Nobody sets out to become an expert. Instead, we discover we’re good at something, and what do you know? That’s the thing other people need help with!
This guide is for all you accidental experts who are thinking about turning your passion into a side hustle or even a full-time gig. We’ll show you how to set yourself up as a marketable expert in any field, but first: what makes an expert so special that they can command top dollar?
| Key Takeaways |
|---|
| Understand the Importance of Expertise and Credibility |
| Prepare Yourself for the Responsibilities of Expertise |
| Build a Solid Foundation of Knowledge and Skills |
| Craft a Thoughtful and Genuine Personal Brand |
| Establish Trust and Credibility Through Consistency |
| Focus on Providing Value and Solving Problems for Clients |
| Leverage Social Proof and Testimonials to Build Reputation |
| Continuously Learn and Adapt to Industry Trends |
| Connect and Collaborate with Peers in Your Field |
| Balance Self-Promotion with Authentic Engagement |
1. Don’t Try To Be An Expert In Everything
There are many reasons why it’s not wise to try to be an expert in everything. For one thing, it will make you feel overwhelmed and underqualified (and you’ll start feeling that way even before you get started).
It’s also possible that a broad range of expertise isn’t necessary for your field anyway. Some people might consider it a bad thing if you know about everything because then they wouldn’t have anyone else to talk to about their problems!
Finally, as long as all goes well with your business, being an expert is just one part of overall success in any industry.
And sometimes focusing too much on being an “expert” can hurt your chances of success because it makes you seem like the kind of person who doesn’t need help from others at all!
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2. You Don’t Have To Do This All By Yourself
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t panic! There are lots of ways to help yourself. You can hire a professional or agency to do the marketing for you. You can hire a virtual assistant to help with all aspects of your business, including marketing.
You can work with coaches and mentors who will be able to guide you through this process and give valuable advice.
Or consider joining a mastermind group: these are organizations where individuals share their knowledge and experience with each other in order to build businesses together that they could not have built on their own (think: Oprah’s Book Club or Weight Watchers).
3. Focus On A Niche Market That You Can Serve Well
A key to success in marketing yourself as an expert is focusing on one niche market and serving that market well. This is not only good business, but also it’s the best way to stand out from other experts and make yourself a go-to resource for your target audience.
If you’re an accountant who specializes in working with startups, then focus on what makes these companies unique their needs, challenges, and goals, and how you can help them accomplish those things better than anyone else.
If you own a small business marketing firm that works with restaurants (like me), then focus on understanding all aspects of the restaurant industry so that you can help grow these businesses by improving their online presence or social media presence.
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4. Boost Your Credibility As An Expert With A Certification Or Credential
When it comes to boosting your credibility as an expert, there is no certification or credential that beats a college degree. But if that’s not in the cards for you right now, look into other types of certifications.
There are many different types of certifications and credentials out there, and some have more value than others. For example:
Professional association membership is likely to be the least expensive option among these three options (though it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get what you pay for).
An academic certificate will likely require more time and money to acquire than an industry-specific certification program.
But may give you more credibility among potential clients who are looking for proof that they’re hiring someone who has been vetted by their peers or an institution whose standards have been deemed high enough by those same peers.
A trade or professional membership could be worth pursuing if you plan on working exclusively in one area where a certain group’s expertise is particularly valued but only if its process involves rigorously vetting applicants before letting them join its ranks;
Otherwise, it may simply look good on paper rather than give any real indication that someone knows what he or she’s talking about when it comes time for him/her to make recommendations related specifically to his/her area(s) [of expertise].
5. Consider Developing Your Seminar, Webinar, Or Workshop Where You Are The Expert
Consider the cost of developing your seminar. You’re an expert, right? So why not develop your seminar and make money teaching others how to do what you do?
This is a great option for those who have already developed something of a following, especially if they have some time on their hands and are looking for ways to make extra income. However, it takes time, effort, and money (for marketing) so this isn’t necessarily as easy as it sounds.
Consider the cost of developing your webinar. A webinar is essentially an online seminar where people watch a video presentation by someone who has been invited back by host website that offered them space for free or at reduced rates in exchange for promoting the company’s products or services during their sessions.
Consider the cost of developing your own workshop/conference/event with other experts in related fields as speakers (or panelists). If there aren’t any conferences around that specifically target your area of expertise – consider organizing one yourself!
They’re often expensive but worth every penny when done right because they can bring together people who share common interests and allow everyone involved opportunities for both professional and personal development.
Consider selling ebooks with content relevant to what you teach in person through places like Amazon Kindle or Apple iBooks Store
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6. Develop A Reputation As An Expert Based On Your Knowledge, Experience, And/Our Credentials
When you’re marketing yourself as a “expert,” your reputation is everything. This means that you should do your best to maintain a positive online presence.
By being responsive in comments and forums, answering questions on Quora and other sites, writing helpful blog posts or articles that add value to the world (as opposed to simply promoting yourself), and so forth.
One way to develop your reputation as an expert is by creating content based on what you know: write an ebook or course on a subject related to your niche; start giving seminars or webinars;
Create videos explaining things others may have trouble understanding; publish articles on sites like Medium or LinkedIn Pulse; co-author books with other experts in your field; write guest blogs for successful businesses that are related to yours; etc.
7. Make Sure You Have A Clear Understanding Of Your Main Target Market
When it comes to marketing yourself as an expert, you need to do your homework. Get to know your target market inside and out. You want to know what their needs are, what they want, how they expect things to be done, how they perceive the world around them, and why.
If you don’t already have a good sense of who your target audience is and the language they speak when talking about the problem or topic you’re trying to solve with your expertise (or even without), now’s the time for some research.
This can be tricky because many experts think their target audience is everyone!
But if you dig deep enough into this concept of “everyone,” there will always be some sort of demographic element attached and that’s key when deciding who needs this information most urgently (which could affect pricing).
8. Create Your Marketing Plan (PMP) And Establish The Appropriate Marketing Plan For Your Business, If Relevant
It’s important to remember that a marketing plan is not an end-all-be-all. It is a living document that should be reviewed, updated, and revised regularly. You should be constantly evaluating the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and making adjustments as needed.
If you are new to the process of creating a personal marketing plan, look at it this way: You’re creating your roadmap for how you want to present yourself as an expert in your industry over time.
And like any great roadmap, this one must reflect where you are now (the starting point), where you want to go (the destination), and how long it will take for you to get there (your estimated timeline).
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9. Get Feedback From Other Experts, Colleagues, And Someone Knowledgeable About This Type Of Work (If Available)
If you’ve done the work of creating a content marketing strategy, you will have prepared yourself to get feedback from others.
Once it’s ready for prime time, don’t be afraid to share your plan with other experts, colleagues and people knowledgeable about this type of work (if available).
They can provide valuable insight as well as help you identify areas that may need more attention or revision. Asking for feedback is simple:
- When sharing your content marketing plan with others, ask them what they think of it
- Ask them how they would improve it
Taking into consideration their input will help refine and strengthen your content strategy so that it serves its purpose even better!
10. Develop A Marketing And Communications Plan For Yourself As An Expert
You need to develop a marketing and communications plan for yourself as an expert. This will help you stay on track and focused, organized, motivated, and prepared.
A good marketing plan will help keep all the projects in your career development pipeline moving forward promptly by creating accountability within yourself. Saying “I’ll get around to this next week” is not an effective strategy for getting things done!
11. Be Sure You Have The Skills, Knowledge, And Expertise Needed To Succeed As An Expert In This Area
If your goal is to be an expert at something, it’s important to make sure that you’re really qualified for that role. If you don’t know enough about what you’re trying to do or if your skills are not up-to-par, then it will be much harder for people to see you as a credible source of expertise.
So how do you know if your own skills are good enough? You’ll need some time spent learning about whatever subject matter interests about being an expert on (and I’m not saying this because I’m biased).
In other words, before jumping into self-promotion mode, take some time learning about what makes someone qualified as an “expert” on a particular topic or issue, and then use this information when deciding whether or not it’s right for YOU!
12. Determine If You Have The Time And Interest In Continuing To Be An Expert In This Field Over Time
You must have the right skills and knowledge to be an expert in your field. You also need to have the time and interest in continuing to be an expert over time.
Do you have a marketing plan?
Do you have the proper materials (such as books, workshops, and audio programs)?
What marketing messages will resonate with customers? Do these messages match up with each other so that they tell a coherent story about you and why people should buy from you rather than someone else?
Are these messages being delivered consistently across all channels (e-mail lists, websites, blog posts)?
How do these messages feel when read aloud by someone else? Can someone who doesn’t know much about this topic understand them easily or do they require some education before they make sense?
Is there enough variation between each message so that it isn’t repetitive yet doesn’t sound too different either and thus confusing to potential customers who come across them over time on different channels like email versus website versus social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook etcetera…
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13. Decide How Much Time You Will Devote To Marketing Yourself As An Expert (An Hour Per Day? Less? More?) And When You Will Use That Time Wisely
If you’re serious about marketing yourself as an expert, it’s advisable to set aside a specific period each day or week that you can devote to this task.
Setting aside a specific amount of time for your marketing efforts will help keep them in perspective and prevent them from taking over your day.
Once you’ve decided on the amount of time that works best for you, it’s important not just to use this time efficiently but also effectively. When deciding how best to use your allotted time, consider what tasks would benefit most from being done during this window.
For example, if there are certain things like sending out pitches or writing articles that need doing regularly to stay current with clients’ requests but don’t require much thought once they’ve been put into motion (e.g., writing one blog post per month).
Reserve those activities for when they’re needed so that they can be completed with ease instead of having them compete with other tasks vying for attention throughout the rest of the day.
Conclusion
Is your head spinning? Let’s review what we covered today and summarize the main points. The first thing to remember is that you don’t need to become an expert in everything. You can start by focusing on one thing you are good at, then build from there.
Second is that it doesn’t have to be just you doing all the work you can get help from experts and colleagues if they want a piece of the pie too!
Thirdly, make sure your expertise looks good by getting some credentials so people know how qualified you are when they see those letters after your name.
And fourthly, last but not least… don’t forget about the marketing part! Developing a solid marketing strategy will ensure your expertise gets out there where potential clients can see it
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources to further enhance your understanding of marketing yourself as an expert and related concepts:
Marketing Yourself as an Expert: What Clients Look For Learn about the key factors that clients seek when considering an expert, and discover strategies to effectively market your expertise in your field.
Winning Audience Trust Through Expert Positioning Understand how positioning your brand or company as an expert can help you establish trust and credibility with your audience, leading to stronger connections.
Self-Promotion Marketing Strategies for Artists Artists can gain insights into effective self-promotion and marketing strategies that can help them showcase their skills and expand their audience reach.
FAQs
How can I effectively market myself as an expert?
Positioning yourself as an expert requires showcasing your knowledge, skills, and accomplishments through various channels, such as social media, content creation, and networking.
What are some ways to build trust with my target audience?
Building trust involves consistent delivery of valuable and relevant content, transparent communication, demonstrating expertise, and addressing your audience’s needs and concerns.
How can artists promote themselves and their work?
Artists can leverage social media platforms, create an engaging portfolio, participate in relevant events, collaborate with other artists, and develop a strong personal brand to promote their work effectively.
What role does content marketing play in expert positioning?
Content marketing allows you to share your insights, knowledge, and expertise with a wider audience. By consistently creating valuable content, you can establish yourself as an authority in your field.
How do I balance self-promotion without coming across as overly promotional?
Effective self-promotion involves finding the right balance between showcasing your expertise and offering genuine value to your audience. Focus on educating and helping your audience rather than solely promoting your services or products.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.