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MenuHow can I establish myself as a recognized expert in my industry in order to reach my target market?
I am in the consulting industry and I am looking to expand to more consumers and hopefully increase my fees too.
Answers
What I've done is write a book... Eventually there were 4 books and other special reports.
I sell them on Amazon but often give them away to prospective clients.
There is no greater pleasure than to submit a proposal to a prospect which includes the words...' I am an expert in this area and the author of the 2014 Best-Selling book on the topic...
The second step is to implement a social media strategy based on groups.
Set up a call with me if you'd like to know what else I've done.
Cheers
Dave
The key is visibility, social media campaigns are free and fabulous if you create the right content. Affiliations with organisations who serve your target market are also great for building your profile
☝ Stand out
It's not enough to work hard, you also have to sell yourself the same way, and that's where most people fail. Being an expert is important, but it's not enough. Anyone wanting to impact other people's lives and get results also needs to be recognized by their expertise. It's like having the most awesome product in the world but nobody knows about it.
While sharing your knowledge in blogs, YouTube, Twitter, Linkedin can help attract people that think like you do and may be able to pay for what you know, social media also mean more competition. That's the problem these days, there's a lot of noise.
☝ You can start by
♢ building a network of people you trust, those that can help you improve your ideas before you get them out into the world
♢ building an audience of people relating to your niche, by sharing your ideas
☝ Sharing is caring
Don't be afraid of sharing your knowledge for free. You don't need to give away everything, focus on the benefits of what they need to do, and less on the how. People hesitate to pay a lot for consulting, workshops or your product if they don't know who you are or what you think.
Look at what other people have done: Gary Vaynerchuk rose to fame by making videos promoting his wine business. Since then, he's been recognized as a social media guru, hustler, author of best seller books and TV appearances. He built his reputation by making low budget videos, getting them online and hustling so that they would be noticed.
☝ Have your own voice
If you're an expert and you want to be known, you need to stand out. In the real world, there are other experts in the same niche you're in, so you don't want to be like everyone else. When you stand out, you'll be the one that people will go to when they need a problem solver.
You can't be doing what everybody else is doing, and repeating the same mantra. Have your own mantra, and don't be afraid to have a different opinion. If they go left, you go right, if they go down, you go up. You'll eventually be seen as someone who isn't afraid to go against the herd, confident enough to tell it like it is and people will start seeing you as a leader.
As I tell many of my clients, before you get into the tactics, figure out your broader strategy: What do you stand for? What market need are you addressing? Who comprises your target market? What headaches are you resolving? What are you trying to achieve with your business?
Once you have all of that figured out, then develop a marketing strategy, including whatever tactics make the most sense for your services within the target market.
In short, you must build a brand around your business, and if your business is freelance consulting, that brand is you.
Good luck and let me know if you need more assistance.
To establish yourself as a recognized expert in your industry to reach your target market keep the following points in mind:
1. Become a specialist
What it does is dilute your value proposition and position you as a Jack or Jill of all trades, rather than an expert in your particular field.
2. Voice your educated opinion
As you begin to gain traction as an industry expert, people will expect you to have an opinion and provide recommendations based upon that opinion.
3. Use social media as a means of promoting your expertise
Social media allows you to potentially reach thousands of like-minded people within your industry.
4. Stay abreast of the latest industry news
People will have difficulty viewing you as an expert if you are stuck in the past without a clear understanding of the latest events in your industry. However, it is not always easy to find the time to stay on top of industry news.
5. Publish articles on LinkedIn
When you publish on LinkedIn, you can reach the largest group of professionals gathered online.
6. Harrison, Entrepreneur and Networking Expert
Publishing helpful articles on LinkedIn is an effective way to develop your professional identity and share valuable insight with thousands of industry connections.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath
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