Debbie LaChusa

One of the best ways to market yourself is to establish yourself as an expert in a specific area. How do you do that? Well, it's pretty easy. First, identify one area related to your business in which you have a lot of knowledge and expertise. Second, appoint yourself the expert. Third, start acting like an expert. Write articles and post them in online article directories or pitch them to the media. Pursue speaking engagements. Publish a newsletter or ezine. Become a resource for the media and make yourself available for interviews. Do this long enough and you will be viewed as an expert in your field. And who do people like to do business with? You guessed it - the expert.

This can be especially valuable if you are in a crowded field, with many others offering the same or similar services. You need to give people a reason to pick you. And being the recognized expert is a great reason. It brings people comfort. They believe you can really help them. And they will be more likely to trust you. After all, the media has trusted you. The organizations you've spoken for have trusted you. And that trust transfers over and can lead to more clients, higher rates and ultimately a more successful business.