6 Ways to Build Niche Authority as a New Entrepreneur

[This is a guest post from Chelsea Clarke at HerPaperRoute.com on 6 ways you can build niche authority as a new entrepreneur. She shares some great insight and tips for becoming an authority blogger in any niche!]

Thank you for having me, Amira!

No matter what type of business you are starting, it’s important to give the impression of authority in your niche.

If you want people to trust you with their money, you need to look like a pro.

As a new entrepreneur, in the beginning it can be difficult enough to get readers, subscribers and customers as it is.

Even harder if you are brand new on the scene without a social following or fancy testimonials page to show your abilities.

Sometimes it can feel like you have a neon sign over your head that reads ‘Caution! I’m A Newbie!’

But even if you are a total newbie, there are things you can do that will raise your credibility and illustrate your authority.

Here are 6 savvy ways to position yourself as the authority in your niche. These things will give your potential customers confidence in you from the start.

1. How You Speak About Yourself & Others

One of the easiest ways to build your authority as a new entrepreneur is to be extremely aware of how you speak about yourself, about others, and how you give advice.

Whenever you write a blog post, leave comments on other blogs or in Facebook groups, and generally engage with people online, always speak with professionalism and friendliness.

Never mention that you are ‘new’ and never mention your lack of experience. Always speak as if you have been a professional forever.

Speaking with confidence makes other people feel that you know your stuff.

• Be a resource providing helpful information. You know more than you may think you do. Don’t sell yourself short.
• Answer questions, offer assistance, reply to all comments – even the bad ones.
• Responding to bad comments or customer complaints with a friendly and helpful response is a fantastic opportunity to show your professionalism.
• Never gossip, never talk badly about another person or business, never retaliate to nasty comments with nasty comments.

Raising your authority goes hand in hand with building a positive reputation for yourself.

So above all, know that how you represent yourself and your business online is how people will come to know you.

2. Answer All The Questions

Make it a daily or at least weekly habit to publicly answer questions that relate to your niche.

The more your name/profile comes up online giving authoritative advice, the more people will think of you as an authority figure.

Answer niche-related questions on Quora, do some Twitter mining, leave thoughtful comments on other blogs and Facebook groups in your niche.

These are all platforms you can use to expand your visibility, show your expertise and gain some new clients at the same time.

I also recommend using Pinterest Communities for this, too!

3. Guest Blog

Guest posting on other blogs is an excellent way to build your authority while reaching a whole new audience.

Look for opportunities to tell your story about who you are and what you’re about.

People are attracted to ideas and stories – much more so than data and facts.

Your story can be part of your company’s history. It can also be related to the benefits your organization provides.

Writing interesting, helpful guest posts on other blogs will help build your brand, authority and a loyal following.

4. Build An Email List

Your email list is one of the most important elements in your business.

Your list is more important than the number of social followers you have. It is the only thing you have to really reach your potential customers, right where they live.

Create a fabulous opt-in freebie and give it away in exchange for signups to your email list.

Craft an engaging automatic welcome sequence.

Nurture your list by providing helpful information via your weekly newsletter.

People will come to recognize your name in their inbox, and pretty soon you will have legions of fans who look up to you.

Fans who will look forward to reading your emails, and taking you up on your offers.

I offer an awesome Email Marketing + List Building Course – you can enroll for free, here!

5. Write The Book On It

There is something about being published – both physically printed and digitally presented, that makes people think “Wow, she means business!”

You don’t have to have a literary agent or a book deal to be able to have a book that impresses people.

Nowadays you can self-publish your own book or ebook and sell it on Amazon and your own website.

Write an ebook or a series of ebooks on your niche topic. Teach a course on it. Speak at virtual summits about it.

Just get out there and show the world that you are the go-to person on your topic.

6. Be The Hostess With The Mostest In Your Niche

This final tip is something that we often overlook.

Yet it is so important to host the communities you want to be known for.

What I mean is, host your own Facebook group about your niche topic, start a Pinterest community and group board, host a Twitter party, a reddit community, and so on.

Be where the people are. Remind your subscribers why you do what you do, your story, and your credentials often.

In Conclusion

Positioning yourself as the authority in your niche has a lot to do with putting yourself out there, and letting the world know who you are.

Don’t wait for opportunities – you need to make opportunities for yourself.

Above all, hold your head high, present yourself with professionalism and people will think that you just ooze confidence (even if you don’t totally feel it yet!).

Be sure to get your HerPaperRoute Profitable Entrepreneur Toolkit, packed with resources to help your business thrive. You can get free access to it here: https://herpaperroute.com/toolkit

About the Author: 

Chelsea Clarke is a blogger and blog development strategist. After a decade working in marketing, watching her bosses get rich off of her time and effort for a measly paycheque, she finally grew the ovaries to quit her job, and get serious about turning her blogging hobby into her career. Chelsea developed her beauty blog into a lucrative full-time business, sold it one year later and has since developed several 6 figure blogs.

Chelsea now runs HerPaperRoute, where she helps aspiring bloggers and entrepreneur women make their work-from-anywhere aspirations a reality.