How the Social Web Helps You Become an Expert

It may be lonely at the top, but it’s even lonelier at the bottom. We’ll tell you how the social web helps you reach the top to become an expert.

You know you’re an expert. The people you speak with about your industry know you’re an expert. But how about the rest of the world? It would be really difficult to call everyone and let them know, but we’re guessing you don’t have the time or resources for that project. Instead, we’ve got a better way to get the word out—you share your knowledge on the social web!

Okay, so it’s a little more complicated that just updating your status with “I’m freakin’ awesome.” And although that may be true, you’re probably not going to get the reaction you were looking for. The social web is a great place to alert your friends and followers to information that’s important to them, which in turn transforms you in their eyes as an expert.

Important Info, More Often

Like we mentioned before, it’s not all about you and your business. People are savvy when it comes to ads. And if your social media pages start looking and sounding like an ad, they are going to tune out in an instant. What you want to do is give your audience information that’s relevant to them. This is where knowing your audience plays a huge role. Let’s just say you have a WordPress plug-in that helps moms plan their day. What is important to this audience and where do they hang out? Chances are, even though you’re selling a techie product, they aren’t interested in techie stuff – they want to know about things like health advisories, cool lunch ideas and fun things to do with the kids. Share info like this with your audience on your social media pages and your followers will keep coming back for more. And when it is time to buy, they will go to the expert who’s been giving them all that handy-dandy information (that would be you).

More Exposure, More Street Cred

As a consumer, who are you more likely to buy from—a well-known, trusted brand or someone you’ve never heard of before? Yeah, we’d go for the first choice too. The good news is you can be that well-known, trusted brand, thanks to the social web. You’ve got to set up your profile on all the relevant social media sites (that your target consumers hang out on) and start posting content. When people start Googling you or keywords related to your business and you pop up, you want to make sure that these sites are full of content that make you look like an expert. Word spreads on the web, and you want that word to be good when it comes to you. Set a time everyday where you update all your social media pages – remember, consistency is key!

Become a Groupie

Are you on LinkedIn? Even if you aren’t looking for a new job, it’s the place to be for experts to loiter. You can list all your credentials and accolades. It’s also a great place to join groups that are related to your field of expertise. Join these groups and join the discussion. Ask and answer questions. Network your ass off. By participating in group discussions, even the experts will look up to you as an expert.

Do you consider yourself an social media expert? How do you promote your talents on the social web? Leave us your thoughts on Twitter or Instagram.