You want to take your business to the next level. You want to be known for your expertise and have others look to you for the solutions to their problems. One of the best ways to build this type of trust and brand recognition is to build authority. Building authority in your business means that you have gained recognition for your insights, knowledge and expertise. In today's competitive online market you need to make building your brand authority as a top priority. Here are four ways to build authority in your space and build trust with your clientele.
4 ways to Build Authority in Your Space
Building a name for your business is certainly not easy, but there are a few key ways that help you stand out and build trust with your clients. If you are new to the entrepreneur game then building up your arsenal of content is a beautiful way to show your worth.
Create Informative Authority
Stick to being an expert in one thing.
The saying goes Jack of All trades is a master of none.
Define the main problem that your business solves and begin to create content surrounding the recommendations, solutions and ideas within that sphere.
A few ways to do this are through identifying your content pillars; the 3 main ideas that surround the business problem that you solve.
Then create topic clusters off of those three topics.
Even though someone may have spoke on these topics before, they do not have your unique brand voice.
Leverage your unique point of view and get insightful on your niche and highlight a few key tips on how your customers can solve their problems.
Create content based off of these pillars through:
- Blogging
- Videos (IGTV, FaceBook Lives or YouTube Videos)
- Guest Blogging on Authority Platforms
- Podcast Interviews
- Start Your Own Podcast
- Create an eBook
Leverage Your Career Experience
If you're like me, you may have come from a corporate company and have built up a wealth of knowledge from your past experiences.
Do not discount this experience and instead use it to your advantage. If you want to build authority and bring a unique perspective, this is where you can truly take your original ideas and experiences to compliment your knowledge in your current space.
Here are some ideas to consider:
- What unique solutions did your previous positions teach you and how do they relate to your current niche?
- What mistakes did you make in your previous positions that led you to where you are now.
- How do these industries (albeit different from your current niche) relate and what processes have you retained that are also applicable in your current space.
Highlight other Experts to Build Authority
One of the easiest ways to build your brand when you're just starting out is to highlight what others are saying. Use their authority to build your own.
I had one client who leveraged interviewing local businesses to build their brand. By highlighting the knowledge and success of another you can build up your expertise and gain brand recognition.
- Take your favorite author and quote them
- Interview someone who also can help your clients on live streams
- Blog about a topic and quote other authors that support your view.
- Speak or post on a topic and then use other expert's posts to support your ideas.
- Use guest posts on your own platform as a way to validate your mindset and content.
Let Your Clients Build Authority for You
Client testimonials are worth their weight in GOLD!
Lemme say it again...Client testimonials are worth their weight in gold.
If you have previous clients that you have worked with and are able to get their feedback, this information can help you evolve your current strategy while providing your audience with proof that you create results for your clients. This builds invaluable trust and continues to be the number one way that clients feel confident in working with you.
Don't have any testimonials? Haven't had any clients yet?
No fear love! Here are a couple ways to get clients.
Do it for free? WHAAAT? I know, but it is imperative that you build clientelle and one of the best ways to do so is to give it away.
Not cool with giving it away for free? I get it, I charged only $20 per coaching session when I was starting out and that allowed three things:
- To get clients
- To ensure that my clients were committed as much as I
- Build experience and a platform for testimonials.
Once you have some experience under your belt, you can share it with the world!
How?
- Send your clients an email and remind them of all the amazing things you accomplished!
- Then ask them for their feedback with some very pointed questions that will help you build a testimonial.
Here are some questions you may want to ask:
- What was one of the most impactful things you learned while working with me?
- What was one of the biggest wins that you found from working with me?
- If someone asked about how it was working with me, what would you say to them?
- What are three benefits you felt you received?
- Is there anything that you would have changed about our working process?
- Are there any opportunities that you see I might be able to improve upon?
Final Thoughts
Creating multiple outlets to convey your business authority should be a crucial tactic in your business strategy.
Remember that building authority takes time and patience. Your audience is looking for valuable and unique solutions to their problems. Ensure that your brand messaging and your content pillars are on point and you will be miles ahead in your approach.
Feeling a bit off in your approach and need roadmap? I work with service-based entrepreneurs and help them gain clarity in their strategy and build marketing plans to grow their brands. Click here for a free discovery session where we can walk through where you are now, where you wanna be and create a strategic plan to get you there.
