A great way to stand out in your sector, whatever sector that is, is to position yourself as an expert in your field. Expert is a relative term – you may not be a professor or an award-winning leading light but if you know your stuff, REALLY know your stuff then tell the world about it.
This is another marketing tool that should fit into your marketing strategy. You need to look at who you’re trying to attract and work out what they would want from you – then tell them why you’re the best and demonstrate it.
This will bring all sorts of benefits – from increased brand awareness and exposure through media and PR, to attracting new business and
1. Article marketing.
It’s the strangest thing…but as soon as someone sees your name in print, your ‘expert’ status automatically leaps up! Write some articles – they don’t have to be long, just enough to be interesting and helpful to readers and start to publish them. You can put them on your website, on sites like www.ezinearticles.com and on your blog. Post links to them from Linked In, Facebook and Twitter. If they’re good, people will start to share them and you’ll get a following. Every article should include a short bio at the bottom with a photo and a link to your website and social media accounts.
2. Radio & Newspapers
Local and regional radio stations are always looking to fill airtime with interesting pieces that will keep their listeners tuned in. If your expertise is relevant to the general market then think about creating a short press release to send to your local stations on a current topic, along with your expert views. If you’re an accountant then see if you can get on a business slot to talk about interest rate rises and what they mean for small businesses. If you’re a cleaning company, talk about the latest links between winter snuffles and germs on door handles! If you’re a boarding kennels, talk about what to do with your pets over the Christmas break and how to choose a pet boarding service. Use your imagination and think laterally about seasons, legislation, news articles, TV programmes – anything that you can easily link your expertise to in some way.
Newspapers are a bit trickier as they are overwhelmed with press releases and as a result can be really choosy. Why not try some of the really small local papers to start off with so that you build a bit of a portfolio and get your name known. Try some online publications too, in the sectors you’re targeting, and see what their policy is on publishing articles. Also, if they won’t do that , try compiling ‘10 top tips’, or ‘7 secrets’, or ‘3 mistakes businesses make’ types of articles and see if they are accepted.
3. Speaking Gigs
Lots of organisations need a speaker every month, from business clubs, to Round Tables, Women’s Institutes to Networking groups. There are also trade specific and sector specific organisations like the CIM, CIPD and that sort of thing. So, having established that there are many, many opportunities to speak, why not get in touch with your local groups and see if you can get a slot. Remember to tailor your approach. A group of retailers will want your talk to be relevant to retail. A business club will want something that applies to any type of business. A Round Table group will want general interest and not necessarily related to business.
Work on a 20 minute talk, with or without PowerPoint (our next top tips article is going to give you some pointers on content for speaking gigs so watch out very soon!) and aim to cover 3 things. Remember to consider your audience and gauge the level of detail/technicality accordingly. Keep it simple, DON’T just read off the slides and practise it first so that you’re relaxed. And don’t use it to sell, sell, sell. This is about engaging the audience, teaching them something and helping them enjoy what you’re passionate about.
If you carry it off then word will get around that you’re a good speaker and you’ll be welcomed at other organisations. This will build your credibility and build your reputation as an expert. If you’re clever you’ll get someone to video you so that you can use snippets on your website. If you have other ‘products’ like books or CDs then have them on sale there. If not, then just make sure you take plenty of business cards.
4. Events
If you can’t find any events that are relevant, or you’ve already spoken at them all, then why not create your own events? Not full day, full on workshops, unless they are part of your strategy already. I’m talking about free 1 or 2 hour workshops, briefings, tutorials or seminars – either free or really low cost. The objective is to get your name out there as an expert and build your database, and possibly cover your costs but if not just treat the investment as a marketing cost.
If your expertise is very niche then you’ll have to come up with a really good topic that is current, topical and preferably new.
Don’t get too hung up on ‘giving away’ your knowledge. Remember that you can tell people what and why but you don’t have to tell them how. Or you can give them a top level of information but make them pay for the detail. If you’re credible and come across well then people will remember you and will come to you when they need your services.
For the price of room hire and some refreshments this is a really good way to get a group of your target audience hanging on your every word. It’s also a great reason to go out to your database and ask people to send it to theirs.
5. Videos
As I mentioned earlier, videos of you speaking at events are a good thing to put on your website as long as the quality is ok. If you don’t have these then don’t let that stop you. For short, ‘chatty’ videos to put on your blog or website, a video filmed yourself is usually fine. Find somewhere well-lit and find a willing volunteer so stand in and talk so that you can check the sound and visual quality. Have your ‘talk’ prepared and then just record it. There are lots of cheap/free video editing options around to do basic editing and that’s all you need.
Stuck for ideas on what to film?
- Top tips on any number of topics
- Explanation of the impact of new legislation
- Q&As
- Book reviews
- Interviews with guest speakers
- Anything that positions you as an expert!
What do you get asked to do by clients? What are they struggling with? What is costing them money? What’s causing them pain or hassle? Tackle it in a video!
Not only will people see that you know what you’re talking about, they will also start to build a relationship with you, albeit remotely. You can post it to YouTube, embed it on your Facebook Page, link to it from Twitter, add it into your blog and feature it on your website. Then you can talk about it in your e-newsletters and send people to your blog/website/FB page to watch it. Simple really.
6. E-marketing
Use your e-newsletters or ezines to inform people. If you read our Top 10 Tips on Successful E-Newsletter Marketing, you’ll know that it’s about creating a dialogue and not just broadcasting. Taking all of the principles we’ve mentioned so far, tell your audience what they need to know. Whether it’s upskilling them, showcasing new products or services (not necessarily yours), advising on relevant news stories and how they impact on business/sectors or simply tackling some frequently asked questions, show people that you know your stuff.
If you over-deliver on what they expect from a free e-newsletter, they will keep it and maybe pass it on to people. You can still sell but very subtly and only for 10-20% of the email if at all. Best to have one series that is purely informative and contain your sales emails separately – send the informative ones more frequently than the salesly ones.
Offer to tackle reader Q&As too and then use that as content for the next ezine. It all helps to showcase your expertise. Again don’t worry about giving away ‘free’ information. Those who were going to buy will still buy, with even more certainty that you’re an expert. Those that were never going to buy, still won’t!
7. Write a book!
This feels like a huge project but it doesn’t need to be. If you’re already writing blog posts or producing top tips, articles or workshops then think about how you can structure them into a book. You don’t have to worry about finding a publisher because these days the way to go is self publishing. From lulu.com to ibooks, there are many ways to get your book out to your fans.
You can opt to stay as an e-book or you can get physical copies published – either is great. You can use books as giveaways with a perceived value. If it’s a good book then it will get circulated. Make sure you have your biog, contact details and web/social media links on the bottom and stake your copyright too.
Once you’ve gone ahead and published it, you’re an author. So take excerpts from your book and put them on as Facebook Posts, or see if any trade magazines want to review or reprint it. There’s nothing quite like the title ‘author’ on your biography to hoist you up the ‘expert’ scale. Just do yourself justice and produce something you’re proud of.
Copyright Claire Mitchell 2011©
—————————————————————————————————————-
About the author
Claire Mitchell
Claire is a marketing expert whose career has spanned 20 years across a range of sectors. She is co-founder of Consultant Launchpad with Clare Fenwick, and she is also MD of marketing agency 19 Marketing. She has worked in marketing and business development for blue chip companies including Courtaulds Aerospace, PPG Coatings, RBS and The Institution of Engineering and Technology. She has also consulted across sectors including engineering, manufacturing, membership organisations, retail and professional services, pharmaceuticals and not-for-profit. Claire’s varied background and extensive marketing expertise guarantees that she can introduce an impactful marketing solution to any business.
