In a world of instant gratification and social media influencers, everyone wants to go viral. It seems like the best way to become a household name and strike it big.
However, going viral should never be the goal. Those are vanity numbers that rarely, if ever, translate into business growth. Unless your main aim is to be a paid content creator. Here are five ways to set yourself up as an authority and lay the foundation to sustained business growth. (PSST! These work for prospective influencers, too!)
Be Unique
Often when business women want to stand out, they try to “keep up with” or copy influencers in their niche. The thought is that if I do what she is doing, then everyone will follow me, too.
When it comes down to it, influencers become popular by standing out, not by doing what everyone else is doing. There will always be competition. There will always be a thousand people doing the same thing you do.
What attracts an engaged audience is showing up uniquely. You will attract those who most align with your methodology, mindset, and vision. That is how you leverage followers to gain authority and turn likes into raving fans.
Be Authentic
As stated above, there will always be competition. Your truly unique selling proposition is that there is only one of you in the world. Show up authentically. Don’t be afraid for the audience to see that you are a real person, not a perfect AI replica. The world doesn’t need fake, it craves authenticity which is the best way to build trust.
In a turbulent economy with endless pitch slapping messages hitting you in the face every day on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, trust is the most important asset you have. People do need to know and like you, but more than anything, they need to trust you.
Trust only comes when they see you as not only an authority, but as a real person who truly understands their struggles and pain. Someone out there is waiting for someone like you to speak life into their darkness.
You could create a perfect or magnetic persona that shows up well on video and social media. That is a soul sucking proposition. At some point, it will be too hard to maintain, and as your mask begins to crack, your audience will crumble. Just be you!
Provide Value
Showing up as an authority is less about you and more about your audience. Yes, it is important to share client wins, awards, and triumphs. However, if you are only tooting your own horn every day, it is harder for people to trust that you understand what they need and where they are coming from.
Here are the types of content that set you up as an authority and have followers coming back for more:
Educational content that helps audience recognize their problem and how to fix it
Start a discussion about something important to your audience
Latest developments, updates, and news within your niche
Personal content that shows how you overcome the struggle your audience has
Inspirational content to keep your audience pushing forward
Create Quick Wins for Ideal Clients
On a scale of 1-10 on how well you understand your niche and process, you are a 75!! Your audience is hovering around 2-3. They recognize that something is wrong, however most can’t pinpoint the problem. They think their situation is unique and no one can help them.
Deliver your content in a way that helps those audience members stuck at 2.5 to make it to a 3 in understanding and accomplishment. This won’t close the whole gap, but they will feel empowered. Empowered people take action, stuck people do not.
Your job is to show your audience how to get unstuck easily. Here is a simple, yet exaggerated example of this. Your audience is full of people who have screaming red index fingers that are throbbing. The real problem is systemic and requires a total diet overhaul and lifestyle change. Yet, their main focus is the fact that their finger is red.
You teach them a hack, tip, or system that will take that finger from red to light pink. Your audience is thrilled. They love you to pieces and tell all their friends about you. Did you make yourself obsolete? Absolutely not!! They need you even more now, and trust that you can help them.
Be Consistent
“Consistency trumps volume every time!” I hear myself saying that so often to followers and clients. The best way to earn authority is to consistently show up. Let your audience depend on you. This builds trust and helps them show up for you.
Many times we think that it is all about doing more. Be on fifteen platforms instead of five. Post nine times per day instead of two. The truth is that consistently doing what needs to be done is the single best strategy you can adopt.
Consider what you can truly get done in a day or a week. Is this the same level of work that you can maintain for 6 weeks, 10 months, 8 years? Consistent forward motion is hard to maintain. Large frenetic, messy action is easy even when it feels hard. Take the long route! What you do every day, every week, every month is what will scale your business.
Become the Authority the World Needs You to Be!
St Catherine of Siena once said, “Be who you were meant to be and you will set the world on fire!” It is one of my favorite quotes and motivators. The world needs you as an authority, not a one hit viral wonder. By building an authentic, value rich, and consistent strategy that serves your audience well, you will change lives and generations. You will set the world on fire!
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Meet the expert:
After fourteen years in digital marketing, Jennifer is an expert in what make funnels work and the simple steps to optimize them. Her holistic approach brings together all the aspects of marketing into one plan to streamline output, optimize effort, and maximize results. Jennifer specializes in launch and funnel strategies that use simplified tech, high converting messaging, and laser target sales psychology.
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