It’s the the ole’ Chicken or the Egg argument.
Q: How do you establish yourself as an authority on-line?
A: You have an established following/audience.
Well….
Q: How do you get a following/audience?
A: You are seen as an authority.
So there’s the rub. And where do you start?
Here are 5 ways to gain an audience/following and therefore establishing yourself as an authority on-line:
1. Figure out your niche.
First of all, everyone has a lot to say, and very few do it well. When I started this blog, I thought everyone would love to read my opinions on everything under the sun. Sure it was fun for a while, but then I started wondered why some posts produced traffic and others didn’t. It boiled down to most people don’t care about my opinions on…let’s say…national politics. The reason…there are way too many blogs out there that “do” national politics way better than I do. I needed to figure out my niche. What can I offer thet other blogs don’t….well…me. No one does me better than me. What I am doing and what do I find interesting that other people may find interesting or useful that may be like me…starting a business, raising a family, saving money, latest technologies, and uniquely funny stuff from KTOWN…mixed in with a little local news and national events that affect me personally. So KTOWN offers a window into me.
2. Write/publish good content.
Resist writing about subjects you cannot offer a unique perspective…and by the way…your opinions are usually not unique perspectives…just regurgitated opinions from someone else. Hello pot; I’m kettle. Your black. Good content drives good traffic. Good traffic increases the visits to your site, turns your unique visitors into return visitors and begins to establish you as an authority for your defined niche (see #1). And becoming an authority will drive traffic. When you do write content…get to the point, make it simple, and leave the reader looking forward to your next post. Avoid tricks (ex. writing regular posts about the top items in Google Trends…unless they are your niche) but read and implement tips to make the best use of your readers time.
3. Make friends.
Read, visit, and leave thoughtful comments on other blogs and websites. Don’t just comment to get your link out there, but give (honestly) and you shall receive. People can usually see right through your attempts at drive-by commenting and linking. Ask questions and give responses…in a timely manner. Now don’t get me wrong…if you disagree, then state it respectively and get to the point. If you feel the need to correct something, than do it…but get to the point and don’t over do it. Commenting on a blog is designed to be an on-going conversation. View it at such. You wouldn’t walk up to a couple of people talking at a party, yell at them, and then walk away and expect to get an invite to the next party…would you? By now (doing #1 and #2 and #3) you are starting to build your following.
4. Get your message out through a network.
You may have the best advice on taking pre-owned widgets and making them into fine china, but if your message is not getting to your audience, then it doesn’t matter. How do you solve this problem?…I have no idea. Marketing yourself is not my niche, but through the social networks available out there, it is easier than ever to get your message out to as many people as possible. Educate yourself on Twitter, Delicious, Technorati, StumbleUpon, and others…and use them, but don’t spam them. Explore, educate, and implement these great tools. Now we are getting soemwhere.
5. Have an authority vouch for you.
Once you have established your niche with good content and your “friends” are visiting your blog regularly and you have made it easy for them to get your content…you’re most likely to get one of those authorities to vouch for you. It has happened to KTOWN a few times. And hopefully it will happen again and again.
Implementing these steps takes time, so don’t try to rush it. The good news is, you should have fun doing it. By the way, if you made it this far, then mabe you should Twit This (see the button at the top of the page) or mark it on one of the bookmarking sites you just signed up for.
