The process of achieving expert status in your niche requires a solid plan of action where you consistently publish content that explore the same topic in ever increasing depth. Public authority evidence within your website content: Revamp your “About Us” page to underscore your expertise in the specific field. Include your professional certifications and recommendations from other experts. For your sales pages be sure to include testimonials from satisfied clients. These website elements are termed “social proof4”defined in Wikipedia as:
“...A PSYCHOLOGICAL PHENOMENON THAT OCCURS IN AMBIGUOUS SOCIAL SITUATIONS WHEN PEOPLE ARE UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATE MODE OF BEHAVIOR. MAKING THE ASSUMPTION THAT SURROUNDING PEOPLE POSSESS MORE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE SITUATION, THEY WILL DEEM THE BEHAVIOR OF OTHERS AS APPROPRIATE OR BETTER INFORMED.”
Establish an open dialogue . Remember, communication is the key: create channels of communication and encourage people to email or contact you with questions using a comments/suggestion/feedback page. When you help people solve their problems it increases their confidence in you as an expert.
Become a Contributor to other blogs : Select authority blogs within you field of expertise and offer to become a contributor. Publishing articles on related websites reinforces your visibility in your niche. This is very useful in terms of branding yourself which is much more important than the amount of website traffic you’ll receive. Remember to mention your “guest” blogging on your website and include your keywords in your by-line.
4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_proofAuthor a book : Today with “on-demand” publishing services and e-book software, the high-cost barrier to being published in paper or electronic format has been removed. When you write a book on a specific topic, it immediately establishes you as someone who is knowledgeable in the field. An electronic book or “e-book” can be used to enhance your personal brand. These can be easily shared and are concentrated illustrations of your expertise.
Participate in discussions: Select the conversations that are focused on your topic and contribute your knowledge. You can choose to be active by offer answers or advice to queries in communities within your niche or publish an article in response and invite traffic from the forums to your website. Commenting on blogs is an easy and effective way to add more credibility to your reputation.
Spotlight your accomplishments: Utilize the input from others to help shape the perception of your website. Create a standalone page to draw attention to your achievements. Create a section of content items such as; industry publication articles, media interviews, news articles and website ranking lists.
Expand the scope of your knowledge: Information is dynamic, develop the habit of researching new developments and using new techniques such as “mind mapping” to build more value into your own content. Create articles which explain the methodology or expand on certain principles or step outside of your main audience focus. Use your audience demographics and create articles related to your niche based on location, gender, age or occupation. This strategy increases the potential for growth in your audience as well as increases the depth of your perspective.
SUMMARYThe previously outlined content issues are some of the basic elements you need to create authority. By carefully choosing a strategy and the right tools, you can craft perceptions in your favor for your unique brand. In the next section, “Web 2.0 Components and Tools” will reveal the nuts and bolts to building your social media marketing campaign on this foundation.
In closing it is important to emphasize the personal component that is invaluable in creating an authority presence and utilizing social media marketing to its fullest potential. The information provided in this section should make the time and effort investment clear. Without a doubt, you must be truly passionate about your niche to be convincing as an expert. You may try to fake it, but don’t – it will come back to bite you.