Be Seen as the Expert in your Niche

“How can I get people to see me as the expert in my niche?”

This was a real head-scratcher for me.

Even after 7 years in corporate marketing for national brands, I didn’t have any great examples of helping solopreneurs or small businesses grow on social media.

But I knew that I needed to OWN my niche and be seen as the expert.

Luckily, showing your credibility and being seen as the expert just takes a little time, passion, and persistence! Here’s the approach that will help YOU be seen as the leading expert in your niche — the one your customers seek out for help.

This is for you if:

You want to build credibility in your industry and be seen as the expert in your niche, but you aren’t sure where to start.
You don’t have a ton of extra cash or time to spend “elevating” your profile with ads (not the best approach anyway, by the way).
You want your customers to see YOU as the credible expert in their problems, the one who can help them get what they want.

Here’s what you need to do!

1. Speak to your TRIBE

Focus on being seen as the go-to resource in your niche — NOT for everyone, but only for a SPECIFIC type of person.

Let’s say you’re a mindset coach, for example. Your perspective, style, and approach around mindset will resonate with some people, and not others. Maybe you have a gentle, supportive approach that works wonders for sensitive people who need someone to dismantle their limiting beliefs, but won’t work for someone who just needs “tough love” and a kick in the pants to take action.

So who are your most loyal fans? Who absolutely LOVES your perspective and the way you show up?

I share marketing and business tips — not for everyone, but for a specific type of person. For the heart-centered entrepreneur who wants to grow their business authentically, from a place of purpose and service. I wouldn’t be a good fit for someone who wants to know how to manipulate people into buying. I’m literally the worst coach on Earth for those people!

But when you know WHO you’re for, you can easily attract your tribe and become the go-to resource on your topic, for your people!

Psst! If you’re still figuring out your niche, snag my Client Attraction Toolkit and you’ll know exactly who you’re for (and who you’re not for) in no time!

2. Show up + solve their problems

Don’t just share everything you know! Less is more. Focus on solving the problems your tribe has today.

Start by brainstorming a list of problems or questions your customer has. If you get stuck, share a poll on your social media with your audience, or reach out to some people who fit the profile of your ideal customers, and ask them what they struggle with!

Start every piece of content with understanding what problem you’re solving, and you’ll have people tuning in, learning from you, getting value from your content, and coming back for more help later!

By the way, if you feel overwhelmed by content creation, snag my Content Planning Toolkit to get organized and set up a process so you always know what to do, and when, and never run out of content ideas again.

3. Follow the 70% rule

We all tend to underestimate our own abilities — especially women. In the job market, women tend to pursue job opportunities only if they meet 100% of the job requirements, which holds them back from great opportunities (studies show that applicants who are 60% qualified are no less likely to get an interview or get hired than applicants who are 90% qualified).

In other words, many of us don’t aim as high as we could.

So apply this to your content and your business visibility! Speak on topics you feel 70% qualified and prepared to talk about.

You’ll be surprised how much you know!

And remember that even the most basic concepts for you, the most obvious lessons you learned early in your career, can be game-changing for your customer, who doesn’t have the experience you have in your field!

4. Have an opinion

One essential piece of the expertise puzzle is having an opinion! You need to have a unique perspective and point of view that colors everything you do!

Essentially, you want to share what YOU see as the best way to solve the problem your customer has.

Because there are a lot of opinions out there about how they should be solving their problem. You want to have the one that resonates most with your IDEAL client.

For example, there are a lot of brand strategists out there. Some of them may feel like the best way to grow a brand is to:

Fake it til you make it
Throw your competitors under the bus
Create an illusion of success
Make as much noise as possible
Create ads that go viral overnight
Hire a company to grow your Instagram

These may appeal to some customers, but they’re not my style. I prefer a purpose-led, heart-centered approach. I believe the best way to grow your brand is to lean into who you are and what you believe is important. That’s what attracts your tribe to you!

So think about all the ways your competitors solve your customer’s problem, and then figure out what YOU really believe is the right solution.

Side note: If you’re figuring this out right now, grab my Brand Messaging Toolkit and I’ll walk you step-by-step through dialing in on your unique voice and message.

5. Show confidence

This one takes time and practice, but you want to project confidence in your own message and content!

I’m not talking about swagger! I’m not talking about pretending to be someone you’re not. I’m not talking about being loud or aggressive.

I’m talking about true confidence. Holding your own space, believing in your message, and speaking with conviction. I’m talking about believing in yourself enough to try, and keep trying, and get better.

Camera presence is nice to have, but ultimately what really counts is that people see your belief in your message and your content, and your commitment to showing up to share it with them.

That’s true confidence!

6. Create flagship content

Flagship content is just high-value content that doesn’t lose its relevance over time.

Think about Mel Robbins and the 5-Second Rule. If she introduced the 5-second rule in a blog post and that was the end of it, it wouldn’t have catapulted her to success. Instead, she wrote a book about it.

A book is evergreen, it lasts forever, and it’s a flagship piece of content for her brand. It represents the message she stands for — that you don’t have to slave away for months or years to turn your life around. That getting unstuck in life is just 5 intentional, mindful seconds away.

Think about the concepts you think and talk about all the time with your audience. Over time, you’ll start to see an overarching theme and pattern emerging. A message that needs to be spread. An idea that people need to know about.

Create flagship content — an ebook, a video, an audio recording, or something else — to reflect your brand and what you stand for!

7. Pursue media opportunities

This is a somewhat optional/advanced step, but I want to include it so you have a fairly complete list!

Once you have your flagship piece of content, take the next step to get in front of new audiences and share your message. Spread your idea into the world. Show people what you’re all about!

Seek out podcast, blogs, vlogs, and print publications to do guest appearances on. Find outlets with an audience you want to get in front of, because you know your people are there!

When you reach out to ask for a guest slot, focus on what’s in the opportunity for the host! What free value can you bring to his or her audience? How will their lives be better or different after your guest appearance?

Start with people you know, and you’ll get more and more confident (and have more credibility) reaching out to more and more influential media outlets in your industry!

Recap!

The 7 things you need to do to be seen as the expert in your niche are:

Focus on your tribe
Show up and solve their problems
Follow the 70% rule
Have an opinion
Have confidence!
Create flagship content
Pursue media opportunities

Ready to grow your brand and position yourself as the credible expert in your niche? Get started building your stand-out brand with the Brand Blueprint + 7-day Email Course below!

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Hey! I’m Ashley.

I’m all about growing your mission-driven business with heart and intention! If you need help connecting authentically with your dream clients, you’re in the right place.

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