How to become the 'go to' expert in your niche
Become the Expert in your niche
At this month's meeting of the Entrepreneurs Circle in St Albans, we took a deep dive into what it takes to become the 'go to' in your own market space. It was a fabulous evening of insight, discussion and ideas.
What was clear is that whatever business you are in, if you can position yourself as the expert in your field or niche then that will stand you in great stead for growing and building your business. It's all about your 'Category of One' which is what sets you apart and differentiates you from your competitors.
You want people to know you and see you as the 'go-to' person whenever anyone in your circle needs help with that area. You want them to remember you first when they think of a solution for their problems. That might sound like tough work, but it’s easier than you think.
What follows are a few ideas from the meeting that will help you start becoming the expert in your own space. It is by no means a definitive list but will hopefully help to get you thinking about the things that will help you position yourself as the go to for your industry.
Know more about your customers
If you want to become the 'go to' it's vital that you research and understand your customers. You need to know more about them than anyone else in your niche. You need to get closer to them than anyone else and talk to them to understand why they use you and what it is about your service that they love. It's often quite enlightening to hear why your customers actually use you and it's often not the most obvious reason that 'you' think it is! Let them guide you and help you understand what it is that makes you great!
Create content that educates your audience
Most great business relationships begin with a conversation. That’s why it’s so important to nurture those relationships and make sure you’re talking to the right people at the right time. That means you need to be putting content out there that’s not only beneficial to your customers, but is also engaging and helps you stand out from the crowd. You should be blogging and publishing content regularly. In doing so, you’ll establish yourself as the go-to expert in your niche and help get the attention you need to take your business to the next level.
Become an influencer in your niche
In order to truly become an influencer in your niche, you need to become an expert. That means reading and studying until you know everything there is to know about that topic. You need to know the problems your audience faces, the questions they ask, and you need to know the solutions. If you don’t, you can’t become an expert in your niche. It’s important that you don’t simply study the industry and then expect people to flock to you. You have to go out and find them. That being said, social media is a great way to start increasing your visibility and building a following.
Develop relationships with key people
If you want to become a go-to expert, you need to find other people who are already experts in the field and build relationships with them. It doesn’t matter if they have more followers or if they have a bigger brand name, if they hold the keys to the future of your business, you need to be building relationships with them. You can start by following the experts in your niche on social media and then moving onto connecting with them on those same channels. Success leaves clues so learn from those that have alreay put in the hard work to become experts!
Offer a free resource to build your email list
The best way to build a list that you can start to nurture is to create a resource that they can’t find anywhere else and then offer it to people in exchange for their email. One of the best ways to do this and actually get subscribers on your list is to create a free ebook or guide. For example, if you are in the fitness niche, you could create a guide on how to build muscle mass. Or, if you’re an expert in marketing, you could create an ebook about finding and growing your email list.
Think differently
Don't be a sheep and just follow the flock! The key to becoming the go to in your market is to be creative and do things differently. Just being good at what you do isn't enough to set you apart so become the authority in your area, claim the space and anoint yourself as no-one else will give it to you! If you think the same as you (and your competitors) have always thought you'll be compared to others and become commoditised and that's when people simply buy on price. Think creatively about what puts a distance between you and your competitors.
Create a drip email sequence to build relationship and showcase expertise
After you have the foundation of a robust email list and people are opening your emails, you need to make sure that you’re using that opportunity to build a relationship and showcase your expertise. One way to do this is with a drip email sequence. In short, a drip sequence is a series of emails that focus on a single topic. For example, if you’re an expert in fitness and nutrition, you could create a drip sequence that focuses on how to eat healthy on a budget. One way to build relationship and showcase your expertise is to ask your readers for their questions. Ask them what their biggest challenges are and what they want to learn from you. Then write the email sequence based on their questions.
And finally...
When you position yourself as the go-to expert in your niche, you’ll be able to charge higher rates, build a larger client base, and have a lot more freedom in your career. In order to do this, you need to be creative, think differently and stop hiding your light under a bushel and put yourself out there!
If you do you'll be rewarded and be crowned the local expert in your niche - good luck!
The Entrepreneurs Circle Business Growth & Networking Group in St Albans meets every month to support local business owners. We're part of The Entrepreneurs Circle - the UK's largest Membership Organisation for Entrepreneurs who want to get
and keep more customers.
If you'd like to find out more about how this local group can help support you as a business owner or if you'd like to join us at one of our meetings just contact us and we'll be happy to help.
