“You need to establish your Brand-as-an-Expert.”
While there are an ever changing array of tools to grow and nurture your platform, like most things in life, it doesn’t happen overnight.
An excerpt from Book Two in “The Knowledge Path Series” dedicated to helping you make more money from a lifestyle businesses you’re truly passionate about.
Trusted Advisor. Thought Leader. Acknowledged Authority.
You need to establish your Brand-as-an-Expert.
In the publishing world – getting your book published is all about establishing an authority platform.
Bigger bets get placed on authors with both authority and visibility – to an established audience.
One that is both receptive and appropriate.
So part one is to demonstrate your credibility and set of credentials.
Part two is to describe to publishers just who is it that knows you.
- Who is aware of your work?
- Where does your work appear regularly?
- How many people see articles you’ve written?
- And, what kind of proven reach can you claim – how and where does it spread virally?
For consultants we’re talking about the decision-makers you’ve targeted, worked with and others just like them.
Or, even better, others who aren’t just like them but who will recognize the value you offer and seek you out.
Show where you’ve made an impact in your niche.
Case studies and happy client testimonials.
And your reach?
You can offer evidence like the size of your email newsletter list.
Or state statistics you monitor about your website traffic and blog comments illustrating your expertise.
Sprinkle in some high-profile reviews and testimonials from A-Listers and your well on your way to building a stellar authority platform.
An engaged audience is golden.
So, it’s all about self-promotion, then?
No.
And it’s not about hard selling or annoying people at all.
You don’t have to be or act like an extrovert if that’s not your natural inclination.
While blogging may be involved you don’t have to go on and on about your how wonderful you are.
How excellent your credentials are or how unique your experience and accomplishments have been.
That feels like bragging and it is.
And, it’s easily detected as a major turnoff.
While there are an ever changing array of tools to grow and nurture your platform, like most things in life, it doesn’t happen overnight.
And, you can’t buy it either.
It’s more about putting in consistent effort over the trajectory of your career.
Your platform organically grows out of your body of work, out of consistently doing great work.
It comes about by making incremental improvements in the ongoing expansion of your network.
By making smaller waves that grow into larger waves of attraction.
Steps:
(11) Maintain a consistent process of content aggregation, curation, composition, and circulation.