When you’re one business in a sea of thousands, you’ve got to take every advantage to stand out. One way to do that is to show off your expertise. You know your industry inside and out, and the more you share your wisdom, the better connected potential customers become to you and your brand.
Blogging is one of the best ways to become an industry leader. Consider this: people are searching for answers to their questions or solutions to their problems about 400,000 times a day. If your business blog provides answers to those questions, you’ve attracted new loyal followers. And those followers, if you continue to help them, will become new customers.
What to Blog About
The key is figuring out what your audience cares about. What are the questions your customers ask you over and over? What conversations do you get into on social media? These are great topics to start with on your blog.
Search keywords on Google Trends to find out the hot topics people are searching for right now. Peruse Twitter, Google + and Facebook to see the topics people are chatting about.
Some types of posts you can incorporate include:
- How to
- DIY (even if it means not using your product)
- Frequently asked questions
- Basic 101 info
- Interviews
- Product reviews
- Videos
Aim for a mix of these to create variety on your blog. The more frequently you post to your blog, the better you’ll appear in search results. You can also guest blog on other sites to get increased visibility with others blogs’ audiences.
Other Expert Tools
Social media is another fantastic tool to build your credibility. You can share your blog posts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google +, as well as be available for people who have questions you can answer.
Quora’s another one. There, people ask questions about every topic under the sun. Find a category you know well, and start answering questions. The more you answer, the higher profile you’ll be given.
Speaking at conferences or holding workshops can also boost your credibility. Find events that target industries your clients are in, and see if there are opportunities for you to share your wisdom on stage.
The Benefits of Branding Yourself as an Expert
The more active you are — especially online — the more people will come to you with questions. And as a result, you’ll see an uptick in web traffic and sales! Remember: establishing yourself is an expert is an ongoing task. Keep your profiles updated, and continue to deliver relevant content to your audience, and you’ll help your business grow.
