In business everyone has competition, so to get ahead of the pack you really have to stand out – and that can be difficult. There are lots of ways you can stand out:
- Dye your hair green
- Drive around in really noticeable car
- Always wear the same colour – ideally something bright
- Turn up to meetings on a motorbike
- Get tattooed
I’ve done variations on all of these – and it’s got me noticed – but doesn’t demonstrate that I’m any good at what I do! It definitely ensured I stood out from the crowd and may have got me talked about a bit, but not in relation to my expertise.
So now I’ve just made the challenge even harder. Standing out from the crowd has to tick all the RAVE boxes – Reputation, Authority, Visibility and Expertise. That means whatever you do to get your head above the parapet (like the palm tree in the picture) you need to be:
- Building your reputation with positive information
- Getting to be the ‘go to’ person for your area of expertise
- Staying visible so people don’t forget you
- Showing off your expertise so people know how good you are
There are all kinds of ways to do these things and some work well to tick more than one of the RAVE boxes.
Social media posts and updates:
What did we do without it?! It’s a fantastic way to stay visible with daily posts that deliver value, either as a stand alone tip or as a link to a longer piece like a blog or article that demonstrates your expertise. Over time you’ll have a substantial bank of material that show your specialism off as posts and articles on sites like Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn. Don’t overlook the value of an image – post on Instagram and Pinterest too (like the one above here). R A V E
Blogs and articles:
Writing blogs regularly will help you to show off your knowledge and expertise so people get a good idea of what you do and how you help people. You can write on your own blog, either on your website or on a separate blog – or both. You can also write articles and post them on your LinkedIn profile to gain visibility. R A V E
Online networking:
Having a profile on various social media platforms is not networking – to do that you need to take action. Open conversations with people you think would be good contacts – either as clients or as advocates. Don’t try to sell at them, just be interested in them and their business. Offer help in LinkedIn and Facebook groups and on Facebook Pages and you’ll soon find your reputation growing as someone who knows stuff! R A V E
Offline networking:
Some people like to get out and about and meet people – others hate face-to-face networking. I think you need to pick your groups, but if I stop doing it I definitely notice my business slipping down the curve after about 3 months.Visit www.workbootsnerd.com for more info. It’s not a quick hit, but a slow burn. However, regular networking gives you plenty of opportunities to tick the RAVE boxes. Firstly, if you do a 1 minute (or 40 secs or 2 minutes) presentation include a tip. I always talk about something I’ve helped clients with – subtly giving tips and also showing my expertise off. Secondly, if there’s an opportunity to do a 10 minute (or longer) presentation, take it. Don’t do your history – it may help people to get to know you better, but doesn’t do much for your business, I use it as an educational slot and give the group a short training session on something. Give them information takeaways and they’ll certainly get a good idea of what you can do. R A V E
Give aways:
Have a high value giveaway on your website that has really good stuff inside – either a Tips document, a How to … or a Checklist that walks people through essential processes, or even a 3 things to avoid or 5 mistakes people make. This also gets people onto your marketing list and sets you up as an expert. R A V E
Email marketing:
As all the internet marketers say ‘the money is in the list’! People sign up for your give away and then they’re on your list and have, effectively, given you permission to contact them. If you now spam them with sales pitches every day they’re likely to unsubscribe fast. Firstly, mix your messages so that they get at least four value-based messages to each sales related item. Secondly, don’t bombard them with messages (even with good value content) – people stop reading them and just delete them … or unsubscribe. However, it is a powerful way to build the relationship and show them how good you are at what you do. R A V E
I could go on and on – but at least the key elements are here – we haven’t even started on Radio station interviews, press releases, or getting articles published in relevant journals, magazines or newspapers. I’m sure you get the message though – get people to RAVE about you by being the person that stands out from your competitors.
It’s all about having a good system and sticking to it – most of your competitors won’t sustain their activities.
