Marketing Tips
 July 2009
How Can “Local Expert” Status Boost Your Business
on the Catonsville.Org Forum?
Sure, you answer your client’s questions all day and into the evening. Of course you get most of your business from word-of-mouth referrals. And yes, you’ve trained and practiced in your field for years. But maybe – just maybe – taking the role of a “local expert” sounds, well, a bit pretentious?
If professional modesty is holding you back from having your expertise recognized on the Chamber’s Mastermind Forum, we’d like to point out five hidden benefits that can boost your business.
1. Free Publicity for Your Name, Photo, Bio and Link
When you sign up as a moderator and create your account on the Forum, you receive a free mini-profile – a photo, a one-paragraph bio, and a link to your website – on the Moderators’ Page. Free publicity, as long as you hold the position!
2. Two Words – Link Love!
The more sites that quote you, link to you, recognize you as an expert, the higher your own site will rise in the Google rankings. Google loves experts…and so do online researchers, bloggers, and e-zine editors. Just a few especially wise and pithy words on a commonly asked question can spread your name and fame across the web.
3. Local Hero Mystique
Maybe you’re one of half-a-dozen real estate brokers who specialize in local commercial properties. How can you rise to the top? By becoming the one who answers the community’s questions. Immediately you are more than a broker – you are a problem solver, a hero, someone they can trust.
4. The 34th Street Miracle Effect
“What do I do if they ask a question I can’t answer?” you might think. As the local expert, you can recognize other experts when your knowledge falls short. Demonstrate your integrity – and your generosity – by linking to reference sites or inviting a knowledgeable colleague to respond as ‘guest guru.” You’ll educate your readers, support your colleagues, and win kudos all round.
5. Value for Time Spent
Perhaps your schedule is straining at the seams already, and you’re wondering how can you possibly add another responsibility? Realistically, local experts are most needed – and best recognized – when the forums are just getting started, to ensure that posted questions don’t languish unanswered. Later, participants on the forums will join you in responding to questions, and you will shift to presiding and monitoring posts, while you retain your position of authority.
As social networking takes a larger role in online marketing, entrepreneurs are vying for ways to create a unique web presence with a guaranteed audience. The Chamber is giving you this opportunity – are you ready to reap the benefits?
Welcome to Our New Moderators!
The Chamber wants to recognize the following member for stepping up as moderators and suggesting new value-added categories for the forum:
• Adrian Citroni of New Deal Funding, Inc. – Leveraging Equity to Fund Your Business
• Suzann Medicus of Life Choice Solutions, Inc. -Starting and Building your Business
• Sandra Nicht of Ashtanga Yoga Maryland - Health and Health Care
• Tom Quirk of Retirement & Investment Group - Financial Planning, Retirement planning, and Investments
• Anna B. Royack of Liberty Tax Service – Accounting and Tax Issues
We’re still looking for moderators for…
• Building Community Spirit
• Chamber Membership
• Marketing
• Staffing
• Thriving in a Tough Economy
Are you a local expert in a field that you’d like to add to this list? Contact the Chamber today!
1. Make Sure You’re Really an Expert!
OK, this should be assumed, but sometimes people jump at the opportunity for visibility before they’ve earned their expert wings. If you know a lot about your field, others consider you in high regard and go to you consistently for information, and you have real life experience, then you may have the right to position yourself as an expert.
2. Understand “The Expertise Gap”
To measure your expertise, you first have to know WHO your target market is AND the gap between what you know and what they don’t/need to know. For example, if you’re a book coach who helps first time authors get published, then you need to know more about first time book publishing than your audience. Maybe you don’t know as much about getting the 3rd or 4th book published, but that’s OK because it’s not your area of expertise. It’s not necessary to measure your knowledge against the top echelon in your industry; measure first against the needs of your specific audience.
3. Have Your Content Ready!
When you’re an official expert, you’re expected to provide information to the visitors of that site. Usually this is in the form of articles, but with Web 2.0 you also can include videos, blogs, digital products, and more. You may be asked to upload a minimum of 10 articles, so be sure you can deliver the goods before you make any promises.
4. Know That It’s a Good Match
You will want to ask questions of the site owners regarding target market, web traffic, and expectations of you as an expert. Some sites do much of the admin for you (posting links, optimizing) while others leave it in your hands. Understand exactly how the site operates before you jump on board.
5. Use an Optimized Title for Yourself
You may be asked to provide your official expert title, such as Marketing Expert or Official Guide to Online Visibility. Pick a title that reflects a term that people are searching for on the web. So as much as you’d like to be the Official Guide to Sizzling Righteousness, you may need to SEO it up if you want people other than your drinking buddies to understand what you’re all about. Ask the site for help if you need ideas for optimized titles.
6. If You’re Paying to Be An Expert, Know This:
Getting top position on a site doesn’t come for free, most often you will pay for the honor. If you’re paying for your Official Expert position, check to see how it’s benefiting you. Look at web stats, reprint requests of articles, page views, incoming links, etc. You want to make sure this is a good investment!
7. Leverage Your Visibility
Be sure to let people know you’re an expert. If the site offers you a badge for your website or some other honors, take advantage of them! Marketing yourself as an expert is a smart way to tell the world that yes, you are a trusted voice on a certain topic and a great person to connect with.
Expert status increases your credibility and paves the way for media attention and raising your fees. If you have a high level of knowledge that is in-demand by your target market, understand how to create helpful information around your area of expertise, and are ready to consistently build your name recognition, then this is a great strategy for you.
Phila Hoopes
The Tree-Huggin’ Copywriter
Giving Your Vision Your Voice
http://www.your-words-worth.com
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