#506: Becoming An Expert: How To Position Yourself As An Authority in Your Field

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You don’t have to go back to school or have a million followers on Instagram to be the go-to resource in your industry

Positioning yourself as the go-to expert in your industry can be a game-changer for your business. Not only does it help you gain exposure, but it also helps you create and build trust with your audience, which is extremely important.

But in such a competitive digital marketplace, how on Earth do you go about doing that? Sure, you’re super knowledgeable about what you do, but you wouldn’t really consider yourself to be an expert.

The good news is, you don’t need to go back to school and get an advanced degree, write a book, or have a million followers on Instagram in order to be viewed as a master in your area of business.

All it takes is getting clear on the unique value you bring to the marketplace, articulating it really well, and knowing just a little bit more than your ideal audience in your specific niche. 10 percent more, to be exact!

This isn’t something that happens overnight. In fact, it took me several years to nail down ‘what my thing is’ and how I provide value to my audience (much more on that in the episode). 

That’s why it’s important to do the work upfront, early on in your business journey, so you can be viewed as an expert from the get-go. And don’t fret -- if you already have an established business, what you’re about to learn can help you pivot so that you’re seen as that #1 go-to resource even more.

In this episode, you will: 

• Go through a self-reflection exercise that will help you define what your unique “thing” is
• Get super clear on the value that you offer to others, and learn how to clearly articulate it to your audience
• Hear how I define my “thing” today, versus when I was starting out
• Learn tangible ways to become an expert in your specific area of business
• Take away strategies on how to position yourself as a go-to authority in your field

Just a heads up -- because you’ll be doing some writing exercises, you’ll want a pen and notebook handy. I also recommend you listen to this in a place that’s free of distractions if you want to get the most out of it.

Here’s a glance at this episode...

• [04:05] You need to be an expert. You only need a 10% edge, or to have 10% more knowledge than your ideal customer.
• [05:29] Don't be discouraged if you aren't 100% sure what you want to be an expert in. 
• [06:48] It's taken time to identify what my value is, and how to communicate it to my audience.
• [10:08] Self-reflection exercise: Defining Your Thing
• [13:19] Become the go-to expert by tapping into learning resources that are available to you, like digital coursees, YouTube videos, podcasts, and books.
• [15:45] Make time in your schedule to learn, and don’t forget to put it in your calendar.
• [16:27] Some of the most brilliant entrepreneurs in the world contribute their success to reading. Study and stay in the know in your area of business.
• [20:42] Create valuable content around your expertise, like blog posts, videos, e-books, social media posts, and emails.
• [25:09] A great way to have a lot of content in your arsenal is to repurpose content into multiple formats. 
• [26:30] Pitch yourself as an expert to publications and other media, but be sure to do your research on them first.
• [29:21] Testimonials are a big piece of what establishes you as an expert, but you have to encourage success stories from your audience in order to get them.
• [31:54] Action items

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