DigiLabs Pro Blog

Many people want to hire “high end” photographers as they are seen as experts in the industry.  These photographers are the people that other photographers turn to when they have questions.  Basically they are experts, not only to their clients, but to their peers as well.  There are even quite a few folks out there making great money becoming their ‘brand’ and hardly ever have time to do photography anymore.

Everybody has a bit of expertise in a certain area.  What if you have expertise in a certain area and you want to share it with the world and help grow your business?  How can you become an expert in the industry?  When we see the popular bloggers, speakers and other icons out there in professional photography it makes you wonder, how did they build this brand?

We all must put work into our interests in order to help them grow but to make them grow for your business takes a bit more effort. Here are a few ways to position yourself as an expert and grow your brand:

• Know what you are talking about: Great, you have a topic you have a lot of expertise on, but make sure you keep your eyes and ears open for new ideas, thoughts, etc on the topic.  I have seen many people I worked with become “experts” in certain areas of online marketing, that have since become obsolete.  Keep your skills fresh and be on top of any new developments.
• Start writing: Start writing a blog or articles for your website about your topic of interest.  Not only does this help you grow your content, give you something to share with people interested in learning more, but this also helps your organic search (SEO) rankings on this topic.  Don’t forget to add your personality to the blog.
• Stay connected: Using the social networking tools of your business (Facebook, Twitter, My Space, etc), share articles on the topic, post things you learned and show samples.  Basically share your knowledge with those interested in you and your brand.  The best blogs and posts I have seen infuse a lot of personality into them.  Get out there and show people who you  are and gain some personality.    Want to see some great examples?  Take a look at Ben Chrisman’s Blog and Jasmine Stars Blog and become her fan (or should I say “like” her now…) on Facebook.  They do a great job showcasing their great skills while doing it in a fun and inspiring way.  If you do this, you will see that over time your contact list and interactions will grow.
• Join online communities: Join online pro communities and interact with people, post and LEARN.  Many people online just want to share but very few actually really “listen” (read) to what others are saying.  Look at what others are saying and post on things relevant to your topic.  Make sure you are pleasant and do not attack or put anybody down.  If you want to be seen as an expert, your main marketing message is around what you know.  In the end, how you treat people can hurt your brand.
• Network in person: Get out there and join local organizations, national organizations, tradeshows and workshops.  Not only will you gain valuable connections, stay informed and learn a lot, but you can also become a resource for others.
• Have a great presentation: Nothing is worse than hearing a speaker that has great content but their delivery is dull.  Don’t even get me started on those with a presentation full of spelling errors and inconsistencies.  Make sure you look at your presentation in detail, check for spelling errors, inconsistencies and errors.  I worked in marketing sales support at one of my first jobs and I did all of the presentations.  One person in particular was very picky (probably because he wasn’t doing the work…).  Everything had to be perfect and I am now obsessed presentations and spotting errors.  What it taught me is an intense attention to detail.  Make sure you do the same, as you may have someone as picky as me watching your presentation… and you don’t want me distracted by your errors.
• Be a people person: Just as important as the presentation,  is the delivery.  Make sure you are warm, welcoming and you capture people’s attention.  Recently we had Catherine Hall present at our PDN virtual tradeshow session, and I can’t tell you how many people complimented her on how warm and welcoming she is when she presents and meets with people.  Something about her presentation style makes you feel comfortable.  Practice in front of friends, family and/or colleagues (people who will be honest with you) until you feel like you have it down.  Which brings me to my last point…
• Speech….Speech: I personally don’t really enjoy public speaking but once I am out there doing it regularly, it becomes second nature.  Try speaking at a few local organizations about a specific topic and gradually grow your presentation and speaking skills to larger opportunities.

Hopefully you found some inspirational ideas to help grow your brand and expertise.  Follow some of these simple steps and it can help you gain knowledge, get connected and grow your brand in your area of expertise.  Have more ideas or questions?  Make sure to post in the comments section below.