In the July Issue:
You want to be the top company in your field? You want to be the one that EVERYONE refers to, that everyone knows is top notch, and is respected as an expert in your niche? Then make it so!
You can become the leader in your space, and you don’t have to have the highest sales, or have been around the longest to become the “go to” in your industry. Making yourself into the leader in your field is often exactly what you need to create the growth you are looking for.
So how do you create that identity for yourself so you can step into it and grow?
1. Position yourself as the thought leader in your industry. This means knowing your material, spending time exploring and sharing your material, and working to keep yourself on the leading edge of what’s going on in your industry.
2. Be everywhere – like everywhere. This is also how you create buzz and momentum. Get on panels, guest on other platforms, contribute, attend events. Leverage your time as much as possible and re-purpose where you can, but get as much exposure as possible.
3. Create great content. This will tie into 1 and 2 – to be a thought leader and to get yourself featured you need to create great content. That might be a blog, podcast, videos, high value social posts; whatever makes sense for you and your niche, but you need to be putting value out there into the world
4. Know everyone (network). I hate using the word network because it makes some of us recoil in fear (I see you introverts). But there’s a saying that your network is your net worth, and it’s true, you can not do it alone.
The more connected you are, the more opportunity there is – period. It took me a long time to accept and embrace that, but you need to find ways to connect with peers, and share audiences and opportunities.
5. Contribute everywhere. Don’t stick with one platform. Re-use and re-purpose your content across many platforms and channels, to get max amplification. So, take your podcast and re-purpose as a blog, pop the video on you tube, and cut it up for social media snippets.
You can also re-write it slightly to make an article you can submit to other platforms. Get your stuff out everywhere!
6. PR – just do it. PR is getting unpaid exposure through features on other platforms like magazines, influencer blogs, and tv, and it’s priceless, especially for building your authority.
7. Awards – apply for awards! The ultimate social proof to give you authority in your space, and you aren’t ever going to win if you don’t apply. You should have it on your schedule as something you look into a couple of times per year, and apply for what comes up.
8. Mentoring. Get a mentor, and when you are ready, be a mentor. Sharing knowledge is an incredible thing, and the benefits are huge for both parties.
The benefit to becoming known in your field is endless. You will find more sales with an increased audience and new potential clients, more sales to existing audiences, as their trust in you builds, and more opportunities through peers, as you expand your network.
Whether you have just started out or you’ve been the expert for 20 years, it’s time to become the “go-to” that everyone knows!
