YOU are an expert.  Yes, YOU!

If you want to succeed in your business, you need to claim this, own this, BE this.

So often we think that what comes easiest to us is easy for everyone else. That couldn’t be further from the truth! There are things that you love to do, that you lose track of time when you do, that you love to talk about to others. Those are the things that hopefully you’re building your business on, and those are the things that you’re expert at.
Or maybe you’re thinking “Yeah Karen, but who the heck needs me to make their eggplant parmigiana?” Let me tell you, people DO. I happen to make an excellent eggplant parmigiana, but I’m busy. So even though I CAN do it myself, I would very likely pay you do make it for me on my busy weekdays. That makes YOU the expert, YOU are the one I’m coming to when I’m hungry.  Sounds silly but you can take this same concept and apply it if you design websites, if you’re a health coach, if you’re a personal trainer, if you sell widgets. YOU are the expert and you need to own that.

Step 1 to using LinkedIn to build your expert status: CLAIM it, OWN it, BE it

The first place you want to do this is in your LinkedIn Headline. If your headline says something like “Accountant”, I want you to stop reading this right now and change it up.

  • Click here to watch a short video I created a few months ago that shows you exactly how to claim your expert status in your headline.
  • Make sure your headline makes you feel just a big queasy.   Put yourself out there in a big way!
  • No one is going to think “she must be even BETTER than she says”.  In order to get clients, your headline needs to make them feel as if they’re in expert hands.

Step 2 to using LinkedIn to build your expert status: Strategic use of keywords

Keywords are important in establishing your expert status.  You want to be consistently using the same keywords throughout your LinkedIn profile, leaving no doubt to your readers that YOU are the expert on those topics.

  • Learn how to use Google’s Keyword Planner
  • Keep a notebook of what keywords you’re using, review it monthly to be sure they’re still relevant
  • Don’t forget to use those same keywords in all areas of your Social Media marketing

Step 3 to using LinkedIn to build your expert status: LinkedIn Recommendations

I want you to consistently be building social proof of your expert status through strategic use of LinkedIn recommendations. How, you ask, do I get other people to recommend me? Strategy.

  • Each week, recommend someone else, someone that might possibly recommend you back.
  • When your clients send you a nice note via email or a Facebook post, reply back thanking them, and asking them if they would mind sharing it as a LinkedIn recommendation. I bet they’ll be happy to.
  • Share those recommendations all over the freaking place. There’s a WordPress plugin that will rotate them on your website. Schedule Facebook posts sharing recommendations. Brag about them in your newsletters. You get the picture.

LinkedIn is the first place you should go to establish your expert status. Once you do, you’ll start to see your business changing, you’ll be asked your expert opinion and you’ll see opportunities to grow.

And if you want my help, remember you can still join LinkedIn Stars at the introductory price, and I’ll take you through exactly what you need to do.  LINKEDIN STARS

Comment below, share your LinkedIn headline with me.  If you want, I’ll review it and make suggestions.    Let’s all celebrate ourselves for being the stars we are! Don’t forget to connect with ME on LinkedIn.

Photo credit: Mai Le