The Internet has made this the Golden Age of marketing. The Internet has made it possible for you to become recognized an expert not only in your own backyard, but just as easily on the national or international stage. Because of the Web, the world is flat.
To market yourself as an expert, there are two main tracks you can take – you must do one of two things, and preferably both: write or speak. Here are 23 ways you can market yourself by writing or speaking.
Write:
- Define your niche – usually the narrower the better. What do you already know a lot about and/or are interesting in knowing more about? Build on that.
- Start a blog. Write often, but at least weekly. Have a sign-up on your blog for a newsletter so that you can collect email addresses.
- Send “blogletters” by allowing visitors to subscribe to receive your posts via Feedburner or Feedblitz.
- Start an ezine using online software such as Constant Contact to share your knowledge with those who sign up at your blog. Use your ezine to market your business or to share information about your interest.
- Write short articles including tips about your specialty – 300-500 words each. You can use these articles many times over!
- Post your articles on article marketing Web sites. There are hundreds. Some of the best are ezinearticles.com and ehow.com. Link back to your blog and/or Web site from your bio.
- Offer to write articles for your professional organizations’ newsletters and ezines, read and comment on blogs in your specialty and then offer to write guest posts, offer articles to trade media.
- If you’re not on social media sites, you should be. At a minimum, post your profile with a good photo on LinkedIn and Facebook. You should be found in these locations. To make these really pay off, you should be active. Get into interest groups. Make contacts. On Facebook, start a business or fan page to market your business. Connect your blog to your Facebook page so that your content is marketed there. If you get adventurous, learn to use Twitter.
- Write white papers or e-books. These are longer than an article – usually at least 30-50 pages, sometimes 200 pages. You can sell them, but if you are trying to promote yourself as an expert, give them away from your blog or Web site. The fewer roadblocks there are for downloading them, the more successful they will be as marketing tools.
- Toot your own horn when you win an award, get a new job or client or do something newsworthy. Write a press release and send it to the local media and trade journals and upload it to a reputable news release distribution site such as PRWeb.com or EReleases.com. The prices vary according to the type of distribution you want.
- List yourself in online expert guides such as ProfNetExperts.com and Yearbook of Experts at ExpertClick.com. Include your credentials, expertise and contact info.
- Put an online media kit on your Web site (DO NOT invest in a paper one or send one to the media – this is passé. They will wind up in the garbage, where most of them went before the Internet). Visit the American Marketing Association Web site for tips on how to create a media kit. There are also benefits in creating an off-site media kit. Consider PressKit24-7, which will help attract the media to your story.
- Write a book and get it published through a traditional publisher. If you can’t get a publisher, carefully consider self-publishing (note: this isn’t always a good idea. Marketing a self-published book is not easy.).
- Get others to write for you! Ask your clients or those with whom you’ve served on committees n professional organizations to write testimonials for you. LinkedIn is a great way to get testimonials that you can then use on your blog, Web site or in other ways.
Speak:
- Seek out speaking opportunities with your organizations. Kiwanis and Exchange Clubs need speakers every week and there are numerous clubs in every city. After you speak once, the word gets out and you’ll be invited to others. The Chamber of Commerce is also open to speakers that have info that will help their members.
- Get a simple video camera, such as the Flip, and record your talks and put them on your blog.
- Vlogging: Set up your Flip camera on a tripod or use your computer video camera to record short videos in which you give tips about your specialty. Put them on your blog and/or Facebook.
- Podcasting: sign up for a free account on BlogTalkRadio.com. You can have your own Web radio show as often as you would like. Host guests that you interview or speak on your specialty. Promote on your Web site, blog and/or social media.
- Pitch yourself to the media. They may not do a story, but if they know you are available, they may call you for a comment when they are doing a story in your field and they need an expert.
- Get media training. If you are going to be interviewed frequently – especially by broadcast media — you need to know how to conquer the sound bite. Hire a media training consultant or attend a workshop. Also gain insight from PublicityHound.com’s one-hour teleseminar “How to Be and Expert Spokesperson the Media Love.”
- Sign up for free services that send queries from reporters working on stories on various topics. There are many national services including www.reporterssource.comandwww.pitchrate.com. If you are in Hampton Roads, Virginia, sign up for Hampton Roads Media Connectionz, sponsored by The Buzz Factoree, LLC.
- Use your blog and/or Web site to market an online teleconference on your specialty. There are free services that allow you to talk to numerous people at the same time, record your call, and then post it on your site. Look at FreeConferencePro.com.
- Hold an online Webinar using Web-based software such as WebEx.com or GoToWebinar.com. Rates vary according to number of participants. You can sign up and use DimDim.com for free for up to 20 participants.
Can you add to the list? Comment below!
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