3 Easy steps to become an online authority

November 30th, 2007 · 4 Comments · Tags: Internet Marketing · Persuasion & Influence

It’s a fact of life. Everybody looks up to, follows and most importantly obeys authority figures. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about business, music or even about religion; authority figures exist in virtually every realm of our existence.

And if you think about it for a few minutes, you’ll come to realize that in almost every case, authority figures are the ones making the most money (think Bill Gates, Madonna and the Pope). And we don’t have to go so big… authority figures can be as close as an older sister who knows a lot about fashion, that friend who you just can’t seem to beat at chess or the author behind that blog you love to read.

In the end, the fact remains that we’re all still flawed human beings. So what makes those authority figures so special? How can you become an authority? And how can you use that to skyrocket your online business into stardom?

The secret that ties all authority figures together is that they are all experts at something. That’s it. You don’t need to be rich or famous to be an authority… you only need to be regarded as an expert in whatever business you’re in.

Once people see you as an expert, you automatically become an authority to them. And this authoritative status works, incredibly well, as a sales tool. Why? Because when an expert recommends a particular product or service and ties in their expertise to it, people pay attention – simply because they want to be more like the person who is recommending the product.

Just think about it. If you were trying to get in shape and Arnold Schwarzenegger told you that drinking a lot of soy milk was one of the most important factors in his career as a bodybuilder, would you consider drinking soy milk instead of regular milk? But what if that exact same advice was given to you by John Belushi? It wouldn’t have the same effect would it?

So what does it take to be regarded an authority online? Less than you expect. Here are the 3 easy steps you must follow:

Step 1) Become the expert by being helpful.
Find the questions that people in your niche or industry are asking and answer them by publishing well researched and helpful articles or blog posts. Just join a few forums and online communities in your niche and you’ll find a wealth of questions just begging to be answered by someone “in the know.”

Publishing and giving away white papers, special reports and even short e-books is also a great way to boost your authority status up another notch.

Step 2) Get endorsements from other experts.
You might be surprised at just how easy this is. All you need to do is ask. Most experts will be more than glad to give their endorsement to the “new guy” if you can show them how helpful you’ve been to others and that you’re actually knowledgeable about your niche.

Endorsements can be about you, about your products or services or about a particular idea or point of view that you have and are trying to push forward in your industry. It doesn’t really matter as long as you get them to talk and say something good about YOU. While you’re at this, be sure to also repeat step 1 - keep being helpful to others.

Step 3) Get testimonials from the average Joe too.
If you’re trying to boost your authority status, you should always be on the hunt for new testimonials from your customers and people you’ve helped in the past. Nothing says “expert!” like a testimonial from a happy and satisfied customer. The words from a happy customer just glow with honesty, and others will pick that up instantly. While you get new testimonials, make sure you’re repeating step 1 over and over – you get the idea, right?

Bonus Step 4) Awards and certifications.
Virtually every industry out there has some sort of award (and most have more than one). If you want to skyrocket your authority status, you should look forward to these. Keep in mind that you do not need to go for the Oscar (or equivalent) right away… try winning a small one first, then another and another – every little step you take builds up enormously.

Just as good as awards, are certifications by leader companies in your industry. If you were going to hire someone to do pay-per-click advertising for your site, who would you hire: The big ad agency with the flashy Armani suit who visits you in a new BMW or the small entrepreneur who has the “Certified by Google” badge and a few good testimonials on his website? Chances are you’d hire the small guy… I’d do that too. And that proves my point; a renowned certification will get you further as an expert than a Ferrari and an Armani suit will.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start taking the steps to become an online authority… you’ll be gladly surprised when you find out just how quickly it can all happen!