One of the most effective ways of building a brand is by developing a reputation within the industry and your community for having expert knowledge within your business niche. Everyone wants this to happen overnight, but it is important to remember that becoming an industry expert takes time and effort, and to establish yourself as a leader, you need to be consistent and inexorable when promoting your image and your knowledge. Here, we share six strategies that will help you when seeking to build yourself and your brand as industry leaders.
Attend public speaking engagements
To become a leader within your community, you need to be out there in the community and in front of the public, telling them and showing them what makes you and your business unique. You can do this by speaking at public events, such as workshops, conferences and seminars.
This strategy tends to work best if it is an industry-specific event, but do not discount how helpful giving a talk at an unrelated workshop can be, especially if you want to be recognised by a wider audience. When speaking out in public, it is important to remember that the speaker is the representation of the brand, so it is essential to be confident and professional at all times.
Lead a workshop
As with the above point, hosting a workshop is an excellent way of showing that your brand has expert knowledge to share within the community. If there is not one out there for you to attend or speak at, set one up! They are relatively straightforward to organise – you need a venue and some way to give away or sell event tickets, as well as plenty of promotion. Make sure you invite other industry leaders, up and coming stars and of course, the media, to make sure that your public relations and exposure are increased.
Get Involved With The Community
Getting involved with local and charitable organisations offers multiple benefits to those seeking to promote their brand as a leader within their niche. First of all, the public love and respect brands that give back to their community. This will help to establish your business as one who is committed to improving the quality of life for those who live within the area. It also allows you to branch out into new areas and learn new skills, as well as sharing knowledge.
Start a blog
Many business websites now also have a blog section, as it is a simple way of sharing industry-specific knowledge with a dier audience. It is important to make sure it is focused within the particular niche with which the brand specialises, is consistent and is updated regularly. This establishes a reputation for reliability, and will also help you rank higher in search engines, bringing more traffic, and hopefully, more sales your way. Make sure you include information that is relevant and useful to your readers in their everyday or professional lives.
Be Active on Social Media
As well as blogging, being active on social media is an excellent way of building your brands image and giving you exposure to a broader audience. You can provide followers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with regular updates regarding your activities and achievements easily, and with little or no budget. You can also share information and news from other businesses within the industry, which while sounds counter-productive, makes you look like you are on top of all the news and goings-on.
Shout about your achievements
While it is not seen to be the done thing to shout out about our achievements, modesty is not going to help you to establish yourself as an industry leader. When you win something or do something you are proud of, make sure everyone within the industry and your community knows about it!
Promote Award and Achievements
Modesty may be a desired trait in individuals, but it will do no good for establishing a brand as a leader within the community. Instead, it is essential to make sure that a brand is recognised for its contributions to the community. Send out press releases to both local and national media sources, announce it on your blog, have a big banner on your website and put it on your social media.
Once your business has become recognised as an expert or a leader within the industry or the community, its reputation will help increase growth and allow it to reach its full potential. It does involve lots of hard work and determination but will be worth it in the end.
