How to position yourself as an expert in 2024

Business

I have to admit, I’m a girl who’s into tea (like a lot). Give me a good cup to start my day and we’re rolling.

You can imagine my smile from ear to ear when I heard of a color-changing tea served right around my usual commute, I wondered how I never saw it before.

This hole-in-the-wall cafe I found by accident one day while scrolling on Insta looking for local cute cafes (I mean, an introvert can enjoy a drink and a peaceful setting without crowds, right?).

It’s small and quirky with maybe only 5 tables inside at best, but their menu is totally full of fun stuff you wouldn’t find anywhere else!

The menu, the plant wall, cute neon signs, and blush pink old-fashion payphone it’s all part of the identity, and I can tell you, all of the customers that day were the kind who would smile to the tune in their headphones, just like me.

How did this hole-on-the-wall gather the same kind of people?

Why did I just hear about it when they had been around for years?

Fun fact: they had recently rebranded.

The gal behind the counter mentioned how they were actually expanding and opening up a new location, all since the “sudden surge of clients”.

Want to know what I heard?

“We rebranded, we got clear on our audience and we now market where they are looking and now they finally find us, just like you, Ingrid!”

Yep. That’s the secret. Brand positioning.

Why stay as the best-kept secret when you could actually be serving your ideal clients?

Here’s where most get it wrong: Trying to market to everyone.

Most people suggest that you grow your business by expanding and reaching broader audiences. After all, more eyes on your business means more leads right?

Not quite. Instead of going wide, go deep with your audience.

You truly become the expert when you can solve a problem and have a repeatable process to achieve results every time. Not by finding new problems to solve, but by being the go-to for a particular one that your ideal clients are struggling with.

Truth is, you need to have more of the right eyes on your business. Your ideal clients need to know you exist. And when they look at you, they need to know you are the right one for them.

➡️ You also need to know how to guide them through their customer journey.

They start at the awareness stage and need to figure out they have a problem.

Then you help them understand that your product or service will solve it for them and how long the process takes (clear results from that repeatable process you have developed).

Finally, you explain the benefits of your company’s services so they’re confident in their decision to hire you. Notice that I said benefits, no features. We buy emotionally, so be very clear on what are the benefits you bring to the table, don’t compete on price or a long list of “things you include”.

Benefits as the result, always.

Want to elevate your brand’s vibe and message to better connect with your audience in a genuine and strategic way?

Then my brand strategy & psychology workbook is just the thing for you.

Top (and easy to implement) strategies to help ideal clients connect with you:

Write long-form content around a specific pain point or problem that your ideal clients are struggling with.

Offer them solutions in your blog post. When you publish a new blog post, promote it on social media and through email marketing to attract more of the ideal clients that are looking for what you have to offer.

Speak at conferences or events related to your field so people can learn from you firsthand how they could solve their problems too.

This is also a great way to network — and can be done online or in person. As always, you are leading with value and positioning your process as the proven solution, which in turn helps you stand out and become the real expert in their eyes.

Show them how to solve the problem by having a step-by-step process.

When you talk about your services make it so easy and effective, they just know you are the right one. This means leaving the heavy list of features out of the way and instead show them exactly what you will do together and how that will achieve their desired result. You are giving them clear steps to achieving their goal, and a direct call to action so they can book/purchase from you.

A clear example of a repeatable process that brings results.

In today’s business world, the competition is fierce. Clients want to know that you can deliver a high-quality product and service before they commit. When it comes down to it, most small businesses don’t have the time or resources necessary to create an effective brand identity for themselves. They need help creating a website design that will convert prospects into customers and keep them coming back for more.

I see my brand and web design process work for my clients, sometimes faster than I expect. Like with Jen, after working together on her rebrand, new website (and actually moving her to Showit from WordPress), shooting for her behind the scenes to show her signature photo session process, and creating some amazing video for her new site, we also incorporated a strategic website flow to introduce her brand photography services as the prime solution for businesses in her area without diluting the message for her seniors.  Her bread and butter are her senior clients, but we wanted to make sure her brand entered strongly into the brand photography market.

Weeks (not months) after launching she was already ranking on page 1 (she still is, you can search for “San Antonio brand photography” and jenniferdenton.com will be right there). This actually resulted in a message from her letting me know she was booking commercial clients and that they found her on the web.

All because now her brand and website were strategically positioning her as the solution for brand photography in her market. By showing her work in the right way leading with benefits, having a clear process, and showing real results so her ideal clients can see she is the right one for them.

Stop being the best-kept secret.

You can grow your business by positioning yourself as the expert. Positioning yourself as an expert is about being clear on who you serve and what problem you solve for them with a repeatable process that brings consistent results. 

Don’t be the best kept secret in your industry- step into your market like an authority! The more people know, trust, and buy from you because of how knowledgeable and trustworthy they think you are, the faster you’ll grow to bigger heights. 

Let us help make sure that happens, we can work together to create something great – after all, it’s our job 😉 We create custom websites and brands for small businesses who want to be positioned as the experts in their market.

When we work together, I help you get clear on your brand and how to make the most effective website possible to grow your business and revenue.

filed under:

Branding, Business, Web Design

@penguindesigning

I'm Ingrid, welcome!  I'm a branding designer + Showit Design Partner, doggy mamma, and tea drinker.

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Hi I’m Ingrid

I design strategy-led brands and Showit websites that confidently represent you.

I’m a designer with a magic touch for monetizing websites. I’m also a tea-lover, dog momma, Ravenclaw, INFP and 2w3 (for all you personality-test nerds like me). 

I’ve also been called a Showit website expert (been with them since 2013), and a sucker for understanding customer journeys, brand psychology, and consumer and sales psychology. My clients have some pretty cool results after working together, things like doubled shop conversions, booked-out services in weeks, and increased monthly revenue, among other cheer-worthy celebrations.

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