You Are the Expert, But How Does Your Website Say That

3 Website Tips That Guarantee You'll Connect with Customers - Part 1 of 3

You are the expert in your field. You live and breathe it. It’s a part of your every day in and out. But how do you promote that expertise so website visitors are convinced you know something they need for:

• running their business better,
• increasing revenues or
• reducing costs.

Let me show you examples of an experts doing a super job showing off their smarts. The first SEOMoz’s White Board Friday videos. You can click here to see one. They publish low-budget search engine optimization/Internet marketing videos every Friday using a camera running less than $300. Anyone watching is convinced they know their stuff.

The reason I harp on “showing off your expertise” so hard is because it comes across so well. Your customers want to make an informed decision. By sharing your expertise with them, you reduce their fear and doubt about working with you.  And since they see you as a teacher sharing expertise freely, you’ve positioned yourself as a resource that can help as opposed to a salesperson looking to sell them.

This problem of promoting expertise is common to all small businesses.  It doesn't matter what field you're in. Consider the following.

• A cleaner showcasing their skill at removing red wine stains
• An accountant promoting tax knowledge for saving a business money
• A realtor flaunting their talent for finding distressed properties on the cheap
• A caterer revealing their knack for delivering caviar quality service on recession restricted budgets

The key is thinking like a marketing person. Don’t get me wrong. Sales is a great thing, but sales is up and down, sink or swim and - unfortunately - feast or famine. Few of us have the talent and persistence to hunt well consistently.

Marketing, on the other hand, is about:

• building a pipeline of potential buyers,
• educating them on the product and services you offer,
• giving them opportunities to sample or test drive what you offer and
• getting them to buy and refer their friends.

Showing off your expertise works along these lines.  It helps you build your pipeline and educate customers.

Spend some time thinking about problems you solve every day for customers. Consider an interesting and possibly unexpected approach you've taken that made a difference.

Another idea might be to respond to the questions you get from from people seeking advice.  The answers you give might be so simple you take them for granted. No wonder. You know this stuff cold. But these are the tidbits of knowledge that will impress those outside your field (and your potential customers) building you up as an expert and making your more credible.

This isn’t that difficult. Take two or three ideas and write them up. Don’t worry about doing video or something exotic the first time. Write a simple blog post like Sandi's above using a conversational style that sounds natural.

The whole point is to provide something to get people thinking:

• "I didn’t know that."
• "I should try that"
• "This person really knows their stuff."
• "I’m not sure I need what that person offers, but I would certainly recommend them."

Don't just think about this.  Give it a try.  It will take you one solid step closer to building the content you need for establishing yourself as the expert.  And it will also move you along the road to guaranteed connections with potential customers.

Hope this helps.