EP 23: How To Position Yourself As An Authority In Your Field

Everyone wants to be seen as credible, but what about positioning yourself as an authority in your field? No matter where you are in your journey, anyone can be seen as a leader without striving for perfection!

In this episode of Shop Talk, “How To Position Yourself As An Authority In Your Field,” I’ll teach you what you need to know to set yourself apart as an industry expert by embracing your individuality.

You don’t need to know everything to make an impact – you just need to believe in yourself and deliver the value you offer to your perfect ideal customer. By serving your audience and providing them value and support, you’ll be well on your way to making a difference in your industry!

Snapshot of this episode:

1:41 – Why Striving To Be The Best Can Set You Up For Failure
4:15 – Positioning Yourself As An Authority – 3 Mindset Shifts
11:17 – How to Build Trust and Authority
27: 43 – Creating Content Seamlessly
37:20 – Top Content Creation Resources for Entrepreneurs

https://youtu.be/OMNY7fuXfZw

Establishing yourself as an industry expert is crucial to building trust and credibility with potential clients. However, many entrepreneurs make the mistake of thinking they need to be the best in their field to succeed.

I mean, everywhere you look, there are thought leaders creating and sharing amazing content online.

It can be so easy to get stuck in your mind thinking there’s no space for you. That everything that needs to be said has already been done. And there are already plenty of people who have more time and experience – so you should throw in the towel now.

But I want you to hear me loud and clear – there is plenty of space for you! Your voice matters. Your point of view matters. Your leadership matters.

And truthfully? Your audience is waiting to hear from you!

I probably don’t need to share this, but I will anyway; positioning yourself as an expert in your space is a complete game-changer for your business. Not only does it help you build trust and authority with your audience, but it also helps you gain more exposure, which ultimately helps your business grow.

You might be thinking: “I know that Misty – but how the heck do I become known as an expert?”

And that’s what I want to talk about today.

Why Striving To Be The Best Can Set You Up For Failure

First, I want you to know that you don’t need to have a million followers online. You don’t have to wait until you have years of experience. And you don’t have to have a master’s degree.

Positioning yourself as an expert is easier than you might think.

You see, most people make the mistake of thinking that to be viewed as an expert, you have to be the expert. Meaning they have to be “the best.” The reality is – you don’t!

Honestly, striving to be the best is likely going to set you up for failure. Let me explain…

Striving to be the best at something can be a double-edged sword. While it can motivate you to work harder and push yourself to achieve great things, it can also set unrealistic expectations and lead to feelings of inadequacy. Here are a few reasons why:

Perfectionism

This level of striving can often be linked to perfectionism. This trait is driven by a strong desire to achieve flawlessness according to high standards. Instead of feeling good about yourself, this usually leads to increased stress and anxiety, fear of failure, and a tendency to be overly self-critical as you set unrealistic expectations.

Comparison

The second problem with setting your sights on being “the best” is it often leads to comparison. When this unrealistic achievement is your goal, you are constantly comparing yourself to others who are also stuck in the same striving loop you are. This can lead to a sense of competition and jealousy, which can be detrimental to your mental health and well-being.

Burnout

Pushing yourself too hard can lead to neglecting your self-care. Once you start neglecting your needs, this leads to physical and mental exhaustion and may even cause you to give up on your goals altogether.

None of these are healthy – or necessary!

So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the pressure to be the best, take a step back and focus on what makes you unique. Remember that your clients are looking for someone who can offer them value and support, not necessarily the best person in the world. By adopting a more realistic goal and embracing your individuality, you’ll be well on your way to positioning yourself as an industry expert.

Positioning Yourself As An Authority – 3 Mindset Shifts

Now that we understand why striving can be counterproductive, let’s dive into the three mindset shifts necessary to position yourself as an authority in your field.

#1) Share What You Know

Are you ready for this?

You only need to be a few steps ahead of your perfect ideal customer (PIC). It’s true! You only need to focus on sharing your expertise. You’re not trying to appeal to everyone. Instead, craft a specific message tailored to them.

When I started Your Marketing Coach, I wasn’t the best marketer in the industry. Actually, I was still learning from some of the best! But I knew just a little bit more than the entrepreneurs I was helping, and that was all I needed to get started!

The more people I helped, the more I learned. The more I learned, the more my confidence grew. The more my confidence grew, the more clients I attracted (and the more I raised my rates).

All it takes is sharing what you know and having a little faith in yourself!

#2) Just Start

To become an expert, you have to get started. I know this is as simple as it gets. But sometimes, the simplest truths are the ones we need to hear! You can’t become an expert if you don’t start.

Here’s the thing: you don’t need to know what you want to be known for right now! Actually, most people won’t discover what they want until they identify what they don’t want.

Let me explain what I mean…

When I started my business, I knew I wanted to help entrepreneurs with their marketing. But I had no idea what that looked like.

I started the business offering coaching only. I’m pretty good at bootstrapping my way into growing businesses. My first 50 clients or so worked with me to brainstorm creative ways that they could grow their businesses.

Then my business expanded into offering services. I realized very quickly after working with clients that many of them had websites that were:

Under construction
Outdated
Had unclear messaging
Lacked branding
And more!

Your website is the foundation of all your marketing and sales efforts. It’s the virtual storefront of your business. If a website isn’t optimized, the business owner loses out on opportunities.

So, I started building websites (after I built mine, of course).

The point I’m trying to make is: don’t get stuck in your head thinking you can’t start until you know what you want to be known for.

Get started, and the path will appear.

#3) Share Your Experiences

You are already an expert and (probably) don’t even know it. How can I be so sure? Because you have experienced life (and business) in a way that no one else has.

All you need to do is learn to recognize the experiences that have brought you to where you are today. These can be personal or professional – everyone has a unique story. Because of your experiences, you view life (and business) in a unique way. Your experiences have helped you develop a remarkable point of view. Your point of view is what makes you different.

By embracing your story and sharing your journey with others, you’ll be able to connect with your audience on a deeper level as you establish yourself as an industry expert.

Remember, positioning yourself as an authority is not about being the best or the most experienced entrepreneur out there. It’s about leveraging your strengths, sharing your knowledge with your ideal customers, and embracing what makes you unique.

How to Build Trust and Authority

Ok, now that you know you are an expert (because you have to believe it first) now, it’s time to discuss the things you need to do to build trust and authority with your perfect ideal customer.

How Will You Help Your PIC?

You need to get clear on what problem you want to solve for your audience (right now).

Remember I shared you have to get started to be an expert. You may find that the problem you solve changes. That’s ok. But, you do have to choose a problem that you can solve for your audience at this moment in time.

One of the easiest ways to clarify this is to fill in these blanks.

I help [target audience] [do what] by [how you help] through my [program/product/service].

For example…

I help entrepreneurs

improve their online presence

by providing a beautifully designed website template, they can customize to fit their brand

with the help of my Websites That Work™ program.

By filling in these blanks, you can clarify your target audience, the problem or challenge you solve, and how you uniquely approach or solve it. This can help you create a clear and compelling message that resonates with your potential clients.

But remember, this isn’t locked in stone. You may add to it. You may totally revamp it. And that’s ok. Just get clear on what you do today.

One last thing…

I shared that this is the simplest way to get clear on the problem you solve. I provide a workbook called “Discovering Your Extraordinary,” containing thought-provoking questions that will help you discover what makes you unique and how that can translate into how you communicate and serve your audience.

Keep Learning

Now that you know how to help your audience, the next step is diving into learning enrichment to become the go-to expert in that space.

I’m not suggesting that you have to go to school to get a degree. All you have to do is tap into the resources that are readily available to you.

What do I mean by “tapping” into resources?

Online courses are a great way to learn from other experts.
Live webinars are also a great way to learn and meet other people within a community.
In-person events are fantastic for meeting people, learning, and opening the door to strategic power partnerships where you can collaborate and help push each other’s businesses forward.
You can read (or listen) to good books.
Podcasts are a great way to learn and grow while doing things like working out at the gym, going for a walk, or driving in your car.
There are plenty of other online learning opportunities like Masterclass, Udemy, and Patreon, where you can pay a small monthly fee to access some fantastic information.
And, of course, there is a wealth of information online that you can access for free on Google, Social Media, and YouTube.

One thing I want to mention is I’m not suggesting that you try to cram years of information into your brain in a short period of time (like some of us did in college preparing for exams). Consuming too much information all at once can lead to confusion and overwhelm.

Instead, approach learning as if it were part of your daily routine. Feed your mind every day. Schedule time in your calendar to give yourself space to work on yourself, learn, and grow.

That said, I want to make sure it’s clear that you still need to take action at the same time. You can’t become an expert by watching others. (If that were the case, there would be a LOT of pro football players in the world – ha!). You become an expert by taking action (and risks).

Content Creation

And the last thing you can do to position yourself as an expert is to create content around your expertise.

Creating content consistently (every single week) has been the fuel to grow my multi-million dollar coaching agency over the last 10 years. When I first started my business, I hosted weekly webinars on different topics. This allowed me to connect with my audience, deliver value, and build trust and authority.

I can also say that sharing content has been the fastest way for me to learn. There’s something about teaching that accelerates your own learning.

What do I mean by “creating content”? Content is a broad term used to describe anything you create and publish for someone to consume.

That could be a social media post, podcast, eBook, free resource, blog, video training, or online course – the list is endless!

Using the term “content” for everything can be super confusing. So, here’s how I break down and define content.

There are 4 types of content:

Core Content: These are your blogs, podcasts, live alls, or YouTube videos. Core content is what you (should) create weekly and share with your email subscribers, group members, and existing customers to nurture your relationship with them.
Ungated Micro-Content: This is content you share online to give your business more exposure. Micro-Content is things like social media posts, audiograms, GIFs, reels, and stories you share on social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, TikTok, and YouTube. “Ungated” means that you share this content freely with the public. They don’t have to subscribe to consume the information you are sharing.
Free Gated Content: This is content you create and offer to your audience to grow your email list. This content is often referred to as lead magnets. Lead magnets can come in PDFs, templates, worksheets, training videos, guides, cheat sheets, etc. I call this “gated” content because your audience can only access this information if they provide you with their contact information.
Paid Content: This is the content you create that is only available to your paying customers. Paid content can be made to support your customers while you are coaching or consulting with them. It can be created as part of an online training program or course that you sell.

Remember, building trust and authority is not something that happens overnight. It requires consistent effort, dedication, and a willingness to continually learn and improve.

Creating Content Seamlessly

Creating all these different types of content can feel impossible. And I totally get it! I felt the same way for a long time. That is until I figured out that the easiest way to create everything I needed was through repurposing.

How does repurposing work? First, I’d like to give you a snapshot of the four types of content that you need to create in your business again:

Weekly Core Content
Ungated Micro-Content
Free Gated Content
Paid Content

Now, to create your content here’s a simple yet effective way to do it:

STEP 1

You create (1) 30-minute video each week, delivering your best stuff.

STEP 2

That 30-minute video can be edited and transcribed into (3) pieces of core content:

An edited Video that you upload to YouTube
Extract the Audio file from the video to turn it into a Podcast
And you can take the transcription from the video to create an SEO Blog Article

STEP 3

You can take your 30-minute video, audio file, and blog article and turn it into micro-content such as:

Quote images
Audiograms
Video snippets
YouTube shorts
TikTok videos
Instagram reels
Pinterest videos
Facebook posts
Facebook reels
GIFs
And so much more!

STEP 4

This is where you create your gated content (aka lead magnets).

Your video can be used to capture leads
Your blog article can be turned into an ebook or checklist
Your audio files can become a playlist

Any of the content you initially create can be turned into lead magnets to help you grow your email list.

All you have to do is create a landing page or opt-in form that your audience fills out to get access to your resources.

Finding the time to host (1) 30-minute live call each week (this could be held on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Zoom) would give you the initial core content you need to create hundreds of pieces of additional content!

Just imagine…

What your business would be like a year from now if you consistently showed up with amazing content for your audience every week!
How much you would have learned and how you could grow your expertise!
How many new followers you’d have!
How many people you would have added to your email marketing list!
How many sales would have come from the connections you made!
All of your fears, doubts, and worries are completely gone – all because you started building your trust and authority one 30-minute video at a time.

I hope you’ll do it. Because content will be the fuel that will drive your future growth.

If you’re interested in having our team help you create your content each week, we have a Content Creation Machine service that takes the stress out of content creation for you!