Why You Need to Become an Industry Expert and How To Do It
No matter what size your business is or how far-reaching your customer base, to compete in today’s market, you must change your ideas about marketing. The successful business is the one seen as the expert in the industry.
It doesn’t matter that you are a local dry cleaner or car repair shop. It also doesn’t exempt you to be a major finance corporation with hundreds or thousands of customers. Marketing has changed and it’s no longer enough to try to sell your services. Customers want to know you are an expert at what you do.
How can you develop your reputation as an expert?
- Write articles
- Speak in public
- Write books
These three methods will help others see that you know what you’re talking about.
Why Expertise Matters
Today’s consumer wants to be educated. Whether they are researching a doctor for a medical problem, a car dealership for a model of SUV or a shoe store for the best prices on high heels, customers check out their options online. They ask questions and find data to help them make a decision.
When a person provides the information they are looking for, the customers consider that person an expert on the subject. Who else would they rather go to when it’s time to make the purchase or use the service?
People may start out looking for advice or help on a topic, and the person who provides that assistance will be the one they remember when they are ready to take the next step. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, every field has its experts.
How to Become an Expert
So, now you recognize the benefits of becoming a recognized expert. How do you develop that reputation? Know first of all that connections don’t count. In this case, it’s not who you know but what you know.
First, write articles about your area of expertise. You don’t have to know all the answers, but you do have to find them. Google your topic online and you can find plenty of experts who have already written about it. Use their information for your own articles, but put your own spin on it. Include your experience to add authenticity.
Next, you can develop your reputation as the expert in your industry by speaking in public. Offer to be a guest speaker at seminars and conferences and hold your own meetings.
Third, write books on your subject. With e-publishing, you don’t even have to find a publisher willing to consider your book. Just publish it yourself to develop your reputation as an expert author on a topic. The e-book doesn’t even have to be long, but it must deal thoroughly with the topic you choose to write about.
How to Write About Your Industry
You want your articles to provide valuable information and capture people’s attention. You must make them interesting as well as informational. One of the easiest ways to do that is by using numbered articles. 3 Tips to Sell Your House Faster or 5 Ways to Keep Your Car Running Longer. Numbers tell readers what they’re looking for, and they can quickly skim your article looking for each of those main points. If you provide something of value, they may even go back and read the entire article.
Another option is to scare them into reading your article. Make your headlines grab their attention by announcing something negative. How to Avoid Being Stranded on the Side of the Road or Top Regrets for Women After Leaving The Beauty Salon are titles that will make them want to read your article and learn how to avoid this scenario.
This style of marketing is known as educational marketing, where you spend more time educating people and less time selling them. Imagine you’re on an elevator with someone and you strike up a conversation with them. They find out what you do for a living and seem interested. How do you convince them to at least take your business card if not immediately give you their contact information? You only have ten seconds, but instead of a traditional elevator pitch, you have to present an idea or information that’s going to catch their attention and leave them wanting to know more.
In essence, educational marketing is providing people with valuable information and establishing yourself as an expert in your industry. When you do this, you won’t have to find leads. They will come to you as THE source for information.
Sources: