How to position yourself as an expert in any marketplace

Have you ever wondered what your business would look like without the internet?

Intuit® and Buzzfeed gave us a glimpse at what this might look like in a hysterical take and friendly reminder that we kind of have the whole world at our fingertips right now.

If the business world looked anything like it did just 20 or 30 years ago, we would probably still be stuck in an era of knowledge hoarders that were too afraid to share their secret sauce.

So, here we are: It’s 2021 and the internet has become the ultimate equalizer for business owners trying to attract new clients.

With so many businesses fighting for the same market share, how can you cut through the noise and position yourself as the go-to expert in your market?

The answers are right in front of you. To become an expert, you must be willing to share your knowledge, and you should know where to share it.

Here are five tips to help get you started:

1. Define your target audience

Many business owners I speak with have a difficult time describing their ideal clients. Without an idea of who you are trying to reach, you’re less likely to connect with the right audience.

Keep this in mind: It’s not about the number of visitors you bring to your site; it’s about the number of people who want to buy the services or things you sell.

Start by asking a few questions. What are the patterns of the buyers I already have? When I say patterns, it can be industry, age range, skillset, purchasing power, education level, professional designation, social media activity, and more.  Just look for the patterns to start. Then, ask yourself, are they the buyers I love and want, or the buyers I have? 

2. Determine how, and where, they search for information

Now that you have an idea of who your target audience might be, you need to understand how, and where, they search for answers to their questions. For example, do they prefer to call different places for answers, research specialized forums, or look to their friends to give them answers or referrals? Understanding how and where will allow you to better understand where you need to get involved, in order to get recognized.

3. Research most common questions

Once you have determined where people are searching for answers, create a list of the most common questions that have answers AND a list of interesting questions that have not been answered.

4. Create searchable content to share

This step is often the most difficult when just starting out, but with a little strategy and planning, you’ll get a powerful solution.

The secret to success is not overthinking while creating. Get started by creating a basic FAQ document that provides short answers to each of the questions you created in the previous step. After creating all your short answers, select one and add more detail, based on your personal experiences. Each time you expand an answer, take and post that answer as a new blog article, or use it to create a short video.

There are so many ways to create shareable content, including the following:

• Convert a longer email answer into a blog article.
• Create a quick video recording from your phone to share something.
• Create a social media post with a quick tip of the day.
• Create video tutorials.

5. Get Involved in the profession

Start sharing your ideas (your blog articles or videos) in each of the places on your list, beginning with step 2. Dedicate some time – daily or weekly – to interacting and sharing knowledge with others.

Step 5 is the most important step. Why? Because you can’t position yourself as an expert unless you actually show up when others need you. Schedule time as you can, and remember, even if you only have seven minutes a day, that is seven minutes each and every day that you can become the helpful expert that others need. Consistency is the biggest takeaway here. Be consistent.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published by Firm of the Future.