3 types of content to position yourself as an expert

These days, it seems like everyone is a specialist or influencer in a certain area. You only need to scroll through your followers on Twitter or LinkedIn to see how packed the internet is with notable experts.

But, beyond these self-proclaimed specialists, we soon notice that while it’s simple to set up a website and start sharing information, it is much harder to be noticed and motivate readers to visit, return, and engage with you.

Let’s be honest. Achieving “Expert” status can help you expand your audience, boost your traffic, and increase your sales. Being relevant and credible comes with a price, but it helps you stand out from established competitors.

Why is expert status important?

No, I won’t write for Google!

In business, people will try to size you and your business before they even know anything about you. They perceive you through a prism of personal values.

If you can position yourself as an expert on a specific topic in your area of ​​expertise, then you present yourself as an expert and as someone you can trust – and we all know that trust is one of the most important and valuable factors in attracting potential clients.

And the worst thing is, it’s not just about how people perceive your abilities. Your notoriety is equally important… even if it has nothing to do with your field.

Think about it:

8 causes of content marketing failure

How many celebrities get paid a fortune to endorse a certain product or represent a particular brand? And why are they paid so handsomely?

Because they have influence.

Becoming an expert gives you powers of influence that will help you grow your customer base, seize amazing opportunities in your industry, and increase your company’s revenue.

Now that you know how becoming an expert can help your business, let’s see how you can position yourself as an expert by leveraging the power of content.

The 3 types of content that will position you as an expert.

1. Publish a book

Let’s be realistic. When someone tells us they wrote a book, it sounds good, right? Suddenly it climbs three rungs in our estimation. Gain credibility instantly.

Yet, just as it is easy to create a website today, it is equally possible to publish a book.

Of course, the writing process remains long and tedious. However, you no longer need to go through the time-consuming and soul-destroying traditional publishing process. You can create a book yourself and self-publish it.

If this seems less prestigious to you, it still works very well. As proof, I cite the excellent Selma Païva and her book “The Internet is a table for two”. The result of rigorous work, Selma’s expert and light-hearted writing makes a rather abstruse field accessible to all.

The key here is to create something original and fill a gap in your market; the last thing you want to do is write something that has already been written thousands of times.

You can write an educational, entertaining book, or an in-depth study. There are so many possibilities! Maybe the register of humor doesn’t seem conducive to gaining any legitimacy? However, when we are able to laugh at our own line of business, it directly gives us an interesting experience and perspective.

To find a missing topic, do your research.

Check your industry forums to see the types of questions and conversations people are having. As I browse sites like Quora, Reddit, and social media, I notice that there are a lot of questions about creating content marketing images and videos, which could mean there’s a gap in the market.

You can also share a personal experience related to your business. Maybe you’ve learned an important lesson, or maybe you’ve experimented with a specific technique that few people know about.

On this last point, people like paths where they can find themselves and we reach people with our weaknesses, not just our strengths. The “first in class” style rarely finds much support. On the other hand, if you share your mistakes along the way and how you managed to develop this or that process, you risk inspiring more than one person.

Your book must have value.

I can’t stress this word enough. Of course, you will have to push and promote your book, but if it has value, it will start to sell over time.

At this point, becoming a best-selling author shouldn’t be your main goal. It’s actually the least of your worries.

You should simply try to provide valuable lessons and information to your readers. Give them the best content you can write. Share your experience. Dig deep within yourself to find the ingredients of your success. This is when your book will become a channel for building an audience and establishing your brand.

You’ve all heard of Tim Ferris, right?

Before writing “The 4-Hour Week,” he was completely unknown. It was 2007, when everyone wrote short, superficial posts full of keywords. Instead, Tim Ferris wrote an entire book about the subject he wanted to become famous for.

Since its release, the book has sold more than a million copies and has been on the New York Times bestseller list for years – not to mention the authority and expertise of Tim Ferris.

2. Case studies

There’s no better way to demonstrate how knowledgeable you are than by sharing in-depth case studies.

For many marketers, case studies are the best type of content to publish to help them achieve their marketing goals.

But while case studies serve as an important stepping stone in your sales funnel, they also strengthen your position as an expert and authority figure in your niche.

For that?

Because nothing is more effective than sharing real results with your audience to demonstrate that you can walk the talk. Have you achieved significant results during such a campaign, have you made a bold move with one of your customers, have you managed to impose a new product on your market? Many people will want to benefit from your expertise.

So many brands make the mistake of only publishing blog posts that readers can’t understand because they lack depth or don’t provide examples – which is why case studies are so effective.

Being able to see the results you’ve achieved for other brands helps you stay top of mind with your potential customers.

If you can show them your journey with another customer and the results your product or service has brought them, they will believe you can do the same for them.

Why not dedicate an entire section of your site to sharing customer case studies. Each case study highlights the particular pain points a customer had before using your solution or services, as well as the results they achieved by working alongside you.

Of course, be sure to ask your customers for their opinions before posting information about them for all to see. You can also do it anonymously if the company is not very identifiable in its sector.

3. Long-form content

If everything passes, everything breaks, everything gets tired and nothing resists the wear and tear of time, there are however some contents that resist better than others.

This is called Evergreen content, due to its ability to always stay up to date. It avoids current topics and the latest trends and instead focuses on transcribing the basics of your industry that will still be applicable five or ten years from now.

These are usually guides, stories, or studies that can be used over and over again to illustrate a point and delve deeper into a topic. This is longer than average content.

But how does creating consistently relevant content make you an expert?

Most people will find you and your site through a search engine. And it is precisely on the SEO of your site that this type of article will weigh.

By entering a query, they will come to a list of results where you should appear if you have done your job well. If you have any doubts about how to properly reference an item, please do not hesitate to contact me. This type of article is often the gateway to your online store or professional site.

Because content is continually updated and remains relevant, it is more likely to be viewed over and over again. And since Google likes this type of article, if you look after it well it could become a must-have.

Return to these articles regularly, reread them, think about how you could enrich them: a video, an additional point, a neat infographic to a graph, etc. There are a thousand and one ways to make your items even more attractive.

Finally, this type of article is also appreciated by the blogosphere and professionals. They often generate good engagement on social networks and numerous links from other websites.

Since Evergreen content has no time limits, you can share it regularly on social networks. If you increase this type of content, you offer yourself some visibility and thus optimize the reach of your content.

Some content that is several years old remains essential because it still provides immense value to readers. They drive more and more traffic and help grow your brand’s authority.

Expert status is within reach

If I believe less and less in influencer status – it is an overused term and a marketing technique that has lost all its authenticity due to excesses on both sides – expert status should be sought by all brands and professionals, whatever the sector.

End customers will always be able to distinguish the wheat from the chaff.

Today it is not enough to publish inane posts that have already been written a million times in the past. Consumers are less trusting than ever and are actively seeking closer relationships with the brands and influencers they invest in.

And authenticity often wins. After all, the experts are not those who proclaim it, but those who tell it. So do whatever it takes to get people to say the same about you.

Finally, you can always work on your expert status on your website and social networks, but the real foundation remains and always will be the relationship with the customer. You can be the best on the Internet, if you work poorly with your customers, if you don’t truly serve them, if you don’t truly love them, then all your efforts will be in vain.