Last Updated on Mar 13, 2020 by James W
When it comes to establishing a strong business, there is no substitute for expertise. If you are a business facing company, then your clients need confidence in your skills. They will put their trust and loyalty in you. They’ll keep coming back and you’ll run a healthy business. Likewise, if you’re a consumer facing business, people lean towards expertise. Customers will pay for expertise. They’ll pay for experience and good work.
There’s no two ways about it, experience and expert knowledge sells. In business and in life, people don’t want to take risks. When they use your service or buy your product, they expect quality. This is great for existing and well established businesses. But, what about the startups? What about the small businesses? How do you stick your head out and establish yourself as an expert?
When it comes to getting a business off the ground, this is one of the tricks to overcome. Anyone with an internet connection and a good idea can start a business these days. But, to establish a long-term, successful business, you need to stand out. That means positioning yourself above the competition. It means being a leader and an expert. Here’s how you do it.
Talk like an expert
To start with, it’s as simple as that. Use your web copy to position yourself as an expert. Explain your services with confidence and highlight your experience. Refer to yourself as an expert in the details of your website. Don’t wait around for someone else to call you an expert. Declare it and tell the world. This is the easy part. Now you need to back it up. So long as you have the skills and confidence in your field, you’re an expert. Next, we’ll look at how to prove it.
Specialize
The trick to being perceived as an expert is specializing. Find the niche in your field that you can really dominate. In the digital world, the jack-of-all-trades is not your aim. Pick the area that you are strongest and focus your services and content here. Become the person that everyone must go to for advice in this area. It is much easier to dominate a small sector than a large one. Once you have dominated the niche, you can begin to look further afield. But, become to go-to-expert in your area first. There will always be a community of people in your niche. Find them through social media and message boards. Integrate with them and promote your services subtly.
Networking
There is no substitute for getting out in the world and talking to people. No matter what your expertise, there will be a community both online and offline. Find it and immerse yourself in it. Talk to people about your specialised area. The key here is passion and knowledge. Remember, focus on your speciality and keep it niche. Then embed yourself in the wider community. Amongst your peers, you will be perceived as the expert on that niche. When it comes to receiving recommendations, everyone will point to you. If they need an expert to link to online, they’ll turn to you. If they need advice, they’ll turn to you.
Content
In the digital world, many companies are harnessing the power of content to position themselves as experts. Produce content on your chosen subject. It could be an informative blog or video series. Create tutorials in your chosen field. Write think-pieces on the future of your industry or insights into the sector. Use stories to show why you fell in love with this particular niche. Don’t worry about giving away your secrets. Content is supposed to lure people in. It provides them with answers to small problems. When it comes to big problems, they’ll remember how helpful your site was and come back to you. It positions you as the expert. This is a trick that business consultants always use to build authority. Follow TGC on YouTube for more like this.
Guest blogging
Reach out to others in your community or network and offer to write guest blogs for their site. Even reach out to your rivals and competitors. Use their audience and customers to lure them back to your website. Provide useful advice or express important information. Work your name into the post and provide links back to your site. Make it intriguing, accessible and lure people back to your website for more answers. When people see your name on other websites they trust, they’ll trust you too. This is perception by association. Associate yourself with established and respected names.
Write an ebook
Nothing shows the depth of your knowledge quite like an ebook. This will be the ultimate resource for information in your area of expertise. Writing an ebook shows others that you have the passion, drive and skill to write an enormous book. It proves to others that you have invested a lot of time and effort in your particular sector. It shows that you are confident enough to tutor others and provide information. It goes along way to positioning yourself as an expert. Give it away for free to show that this information is simply the start. Show people that the real information is held close to you and that your services are necessary.
Provide case studies and testimonies
A simple understanding of human psychology tells us that people yearn for reassurance. They need to know that others approve of their decisions and actions. People will not often try something new unless they have seen someone else go first. A simple way to show that you have experience and skills is by using case studies and testimonies. Have a section on your website that shows case studies of previous clients. Explain how you used your unique experience to help another company. If you rely on customers, print customer testimonies on your site. It helps others perceive you as an expert and they feel comfortable using your services.
These simple tricks don’t take a lot of effort. In most cases, it is all about perception. Don’t be afraid to show off your skills. Tell people that you’re an expert and give evidence for it. Network within your community and learn to dominate a niche sector. From there, the sky’s your limit.
