How to Position Yourself as the Obvious Expert

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.

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.

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.

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!"

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How to Position Yourself as the Obvious Expert