Last month we focused on all of the magic stuff that makes a brand a brand, namely how combining popularity (& authenticity), profit and power can form a type of business that is SO MUCH more than just the exchange of money for goods and services.
While this isn’t easy or fast to do, both Nic and Jane have seen first-hand the power a great brand has to move people, grow and thrive.
But whether you’re building a brand, focusing on building momentum or simply getting the “yes” to any client interaction, there’s one tried-and-true strategy that will help you every time: being a recognized authority.
What Is Authority and Why Do I Need It?
Jane frequently uses and builds authority platforms for her clients to help them reach their goals without maxing out their resources. Here’s why:
At it’s best, being an authority brings clients to you, gets them to trust your advice (even when they may not totally “get” it) and makes getting to “yes” waaaaaaaaay easier.
Why? Because it combines four key elements that build trust and credibility before they ever even reach out. But more on that in a minute.
Even when authority hasn’t reached its full potential, being an authority and building a brand with authority helps you:
- Raise awareness about you and your business
- Provide instant and understandable “proof” to those who don’t know you that you are who you say you are
- Reduces fears and increases sense of exclusivity
Think about that for a second.
Being an authority – at a minimum – helps you bring people into your sales funnel, provides instant credibility and reduces the fears they have with any purchase.
In other words, being an authority for your audience in your subject matter can be business-building gold.
Meet EVAA Jane’s Authority Paradigm for Petpreneurs
To build authority for any petpreneur, Jane focuses on four key factors:
Expertise:
Having a level of expertise in your subject matter more than your audience.
No. Being an authority on something doesn’t mean you need a PhD. Breathe. (If you find yourself feeling this way, definitely watch How Do I Know If I’m Expert Enough To Be An Authority?)
The idea here is that you have some level of credible experience in what you’re talking about and sharing. For example, to someone who’s never used a Mac, someone who has one at home may be their MacBook authority. While that authority may not know much about Macs, they know more than their friend. It’s really that simple.
Visibility:
Here’s another super-simple one that can seem waaaaay bigger and scarier than it is. To be an authority you need to be visible. But that visibility just needs to go as far as being reasonably findable. Yes, it could also mean being interviewed on Good Morning America as their premier pet expert, but it doesn’t need to go that far – especially at first.
As a first step, being visible usually means having a good-looking website and some form of social media presence. These two factors help others verify who you are and see what you’ve done to determine whether they want to trust you, especially the media, which can help you get more visibility and more authority in turn.
Authenticity:
The best authorities have a genuine, authentic reason and interest in their subject matter. (HINT: This is usually your why and brand, folks.)
Why? Because history shows us that pet-related businesses that succeed have a bigger vision than simply getting rich or the desire to be independently wealthy. That vision, desire and passion draw people in, make you relatable and make them want to listen.
Agency:
Once an audience understands who you are and how they can relate to you, authorities need the agency to act and speak from their hearts, connect and give knowledge.
This is why we so rarely see authorities coming from the big corporate world (except for CEOs). Other members of the company may have the expertise, visibility and authenticity, but their corporate jobs restrict their agency to say and do what they want to publicly.
So think about that for a minute:
Not only is building a personal authority platform something that helps you attract, nurture and sell customers, it’s something that most corporate entities can’t do effectively or without a lot of red tape.
Ok, I’m Convinced. But How Do I Become an Authority?
At its core, becoming an authority is about finding ways to answer three little questions for your audience, over and over:
- Who Are You?
- Why Should I Care?
- Why Should I Trust You?
Your answers may change a bit, depending on your clients, but the idea is to get at both the emotional and logical center of their needs and establish credibility while also making it clear that you “get” them.
So tackle these three from their point of view:
- 1. Who are you?
Consider who they are and their pain and pleasure points. What kind of expert do they need? How can the expertise you have help them create more joy or reduce pain?
- 2. Why Should I Care?
Speak to them. Their pain, pleasure and curiosity. Let them know you see and understand where they’re coming from and what they’re struggling with – and you have something that can help.
- 3. Why Should I Trust You?
This is where visibility and social proof are paramount. How are you credible? Remember, you don’t need a PhD to be credible, just a bit more knowledge, expertise and experience than they have. Is this coming from a personal experience? Great. Share. Do you have other clients like them? Testimonials can be fab. Have you been recognized by an independent third party (like a magazine or industry blog)? Perfect. Have you written a book about it? Fantastic.
Now go download the workbook and create your action-plan for building authority for you!
Desired Outcomes
Understand what’s necessary to be an authority, why it’s a differentiator for petpreneurs and be prepared to answer the three key components of authority for your audience
Get Started Now in your Workbook