How to establish yourself in an industry (even when no-one knows you yet)
How to establish yourself in an industry when no one knows you (yet)
How well are you prepared for the silly season which is also one of the best networking opportunities thanks to all the Xmas parties and corporate functions.
Depending on where you are, those functions may even happen online this year which shouldn’t stop you from making new connections or fostering existing contacts.
The easiest way to do this is through LinkedIn which is also why I dedicated a seperate blog for it: How to build your Personal Brand on the platform.
Now if you want to take it up a notch- I have good news for you because I’ve been relaunching my LinkedIn Academy which is a 4-modules, step-by-step online training that teaches you everything you need to know to make LinkedIn work for you.
So if you’re serious about building your Brand, taking advantage of the still super friendly algorithm and get seen and recognised by decision makers, make sure you check out impaccct.com/linkedinacademy
Now back to the topic!
Whether you want to pivot in your career and get into a new industry or profession, whether you’re a new grad who wants to get started with their career or you’re a seasoned professional and you want to establish your own business … this blog is for you!
Because in the Future of Work, we don’t just change jobs more frequently and more significantly, we also compete in a much more crowded space where it’s more important than ever to stand out.
So how can you stand out and establish yourself quickly, also when no one knows you yet? Let’s find out!
Think about it - we have more access to global talent pools that are cheaper than ever before – for example, you can get your bookkeeping done whilst you sleep from someone in the Philippines; get your website optimised from someone in India and outsource your email replies to a VA based in Whoop Whoop.
Fact is, the location doesn’t matter anymore.
And real talk here - even your level of expertise doesn’t matter if no one knows or trusts you.
And this is where the importance of building a Brand and establishing yourself as a subject matter expert comes in.
However, it’s probably not the way you think. We are not talking about bestselling authors or university professors with a ton of PhDs.
We are talking about another kind of expert, someone who may not be a household name, yet they are well-known and respected within their industry.
I’m sure you know one of these people who seem to be involved in everything, get invited to be speakers at conferences, show up on podcasts, get mentioned by others in the second their area of expertise or industry gets mentioned … the ones you follow and trust when they promote a product or service.
Becoming this kind of expert is not only doable–it is much easier (and at the same time, more important than ever) than most people think.
So the question is-
How do you stand out and get chosen?
How can you establish yourself as an expert in the field you’re in, especially when you just get started or want to get into because you want to make a pivot?
If you think you have to go back to Uni to get the degree, have decades of experience or have to write a book … let me stop you right here. Becoming an industry expert in today’s world is following different rules (in fact, it’s never been easier to do this than today).
But hold your horses with implementing any of these tips.
First, you need to be really clear on your Personal Brand, your secret sauce that no one can compete with and what you want to be associated with.
If you haven’t clarified your secret sauce yet, head over to this blog first as I talk you through the 3 Cs you need to nail so you can clarify your sweet spot that sets you apart.
Once you’re crystal clear on what you want to be known for, it’s time to let the world know and add the marketing component that’s necessary to establish your personal brand.
Here are a few ways you can establish yourself as a leader in your field.
1.Get deeply involved in the desired industry
Being part of the industry you want to either get in to or step up in, for example joining leading associations, industry bodies, boards, MeetUps etc is always a good starting point for many reasons:
a) you can learn from those who are already established and find out how they got to where they are now.
Clever people learn from their mistakes, wise people learn from other people’s mistakes.
b) you get not only information but insights straight from the source in reg to trends, changes and impact.
This also gives you a competitive advantage because you you know it first and can act upon it (incl sharing it which again, makes you a leader)
c) you also build your Brand by association (which is a quicker way to get known) as joining authorities and making it also visible on LinkedIn for example by adding your involvement as professional experience means you can tap into other people’s network. It also makes you more credible.
d) Once you’re in, also put your hand up for getting actively involved through organising events for example or looking after their social media presence. Whatever your strengths and skills are but also your interest that you want to dive deeper in and develop your skill sets in this area, use it to add value (as well as work on getting better with those skills).
This way you also get exposed to a much deeper level of information that you can use to fast-track your learning curve.
e) Another benefit of being active is that it often is also a good ‘excuse’ to reach out to more senior experts, start conversations with decision makers and open doors that otherwise wouldn’t be able to open as easily.
I’m talking about asking experts to be a guest speaker, a podcast guest or a contributor in one or another way.
This is also what you can then use to gain visibility – by tagging these people and get in front of their audiences when you promote these events etc
e) Last but not least, getting involved in industry associations & co also means that you build relationships and with that, you increase your chances of getting referrals and being able to ask for introductions become much easier.
It may not be the people who make the final decision that get you closer to your goal but they probably know of those who do. And a warm introduction is always more powerful than a cold outreach.
2. Publish plenty of free content
Creating and sharing content is - and will be for a long time – one of the most effective ways to become visible, build your Brand and establish yourself as an industry expert.
The good news is that you don’t even have to be an expert already to be perceived as one.
You can use content from people who are already established in their field.
You can do this either by
interviewing them;
sharing their already published content and tag them to give them more exposure or
you can write about them and what it is that you’ve learnt from their teaching for example.
Again, it is what we call ‘Brand building by association’ because in the second you tag someone who’s established in the field you want to get into, you are already perceived as someone who knows what they talk about (plus: it also gets you on the radar of the author).
Curating content like this can also set you up as expert and resource to go to when it comes to condensing all the noise and distilling it to key elements.
Don’t underestimate the value of simplifying and sifting through the shear amount of content.
If you want to take it up a notch, you need to consider creating your own, original content.
It may be in form of articles, guest blogs, being interviewed for a podcast, joining a panel discussion, participate in industry events, being the actual keynote speaker for a conference, joining Uni’s as guest expert etc.
The options are literally limitless – it’s just a matter of being clear what your preferred way of delivering content is, who your ideal audience is and where they hang out.
You also don’t need to be a decade ahead and think you have to figured it all out to be able to talk about it.
If you’re 3 steps ahead of someone who’s embarking the same or similar journey, you’re in fact more relatable and sometimes also more credible compared to someone who’s at their peak as they’re often too far ahead.
So if you’ve just graduated and have had some success with managing studies whilst having 2 part-time jobs, you are already an expert in how to manage multiple projects without dropping the ball.
Or you got a job offer through doing internships- this is a valuable learning you can pass on.
In person, like at networking events but also on social media.
What’s really important is the repurposing of the content you create in any shape or form so you don’t have to be like a hamster on a wheel and always come up with new content.
It’s a matter of being smarter with what you already have (which by the way- is one of the values I live by and also teach clients I work with):
Use what you have, start where you are and make the next step bigger and better by tapping into and building on what’s already there.
This however, is another kettle of fish which would be worth a stand-alone episode because once you have the gist on how to be smarter with your content production, you’ll see how easy it is to stay consistent and continuous which is a key to building your Brand and establish yourself as trusted expert.
Another way to get more mileage out of your curated or created content is to share it more broadly – think of internal newsletters to establish your brand within your company but also industry body newsletters you belong to (or want to get into).
These are the low hanging fruits to get exposure but don’t stop there.
But then also think bigger and pitch your content to external sources like industry’s trade magazines, authorities in the field, podcasts etc.
A good source that connects journalists with content producers is sourcebottle and they are always on the hunt for new, interesting insights.
You want to make sure that the topics you talk about are consistent as it helps you to get associated with what you want to be known for.
Contributing to other media outlets than your own gives you exposure to audiences you don’t have (yet) yourself which is one way to build your audiences.
On top, getting published on other sites also means you get backlinks to your profile which again, boosts your online presence.
This also leads us into number 3:
3. Build a clear and compelling online profile and provide value on social media
People use the internet as trusted source of information, so if you can’t be found or have an online profile and presence that doesn’t represent you in a way you want to be perceived as, you already miss out on not only getting exposure to decision makers but also giving exposure to people you look up to when you interview them for example or organise an event with them.
Like it or not- we make up our mind so quickly if this person, company, product or service is the right fit for us.
It comes down to 3 things: is this person or company likeable? Trustworthy? Credible?
Publishing curated (aka other people’s content) helps you to gain visibility which is important to get on people’s radar to start with.
If you can’t be seen, you can’t be considered. It also helps you to establish yourself as expert in your field which is important for people to see you as trusted source of information because you back up your claims and approach with already established facts and figures.
You need to add your personal take on it as well as your experience as this is what makes you unique and with that, memorable, despite being specialised in exactly the same as so many others are.
It’s only crowded and noisy when you offer and compete on exactly the same as everyone else does. Then it comes down to price as there is no clear value offer.
Publishing your own original content takes it up a notch and doesn’t just build your expert status but established you as authority in that field.
Key to making your online presence and profile work for you comes back to 3 things:
Clear and compelling profile (as this is your landing page)
Connecting with the right people and building a diverse network
Content that is aligned with what you want to be known for
Content that’s relevant to your decision makers is a traffic driver to your profile.
So when you get active with content to get in front of your decision makers, you want to make sure that you profile communicated what you can offer as otherwise they will visit another profile.
It then comes down to you connecting content with your own take on things which is context. It’s a way to build the bridge in a unique way and this is what makes you memorable.
Ideally you do this by telling your story, sharing your learnings, your mistakes and your successes.
Otherwise, content without context is spam and cannot only confuse people what you stand for but it can actually harm your reputation.
Not sure where to start?
Check out this blog, where I share with you, 3 ways to bring your secret sauce to life.
LinkedIn and building your profile on there is a big chunk so go back and go through it first.
4. Create your own community
Last way for today’s episode to get started in your industry and establish yourself as expert in the field is through creating your own community.
It ticks multiple boxes which is why I like it and have been doing it for many years.
Building your own community could be anything from running your own MeetUps to hosting your own podcast, launching your own YouTube channel, organising events … you name it.
Stepping up in this way also equips you with skills like event management, public speaking, creative design, interview techniques, social media …
In fact, it’s a super quick way to up-skill as well as building your profile through being active, taking the initiative and stepping up as organiser.
Again, it has nothing to do with age or experience. If you’re the curator of the best speakers, provide a unique event experience or have a different spin on how it’s usually done, you can make an impact and with that, stand out.
Now over to you!
What will you implement today to give you a head start in where you want to be long-term? Share your plans to keep you accountable on LinkedIn and tag me.
You never know who else sees the post and can be of assistance wit you achieving your goal!