How to get your potential clients to swoon over your expertise
As a Get Seen Strategist & Online Business Coach, I work with many clients who are afraid to put themselves out there. They want to grow their business but are afraid to let people know about their business in a big way. They hide behind their company logo or stock photos and shy away from using their own pictures in their marketing. I have heard excuses like: “I don’t want to be too pushy”, “I am not an extrovert”, “I’m very private”, and a host of others. The truth is that: :: You can be visible online without changing your personality. :: You can self-promote without looking like a used-car salesman. :: You can ‘get out there’ and promote without being an extrovert. :: You can position yourself as a leader or celebrity in your niche with authenticity. So I would like to share with you some ways that you can position yourself as the go-to-person, the expert if you will in your niche WITHOUT seeming salesy, sleezy or pushy.
Start blogging
Make sure you have a website with a blog component, and share content on it weekly. There are various forms of content that you can share. Some of these may include articles, videos, audios, press releases, compilation posts (guest experts sharing their advice on a specific topic), and your top tips on specific areas as it relates to your niche.
Write articles for noteworthy publications in your niche
Here, you can do guest posts on other blogs or write for online magazines and newspapers. This immediately positions you as an expert and authority in your niche. Be sure to include a byline (brief bio and link to your website or social media profile) at the end. Do some research to see what publications are well-read by your niche. Then go to their websites, find out if they're open to guest-authored articles, then submit yours for consideration.
Speak on Podcasts and Radio Shows
Go on a speaking tour. Pitch podcasts and radio shows your topic/area of expertise to let them know you would like to be a guest. There are many podcasts and radio shows out there that are always looking for content and guests. This gives you a great opportunity to speak directly to your target audience, and also positions you as an expert in your niche. Win/win/win
Do videos
Video is the next best thing to speaking in person. Talking to your target audience on video, sharing best practices and advice, gives you a chance to showcase your expertise. This 3D medium is easily accessible and shareable, making it work as a commercial for your business that's available 24/7.
Build and nurture a community on social media
Creating a community around your brand is the name of the game. This gives you a chance to turn interested parties into leads, and into clients. The best place to do this is on Facebook. You can create a business/fan page or a group, or both. Make sure it is branded to look like your website and that you share information about your business, including links back to your site. Then communicate with your community daily. Share tips, articles, and videos. Engage them in challenges, contests, or giveaways. Survey them, get to know them, ask what they like or dislike about your brand, and what would be a dream come true solution as it relates to your niche. This helps you to get on-the-ground research to be able to apply to future products, services or programs for your market. It also helps to develop brand ambassadors for your business who are excited to share with their friends and colleagues the great things that you are doing.
Invite questions from your market
Have you ever been a part of a Q & A session (at the end of a speaking gig, for instance)? The person answering the question is usually seen as --- you guessed it, the expert. There are a few ways you can utilize this same concept in your marketing. :: You can invite questions on your Facebook fan page or in your group if you have one for your business. :: You can invite questions on your website. Create a tab or a link on your about page that says, “Ask [YOURNAME] a question”. Let them know you may feature their question with an answer in a future blog post, video or just do a personal reply. :: Invite questions on Periscope or other live-streaming media, like Google Hangouts. Make an announcement via email and on your social media platforms announcing the time and date that you will be doing your live stream event. Invite those who aren't able to attend the ‘live’ event to email their questions to you, then spend 30 minutes to an hour answering their questions. This is also great market research. It gives you insight into your target client’s most burning issues and challenges. All these strategies can be executed without being salesly, pushy or an all-out extrovert. Further, they go a long way towards providing that expert status and social proof that potential clients love to see. This helps to steer them in the direction towards becoming clients.
What are you doing right now to show your potential clients that you are an expert in your field? Let us know in the comments.