Market ‘til You Make It: Authority in the Digital Age

With the world becoming increasingly competitive, it is critical to take control of your personal brand—regardless of your sector or industry. Often, this is easier said than done. We are all busy with our day-to-day responsibilities and it can be difficult to allocate time to marketing ourselves and our knowledge. That said, entrepreneurs must make a priority of marketing themselves in order to thrive.

According to one study, 65% of internet users view online searches as the most trusted source of information about people and companies. Intuitively, the higher profile you are in your field, the more opportunities that will emerge. These opportunities can lead to more income and more recognition, which leads to even more opportunities.

But how do you do this? Most, if not all, ambitious people want to be seen as authorities in their field. Having said this, there are many talented individuals who haven’t yet been discovered as authority figures.

You won’t be surprised to hear that there is no one-size-fits-all strategy. However, there are several universal truths that you should keep in mind.

First, you will have to embrace self-promotion. There is a fine line here between sharing your valuable knowledge and being too promotional. No one likes the hubristic person that incessantly talks about his or her self. However, you cannot expect the world to simply discover you. You must be proactive, whether that means starting a blog or maintaining an active Twitter feed. Consistently releasing your ideas into the marketplace is a great starting point to becoming an authority figure.

Next, you will want to connect with other authority figures. Even if you are releasing the best content out into the world, you won’t be an authority figure if no one is consuming it. There are a variety of ways to increase the distribution of your content, but one of the best ways is to have an existing authority figure vouch for you. Essentially, you are borrowing their built-in credibility. Having some anchor authority figures can go a long way in spreading the word about you as an authority figure.

Finally, you will never want to stop learning. Authority figures are often better marketers than others, but those authority figures must continue to provide value to others. Adopting a learn-first attitude will not only help you build more credibility but can also further your marketing efforts—like when you speak at an industry or sector event.

These are just some tactics that you can leverage on your path to becoming an authority figure in your field. At Carter Brothers Consulting, we leverage our marketing and entrepreneurship experience to help individuals share their expertise. We are simply obsessed with this topic, so if you would like to learn more about how we can help you increase your profile in your industry, please click here.