of your target audience. There is a place for both types of content, but a study by Search Engine Watch showed that evergreen content provides greater long-term SEO benefits and can help to improve your site ranking and authority for many years.
Positioning yourself as an expert is a continuous process that requires effort. Continue to engage in professional and personal development that will allow you to further your knowledge and help your target audience. Be adaptable and keep learning to stay relevant in your area of expertise. Remember, when you can provide value and education to your dream clients, you can gain their trust and potentially their business.
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