Jul 7, 2019

Growing your skills in business comes in many different ways, from your working capital to your employee base. But let’s take a moment to talk about authority for a second. This is a bit esoteric compared to your profits, but it can be every bit as important. For example, when you build authority, you have a larger pool of customers who are aware of you and want to work with you. This means more profits for you, but you have to set yourself up for success first.

When someone is an authority on a certain subject or area, most people generally want them to be an expert on a given subject. Chances are that you can’t go into an academic program overnight, but you can combine your own knowledge with that of others to begin a platform. A good way to do this builds your authority through social media. LinkedIn is the winner here, as it’s probably the main thing designed for this purpose. However, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest can technically fall under that banner. The key is to find places where like-minded people in your field are. Join groups, ask questions, introduce yourself to relevant people in your niche.

If you want to become an expert, you can’t completely stand on the shoulders of giants, though. Look up books and trade publications in your area, just so you can keep track of things that are going on. The key here is to get in the habit of being on top of industry developments as well as knowing which way to find industry sources and influencers.

There’s no given signal here when exactly you’re ready to take things to the next step, but the basic method here is to take the information that you’ve learned and find a platform to put them out on. There are a lot of things to choose from, including guest writing, speaking engagements, and e-books. However, you don’t want to fall in the trap of going to too much, too soon. The fact of the matter is that quality will always supersede quantity to a certain degree. You want to make sure what you put out is both useful and unique. A great way to do this is through a content blog on your site.

This can fit any business, from selling organic jam to selling a Ford Fusion in Costa Mesa. In addition, there is a smaller barrier to entry than putting together an e-book or speaking engagement. Use your network to try and share your content that you create, and if people start responding, you know you’re starting to build that platform.