How To Become a Trusted Go-To Source For Content in Your Market
As you probably know, creating content is one of the keys to building a successful online business (especially an info-product business). You need content to…
- Generate Traffic.
- Convert this traffic into subscribers.
- Build relationships with your prospects.
- Convert prospects into buyers.
- Nurture buyers into repeat customers
And if you’re selling info-products, you’ll need plenty of content in the form of ebooks, videos and more to satisfy your customers.
Now here’s the thing…
None of this content will be that effective if no one considers you the “go-to” expert in your market. Makes sense, right?
If no one’s ever heard of you, they’re not going to be beating down your door any time soon. So the question is… how do you become that “expert”?
Hint: It’s not a “one & done” sort of thing. You must take multiple steps consistently to build and protect your brand reputation as a trusted source. Here’s how it’s done…
Specialize In One Topic
Don’t try to be a Jack of all trades in your niche. Instead, find one topic and specialize in it. Ideally, this should be a topic that others aren’t specializing in, or one that you can compete in because you’re gifted with special qualifications.
This doesn’t mean you can’t write about other topics. It means you want to develop a reputation as the go-to source for one specialized topic.
For example… maybe you’re selling bodybuilding information. You can write about all sorts of bodybuilding topics – but perhaps you specialize in “ripping up,” so you’ll know from your own experience when to “peak” and hone that chiseled body ready for competition.
To make this extremely effective, you may want to introduce some branding that shines the light on your specialization. Let’s go back to the bodybuilding example…
Let’s suppose you’re the expert in helping people “rip up” before a show. Whenever you sign your name, it might look something like this… John Smith, the Definition Man
Next…
Offer Breaking News
Part of becoming a “go-to” source is being the first to share news in your niche, especially about how the news impacts your audience and any related advice you can give them. In particular, focus on sharing news related to your specialty topic.
Tip: When you share news, be sure to link to “official” news articles from legitimate sources. And avoid fringe news sites… to protect your reputation.
Next…
Blow Your Own Horn
Why should your audience listen to you?…
Here’s your opportunity to blow your own horn by touting your credentials. This includes anything that makes you uniquely qualified to teach a specific specialized topic (and the niche topic as a whole), like…
- Relevant credentials.
- Work experience.
- Awards and accolades.
- Results you’ve created for yourself.
- Results you’ve created for others.
- Strategies you’ve pioneered.
- Items you’ve invented.
- Other experts who’ve endorsed you.
And any other “proof” you’re a trusted source of information regarding this topic.
For example…
Share this credential with your audience if you’ve won a prestigious award in your industry. You could share it on your “About Page,” in the sidebar of your blog, in your social media profiles, in the “About” section of your free and paid products, in your newsletter byline… basically, anywhere your audience is going to see it.
Let’s suppose you’re writing about dog training. You can let people know you’ve been doing it a long time by sharing a story within your content.
E.G., “When I trained my first dog 30 years ago, I made quite a few mistakes…”
Make a Great Impression
The key here is to ensure every piece of content you publish is high-quality and looks great. This means doing the following…
- Creating well-written, engaging, and accurate content.
- Designing the interior of the product so that it looks polished and professional.
- Getting a professional ecover.
If you cannot do these things for yourself, it’s a good idea to outsource the tasks to professionals. Post the tasks on sites like… Upwork.com, Guru.com, and Fiverr.com. And if you’re going down that route, ensure you’re updated on the dos and don’ts at >dedoharrsion.com.< Click on the link to receive all the information on Outsourcing (it’s FREE).
Share Good Content For FREE
The idea behind this strategy is to share high-caliber content that others charge for. Not only does it help establish you as the “go-to” source in your market – but it also makes people think your paid content must be good if you’re giving this quality product away for FREE.
Provide Something Fresh
Part of becoming the go-to content source means you can’t just share the same as everyone else. You need to share something original to develop a reputation as an expert/authority in your niche.
If you can pioneer a strategy… that’s great! If you can share a tip you’ve never witnessed elsewhere… that’s good too. Here are some other ways…
Create a case study or experiment. While others may also do case studies, etc… no two are the same.
Share a personal story. For example, did you have to overcome a serious challenge before you became the person you are today? Do you have an embarrassing anecdote to share? While everyone tells stories, your one will be unique… just like you. And remember, not only do stories make your content more memorable, but they also help engage your readers emotionally.
Share information in a unique way. For example, if everyone in your niche shares information in text-format. You can stand out by sharing short videos ( this also helps humanize you and builds trust in your audience).
Create a formula. Still another way to stand out from your competitors is by creating a formula for achieving a step-by-step process. I like to do this by creating acronyms around a process. So, even though others are sharing similar information, my formula stands out (and by creating the formula, I’m positioned as an expert).
For example, suppose you have a six-step formula for building a business. You may call it the “P.R.O.F.I.T.” formula… where each letter corresponds to a step in the process. E.G., Step 1. PICK a business model, Step 2. RESEARCH the Market… and so on with the rest of the letters (I think you get the picture).
Now for the next tip…
Interact With Readers
To move past the image of a “faceless company,” you must interact with your readers. And that’s the reason for posting to interactive platforms. Be sure you reply to comments and/or “like” comments. This helps build relationships… building rapport and cementing their loyalty.
Host Live Events
Live events – such as webinars – tend to carry a high perceived value. This goes a long way to cementing your reputation as an authority in your niche. Plus, a live event allows you to interact one-on-one with your audience as you field questions and showcase your expertise with your answers.
Protect Your Reputation
Your reputation is one of your most valuable assets. It takes time to build a good reputation in your niche. But you can destroy it with one misplaced post, product, or comment. That’s why you’ll want to protect your good reputation fiercely with these tips…
- Post “high-quality” content only. Don’t push out subpar content to meet a deadline. Better to be a few hours late than to put out something that will destroy your reputation.
- Be careful with what you promote. Review and use every product you promote, and be brutally honest in your assessment. If you don’t think it’s any good, say so. This integrity will build your reputation as trustworthy in your niche.
Here’s the next tip…
Blanket Your Niche With Content
Still another way to position yourself as the go-to source of information is by being everywhere at once. Whenever your prospects search for information online… your brand should be there, waiting to help. This repeated association will help build your authority in the niche.
Here are some of the ways to distribute your content…
- Publish high-quality content.
- Do guest blogging.
- Share content via your newsletter.
- Post on social media.
- Syndicate your content.
- Use search engine optimization strategies so that prospects find your content when they’re searching for specific niche problems.
- Do webinars.
- Produce high-quality freemiums and lead magnets.
- Create re-brandable reports for affiliates to distribute.
- Publish a book on Kindle
- Sell a hard copy book (check – CreateSpace.com)
- Give local talks and post video clips of them.
- Create and share the videos on YouTube, your blog, and social media.
- Create viral content such as infographics, short videos, blog posts, and similar.
- Distribute press releases locally as well as using services such as PRWeb.com.
- Ask your joint venture partners to help distribute your content.
- Place paid advertising that points to your content.
- Post Comments/content in niche communities such as forums and Facebook groups (preferably ones you own, but you can also post in ones belonging to others).
You get the idea… everywhere your prospects look in your niche should have them stumbling on your name and content.
Do Interviews
When you do an interview, you’re automatically perceived as an expert. That’s why you’ll want to offer yourself for interviews to people in your niche. This includes…
- Encouraging affiliates to interview you. You can then promote your offer using your affiliate link, so you both benefit when people buy through the interview.
- Creating a “media page” on your site to encourage media outlets to contact you for interviews about your specialty topic. Be sure to include information about the topics you want to discuss, emphasizing your chosen topic. Be sure to include video or audio clips (samples) from past interviews.
- Seeking out interviews in your niche. Is there a blogger, talk radio host, or other influencer who tends to do plenty of interviews in your niche? If so, get in touch to offer yourself as a guest expert on your specialty topic. Again, send clips so they can see for themselves you’ll be a high-quality guest.
Now a few passing thoughts…
As you can see, becoming the “go-to” expert in your niche isn’t something that happens overnight. It takes consistent steps in all (or most) of the steps I’ve outlined above.
When you take these steps… you’ll become a superstar. And people will automatically follow you because of your perceived expertise. This is when your business truely takes off! So, it’s well worth the investment in time and effort. To that end…
… here’s an assignment – Create a plan for becoming the go-to expert in your niche. Go through each of the steps and tips listed in this report, and brainstorm how you can implement that tip in your business.