Become Your Industry Expert in 4 Steps
We know what it feels like as a network marketer.
You open your Instagram app and start to scroll. You see a plethora of people offering the same products, services, groups or advice that you offer, too. THEY look like industry experts. You feel like a fraud.
When you watch their Reels, you think they’re way better than the one you have sitting in drafts. You see them on their stories and hear them speaking so confidently about their products. Suddenly, you feel imposter syndrome wave over you like a tsunami.
They just seem so… smart. So good at communicating what you feel like you never can. You close the app and open the freezer. Where is that pint of ice cream that you save for rainy days?
Sis, shut the freezer door. (After a few scoops, obvi.) Stand up tall. Brush your hair out of your eyes. Take a deep breath. Repeat these words:
I am an expert in my industry.
I am well-versed in my company’s products and services.
Many people may do what I do, but no one does it like I do it.
You ARE the girl for the job. Your potential for knowledge and success is as likely as any one person in your company. Those lies that your brain is telling you? They are just that – lies. They come from a deep place of fear that lives inside of all of us that we will not be good enough. Believe us when we say, we all experience it.
But here’s how you overcome that voice. (And by the way, this isn’t something that you do just one time. You do it daily.) First, you speak truth into yourself and into your business. Next, you remind yourself why you started. Then, you remind yourself about the clients and customers that you have already helped. Finally, you speak life into the clientele that you will have in the future.
You believe that you ARE the expert in your industry arena and that people CAN and WILL learn from you.
Then, you follow these four actionable steps.
Step One: Give your social a professional “glow up.”
Nothing says, “I’m the expert in my industry” like a clean-cut and clear profile picture and bio section. Potential followers should be able to visit your feed and very clearly see the business that you represent, who you help and how they can get in contact with you.
Your profile picture:
Let’s start with a clear profile picture. While a professional headshot works best in this case, it’s okay if you don’t have one yet. Find a selfie that you love that clearly shows your face, or have someone close to you take a great headshot of you using that trusty cell camera! Your picture should show your personality! Dress like you normally dress and style yourself in a way that makes you feel confident. Show your beautiful smile or a friendly, approachable expression. To become an expert in your industry, you must look like an expert in your industry!
Your bio section:
Next, let’s take a look at that bio section. You want to make sure that the following information is present: who you help and how you help. For example, Melanie’s Bio clearly states, “I help leaders in direct sales build top-producing organizations.” Boom! If you were in direct sales and you visited Melanie’s page, you might think, “Wow, bold statement. I want to learn how to build a top-producing organization.” Then you would click “follow” on this industry expert.
Your Call-to-Action:
Finally, you want to have a clear CTA (call-to-action) that tells your followers how they can get ahold of you. Either a link that shows them how to book an appointment, email you, text you, send you a note on a carrier pigeon… whatever works for you! They should not have to hunt down your contact info or how to be in touch with you. To become an industry expert, you should be approachable and clearly able to be reached!
Step Two: Maintain consistent messaging in your content.
When you think about consistency with your content, we want you to think about two different types: in the messages that you deliver and in how often you show up on your platform.
Consistency in the message that you deliver:
To become a highly-regarded expert in your industry, you want to become very clear about the message(s) that you’re delivering through your content. While you can share about your products, businesses or services, those are rarely the true topics that keep people coming back to your feed.
People don’t buy what you sell. They buy why you sell it. As an expert in your industry, the why isn’t about you, the why is about the experience that you bring to the table for your network. It could be the problem that you solve for people, or even how you want them to feel when they use the products or the service that you offer.
Your consistent message lies therein: how do you want people to feel when they come to your page and what is the experience that your product or service provides for your potential buyer.
Delivering that experience or feeling consistently, to the point that you feel like a broken-record, means that you’re doing it right. In short, you become known as an expert in your industry when people know what to expect from you.
Consistency in how often you post:
Next, let’s talk about consistency in terms of how often you show up on your social. The true answer to, “how often is often enough?” is: it’s really up to you. You have to ask yourself what you can commit to and then, whatever that is, do it consistently. That is one of the reasons that we created the Make Chic Happen Time Blocker! It gives a visual representation of each day and allows you to map out when you are committing to showing up consistently.
Experts in industry show up with consistent messages and on consistent schedules.
Step 3: Create content that aligns with your consistent message.
To strategically position yourself as an expert, you have to visualize what it would feel like to be that expert. What would that expert say? In terms of content, what would that expert deliver?
Then, you become that expert. The way that we do that here at Chic is to create the vision of where we want to go in our careers. Next, we have to deliver the content that aligns with the vision of where we want to be. Finally, doing this allows you to make connections with people that align with your content, therefore the people who are looking for… drumroll please… you!
Creating aligning content in this way allows you to build a virtual portfolio of who you are as an expert and what you are capable of offering. You can start to think of your feed or your social corner as a living, breathing resume.
Step Four: Implement your content in a strategic manner.
Implementing strategic content in your marketing message is vital in positioning yourself as an expert in your industry. We use a very specific strategy called “PIES” to achieve our marketing purpose.
PIES is an acronym for Persuade, Inform, Entertain or Share a thought or feeling.
Any time that you create content for your social space, ask yourself: what is my purpose for creating/sharing this particular piece of content?
Are you trying to persuade your audience to purchase your product, enroll in your course, follow along in your journey? Are you simply showing up to entertain and give your audience a feel for who you are as a person? Do you have your educator hat on and are you informing them about something related to your industry that they should know about? Finally, are you sharing a thought or feeling that is relevant to current events or your brand?
In conclusion, following this method of posting allows you to consistently show up with variety in your message. In addition, it keeps your audience captivated and engaged.
To sum it all up:
Above all, we hope that these steps help you to present yourself as an expert in your industry, and as a result, you truly feel like one. We want you to remember that you are the expert for the job and that you do have it in you to show up as her every day!
If you would love more help setting up your Instagram bio, here at Chic we offer social media audits through our Social Media Manager, Alysa Gumto. You can find out more about those here: Chic Your Gram Custom Instagram Audit.
If you would love to dive deeper into a branding session to really clear up your messaging, at Chic Way Media, we offer in-depth branding sessions. Let us build your brand so you can get back to business.
If you’re a network marketer who is sweating the changes that comes with school ending and summer schedules, we have an answer for you! Our “How to Get Your Business Summer-Ready” Masterclass is happening on May 12th. For a low buy-in of $9.99, you will get the Masterclass (happening at three different times to accommodate your busy schedules!) plus, additional access to three mini-trainings to get your business prepped and polished for summer! Grab a spot today!
