One of the ultimate goals for many of my clients is to raise their credibility and reputation as an authority in their field.
How about you?
Do you also dream of being recognised as an expert?
Recently I was included on the top 200 Fearless Women Online and in Social Media, which was certainly an honour considering there are many other personal branding and business coaches online who are using social media.
One of my goals was to become known as an expert in my industry, so it’s wonderful to see that all my efforts are working.
As I look back over the past 12 to 18 months, I believe that one of the reasons I was able to build my profile (and therefore be included on this list) was because of my brand communications and social media strategy, which includes my blog (website).
Do you have a blog?
If you answered ‘yes’ – that’s fantastic! By writing regularly and driving traffic back to your blog it won’t be long before you too build your credibility and reputation as an expert and people start to recognise you for the work you are doing.
If your answer was ‘no’ – then consider this. If becoming an authority is one of your goals then I believe a blog will play an important role in raising awareness about you and your services. You SHOULD seriously consider building one.
I came across a great article this week: “Does Your Business Really Need a Blog?” written by Alexis Rodrigo where she identifies ten benefits to having a blog.
Here are five (of the ten benefits she lists) that are my favourite:
- Search Engine Friendly: Google will LOVE you and so will Alexa if you continue to increase the number of people coming to your blog.
- Share-ability: add social media plugins to your blog post and have other people Like, Tweet and Share your information with their community.
- Authority: become known as an expert in your field so that prospects will approach you.
- List building: as one of my mentors used to say “the money is in your list”. So start building your list by including a free giveaway on your blog. To access this resource people have to provide you with their email/contact details.
- Opportunities: building your credibility as an authority in your field could open the doors to joint ventures (JVs), media interviews, speaking engagements and many other business-building opportunities.
In her article, Alexis also identifies some of the disadvantages, which are also important to be aware of.
Here are the top three objections I’ve heard from people who are hesitant to build a blog, along with my response to each:
Objection 1: I don’t know how to set up my blog or what to do once it’s set up
You don’t need to become a website developer or programmer in order to set up your blog. Nor do you need to spend thousands and thousands of dollars to have a professional web presence/blog built for you.
I highly recommend you find someone who is able to set up a WordPress website/blog for you. Once it’s set up – all you need to do is to continue adding your weekly post – which is very simple to do.
[By the way, this is one of the services we offer clients. So if you want us to set up a WordPress blog at a very affordable rate, contact me.]
If you’re unsure about how to set up a post on WordPress and you’re concerned you won’t be able to because you’re not ‘tech savvy’ – here’s a video to show you how easy it is.
Objection 2: I don’t have the time to blog
Can I make a suggestion? Make time!
A blog is a portal where you can showcase your knowledge and expertise 24/7, 365 days of the year. Once you create a blog post, you can repurpose and leverage your article over and over again.
Your blog should be your top priority within your brand communications and social media strategies whereby you are continuously driving traffic back to your blog.
My Social Media Strategy
“Everything should lead back to your blog.”
Your blog also provides a great opportunity for people go get to know, like and trust you through being able to get a sense of who you are and what you stand for through the articles and information you share.
It’s also a great place where you can engage and interact with your community by asking great questions and encouraging people to share their feedback and questions in the comments section.
All of the interaction and activity happening on your website is building ‘social proof’, which continues to add to your credibility.
You already know the importance of working on your business right? This should be one of the activities you should be working on, so set aside time during your week so that you can create one informative blog post (at a minimum), which can be shared with your community.
It won’t take long before you start building a strong following of people who are interested in what you have to say. And, if done correctly eventually these people could become your clients.
Objection 3: I don’t know what to blog about
Unfortunately writer’s block is something that I experience more often than what I would like. However, I know the value of writing a weekly blog post so have blocked out time in my calendar each week for writing and developing content.
When creating my post I don’t just write. I also use audio, video and pictures in my posts. So, if you find writing difficult, consider using these elements as a way to create content to showcase your expertise.
Here are a few suggestions to get your creative juices flowing:
- Follow other blogs in your industry to get a sense of what they are writing about. Can you bring a unique perspective on what they are talking about? Is there any area they haven’t covered that you can contribute to?
- Ask your community what they would like to know more about. What problems and issues do they struggle with that you can help them with while showcasing your knowledge and expertise at the same time.
- Write a list of the top ten issues that many of your clients experience. This list will provide you with ten separate article topics (if not more) that you can write about.
Here are three articles I’ve written on the topic that you can check out to for more ideas on how to tap into your creativity:
- Build your credibility with content your clients will love
- Get More Clients: How to build a website that engages your audience
- 10 ways to easily create article/blog content
Have I convinced you to start your own blog and the impact this can have in terms of increasing your credibility as an expert? Or, if you already have a blog but haven’t been posting regularly – I hope I’ve inspired you to make a commitment to writing at least one post per week.
Let me know what you think by adding your comment below. And, please Like, Tweet and Share with your community. As always, I really appreciate it!
