How to Position Yourself as the Obvious Expert

Rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic (by 2 people)   Your rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic

If You're Not the Go-To Person in Your Niche, Then You're Just Another Peddler

Branding yourself as the obvious expert is the only way to dominate a niche in the marketplace.  Without the name recognition and label as an authority figure, consumers won't flock to you in droves, relying on your recommendations and advice.

Every entrepreneur, every CEO, and every small businessperson who has found success sought an education in how to position themselves or their business as the expert.  The business aisles in Barnes and Noble are packed with titles teaching you how to elevate your business to the forefront of your industry.

It's not enough to build a better mousetrap.  Without the branding to accompany it, without letting the public know you have a unique selling proposition, they'll have no reason to choose your company over another.

Whenever you set out to become the obvious expert, you need to plan out a strategy to saturate the market with news of your superior authority.  You can't rely on random word of mouth - treat it as part of your overall marketing plan.

When you embark on this task, think of yourself as the consumer. Whenever you want to find out about anything - whether it's gardening, the stock market, or relationships - you seek out the most obvious expert on the subject matter (you don't throw caution to the wind and take a chance on an unknown).

Here, we'll examine the various ways you can plant seeds of your proficiency all over the 'net, as well as in the offline marketplace.

Soon, your name or brand will be popping up repeatedly when consumers begin looking for information on your topic, and you'll achieve the coveted role of being the obvious expert that others cannot compete with.

Definition: 

Unique Selling Proposition (or USP):


The competitive advantage you have over others in the marketplace; what distinguishes your brand from the rest in how you provide solutions to the marketplace.

How to Position Yourself As the Obvious Expert 

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Every Business Benefits from Expert Positioning 

It's hard to think of a single industry or company that isn't seeking growth and financial expansion. After all, why launch a business at all if you have no expectations and are content with letting its profitability sit stagnant?

Two areas where branding as an authority figure is most vital to your success are careers as a consultant or coach. When someone hires a consultant to help them, it's based solely on that person's higher knowledge, increased insight, and expertise.

The definition of a consultant is "one who gives expert or professional advice," so as part of your marketing strategy, you must become skilled at branding yourself as the obvious expert.

When a business brings on a consultant or coach, it's to better their own operation. They may look for credentials and certifications, but it's the perception they'll have about you that determines whether or not they'll give you a contract - not the paperwork you wave in front of their face to show how many educational credits you have.

Becoming the obvious expert means the world is saturated with news about you - advice you've given, unique perspectives you convey to your clients, and success stories you can brag about.

You can watch as two distinct individuals complete the same life coaching program, and at the end - one goes on to promote himself using a Unique Selling Proposition, while the other awaits success to come knocking on his doorstep.

There's work involved in expert positioning, but consider it part of your advertising budget. Coca Cola spends more than any other soft drink company in the world on advertising - even though they're already #1 in the marketplace.

Why? They know the value of continual branding and market saturation.

 





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Expertise and Branding 

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How to Become the Obvious Expert 

Previously, I mentioned that you have to develop a blueprint for the branding of your expertise.

There are many ways to do it, but let's touch on a few that anyone can employ to start seeing instant results.

Publishing your own products, whether they're short reports or full-length books, can be a boon to your credibility. When you have a product with your name on it, it shows you've accomplished something.

Consumers in general tend to associate the author's name with the area of expertise - even if it's a self-published creation! You have numerous opportunities for publishing - including newsletters, Ezines, white papers, eBooks, web content, articles, and even print books.

Circuit branding is when you begin making the rounds to the interested public in person to showcase your knowledge on the subject matter. This may include giving lectures at colleges, speaking to a group, hosting a seminar, or holding a workshop.

Networking among your peers and forming a strong tie to the industry can help you brand yourself with consumers and other experts. Don't be afraid to rub elbows in organizations and associations where you may or may not have the most knowledge about a topic.

As long as you have a Unique Selling Proposition, no one else can touch your efforts to position yourself as the obvious expert. Each one of these methods includes variations on how you can implement them.

For example, there are different angles you can take when writing articles. You can create a how-to article, provide a solution to a specific problem, give a certain number of tips, or provide shocking new information that you feel will have an impact on the life of your reader.

The Definitive Guide to Becoming the Obvious Expert 

Elsom Eldridge Jr. and Mark L. Eldridge have created the authority guide to expert positioning. You might call them, "the obvious experts to becoming an obvious expert!"

Click here to order your copy of
How to Position Yourself as the Obvious Expert

Which Area of Expertise Honors You as the Obvious Expert? 

Please visit me at The Obvious Expert to learn more about how to become the "go-to" person for your niche!




tmoorer wrote...

excellent information! Good stuff

ReplyPosted December 12, 2007

Niche Marketing, according to Wikipedia 

A niche market is a focused targetable portion (subset) of a market.

By definition, then, a business that focuses on a niche market is addressing a need for a product or service that is not being addressed by mainstream providers. A niche market may be thought of as a narrowly defined group of potential customers.

A distinct niche market usually evolves when a potential demand for a product or service is not met by any supply, or when a new demand arises due to changes in society, technology, or the general environment.

Niche market ventures may become profitable even though they are by nature small in comparison to the mainstream marketplace, or monopoly. due to the benefits of specialization and focus on small identifiable market segments; even without the benefit of economy of scale. Niche markets may be ignored or discounted by large businesses due to what they consider to be small potential; this in turn is part of the process that makes the niche market available to smaller businesses. The key to capitalizing on a niche market is to find or develop a market niche that has customers who are accessible, that is growing fast enough, and that is not owned by one established vendor already.

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