Establishing Yourself as a Subject Matter Expert

By Erin Quinlan

In marketing, differentiation can be a source of huge competitive advantage. 

One way you can differentiate yourself is to become – and identify yourself as – a subject matter expert. 

Establishing yourself as an expert on any topic involves equal parts knowledge and personal branding.

Not sure how to do this? The Silent Partner Marketing can help you get your thoughts in order and get your message out to the public.

When you’re establishing yourself as an expert, show your passion. To become the expert that you are, you invested a lot of time, energy, and focus. 

Do your research. Find out what other experts in this area are saying. Are these things something you want to talk about? Do you want to take a different angle?

You’ve learned a lot on your way to becoming an expert, but continue to learn. Always welcome questions from colleagues and other interested parties. If you don’t know the answer, go and do some research. The more you engage with others on the subject and the more questions you are asked, the more research you do and therefore the more knowledge you build up.

Networking is also important. Join some peer-to-peer groups, attend events, and meet people that are also interested in the subject matter. Ask questions and join in discussions. Industry associations are a great way to network with like-minded professionals. 

Now that you know everything there is to know about your subject, it’s time to share. Once you begin to build a credible reputation as an expert, opportunities to shine will come to you. Write, write, write!

Your clients may or may not use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or other social networking sites for business, but you should. Social networking is a way to create buzz in your industry and start to stand out as the go-to person on a topic. Of course, this can't and shouldn't take the place of face-to-face networking at conferences or other events.

Nothing beats experience. In his book "Outliers," Malcolm Gladwell advocates that 10,000 hours is the amount of time it takes to get really good at something. With experience comes a deeper and truer understanding of the subject matter. Take advantage of the experience you have.

Want to become known as the go-to person in your industry? Let The Silent Partner Marketing help you out.

Give us a call at 866-432-6456 or e-mail Kyle Reyes at kyle@thesilentpartnermarketing.com and we can get you started.

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Erin Quinlan is the Content Marketing Manager of The Silent Partner Marketing, a boutique marketing firm focused on helping businesses grow in an age of exploding technology. You can find The Silent Partner Marketing on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter.