Because business is built on trust and credibility, this is something that you need to work on to get others to listen to what you have to say and to impact opinions and decisions.
By being viewed as an authority in your field, you will be viewed as being among the best. And that’s what people want: to work with, learn from, and collaborate with the best.
So, how do you position yourself as an authority, irrespective of your niche? In this article, we provide some easy, actionable steps that you can take to do so.
How to position yourself as an authority
- Pinpoint your niche
- Choose the right channels
- Write
- Get media coverage
- Build your website
- Be consistent
- Curate good content and build relationships
- Be patient
In the section below, we highlight some of the key steps you can take to position yourself as an authority. Here’s what you need to know:
1. Pinpoint your niche
As a business owner, you’ve already identified a market gap that needs to be filled with your product or service solution.
Now, it’s time to take that to the next level and pinpoint exactly where your areas of expertise lie.
To do this, you need to stay well-informed about constant industry developments and trends and position your insights about these in a way that will be easy to consume and understand.
It’s also important to challenge the current thinking about a topic, and you can do so through self-generated data that you own.
Examples of ways you can do this include polls, online surveys, and studies you may have commissioned yourself.
2. Choose the right channels
Speaking of making your insights easy to consume and understand, you also need to choose the right channels where you will present your valuable thoughts. You have many options, including social media.
Professional platforms such as LinkedIn are a great starting point.
However, if, through the product discovery phase, you’ve discovered that your business proposition is geared toward a younger target audience, you may want to consider Facebook or Instagram.
Twitter is another platform to consider, although there are many social media channels to choose from.
Once you’re on these platforms, don’t be afraid to celebrate your credentials and achievements. It’s a great way to start building your authority by positioning yourself as an expert in your field.
3. Write
It’s not only about using the platforms to spread the word about your credentials, though. And this is where the hard part begins. That’s because you need to invest some time in writing. But what should you write?
Firstly, make sure that you have a business blog where you can pen your thoughts.
Also, reach out to others and offer guest blog articles to publish on their sites (which should be credible and have a high authority).
To streamline the writing process and maintain consistency, consider using AI writing tools that can assist you in generating high-quality content efficiently.
Make sure your articles always have a word count higher than 600 and offer value in each one. Also worth spending time on is writing white papers and ebooks.
Alternatively, you may wish to start a podcast where you have valuable and meaningful conversations with industry experts.
The transcripts of these podcasts, which can be generated efficiently using artificial intelligence transcription tools, should be published, too, making it easier for a broader audience to access them.
4. Get media coverage
Apart from writing and publishing your thoughts on your channels, it’s also time to reach out to others in the industry who can spread the word about you.
You can do so by “riding the wave” of the audience and the trust they’ve built to spread your novel ideas.
In the industry, this is known as outreach or link building.
A great example of a platform where you can start doing so is through HARO link building.
Essentially, this is a platform where journalists seek out professional opinions, and it’s an opportunity you should grab with both hands to get featured in as many relevant media outlets as possible.
5. Build your website
You should also leverage numbers as social proof.
Examples of social proof include ratings and reviews, testimonials, real-time user activity, brand logos, and celebrity or influencer endorsements.
Consider discussing the cost of building a website that effectively conveys these elements of authority and social proof to bolster your online presence.
6. Be consistent
Once you have taken the first steps on the path of building your authority, you need to be consistent.
Providing a sense of reliability by posting regularly shows that you are committed to your cause. It also shows dedication to your efforts and makes you more trustworthy.
7. Curate good content and build relationships
In the space that you choose to occupy, you should not have a self-focused aim of only promoting yourself as much as possible. It’s about lifting others up at the same time.
For this reason, we recommend that you curate good content and share others’ work.
When you do this, these others are likely to share your work as well. It’s a great way to build relationships and your network. And speaking of building relationships, make sure to be approachable.
Being human, being humorous, adding a personal touch, and engaging your community are just some of the ways in which you can be more effective.
8. Be patient
We know that you would like to fast-track the process but remember that becoming an authority in any niche is a process that cannot be fast-tracked. It takes time, and you need to be patient.
Your cumulative efforts will pay off.
However, you need to follow our suggestions above and be consistently insightful as you walk the road towards building your authority.
Final Thoughts
Becoming an overnight sensation or authority in your field is unlikely. It can take months and years to develop, and it’s something you should work towards every day.
Identifying your niche and sticking within the boundaries of your expertise, you can add value and your own unique perspective to the members of your community. However, it takes patience and time.
But once you’ve started, your efforts will pay off.
It’s about consistency and reliability and showing at every opportunity that you are a trusted and reliable source of information that you constantly put out and engage your audience with.
The numbers will start adding up. Just give it time and give your best.
Author Bio
Nikola Baldikov is a skilled SEO expert who is dedicated to helping businesses thrive.
He is the esteemed founder of InBound Blogging, where his expertise lies in search engine optimization and crafting effective content strategies.
Throughout his career, he has had the pleasure of collaborating with a wide range of companies regardless of their scale and has consistently aided them in accomplishing their objectives online.
During his leisure time he finds joy in engaging in football matches and dance routines.
