5 Questions Your Audience Really Wants to Ask

To cut through the clutter, communicate effectively and boost engagement, you need to know and anticipate the questions that are really on your target’s mind.

After working in corporate communications for 15 years, I’ve noticed common questions that audiences want to know – but don’t always ask for directly.

Build brand trust by proactively answering these common questions in every communication you prepare:

1. So what?
Share how your message is relevant to your audience’s needs. Specifically, how will your ideas impact their lives?

2. Why should I listen to you?
Establish your credibility up-front to encourage your audience to pay attention to your message. State how your individual experience or company’s expertise make your ideas meaningful for your audience.

3. What’s in it for me?
State the benefits your audience will gain from making time to absorb your message. By including specific benefits, you may compel your audience to act.

4. What do I need to do?
Include a clear, concise call to action. Be specific when telling your audience what action you need them to take, such as subscribe, contact us or download now.

5. Why now?
To motivate your audience to act, include a deadline — even if it’s arbitrary. People will respond more promptly if you give them a time limit. Timeliness is particularly important if your audience includes editors or journalists, as the media thrives on new information.

Using these tips will help you connect and engage your customers; however, they also apply to internal communications for your colleagues.

What other questions does your audience really want to know?

Lisa Goller helps businesses tell their story. As a Strategic Freelance Writer & Editor, she helps executives and entrepreneurs stand out, look good and save time. Learn more at lisagoller.com

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Position Yourself as an Expert

Think about it: Right this minute you’re already a goldmine of valuable industry insights. With more than a decade of progressive experience in your industry, you’ve seen it all. You understand consumer and market trends better than most. People look to you for answers and you feel energized when you share your wisdom with others.

Now it’s time for you to raise your profile even more and become top-of-mind as a go-to expert in your field.

Gain credibility and stand out from your competitors by sharing your expertise with a broader audience, including your ideal customers, industry peers and the media.

Use these tips to position yourself as an expert in your field:

1. Lead with your strengths:
What makes you stand out from your peers and rivals? Start there. Perhaps your thorough, meticulous approach to leadership allows you to always exceed expectations. Or you’re a visionary who spots market trends before they make headlines. Whatever sets you apart, build your marketing strategy around your greatest talents.

2. Be socially active:
Create – and consistently use – personal accounts on LinkedIn and Twitter. (Consider Facebook, too, for its power to fuel word-of-mouth marketing.) Show, don’t tell, by sharing case studies, e-books and videos that inform your connections about how you help others. Answer questions in relevant LinkedIn Groups. Generously tweet valuable tips your target can use. The more you interact, the more people will get to know, like and respect you for your expertise.

3. Get published online:
Start a business blog as a communications hub that showcases your expertise. Guest post on relevant blogs in your industry. Use strategic keywords to boost your rankings using search engine optimization (SEO). Give your presentations greater mileage by adding them to SlideShare. The more high-quality content you publish in your area of expertise, the more you will be perceived by your target (and Google!) as an expert.

4. Offer to give interviews:
Build your personal brand as an expert by using the third-party credibility offered by the media. While mainstream business publications are ideal platforms, consider trade magazines for your industry, too. Sign up for Help a Reporter Out (HARO) to offer your industry expertise and opinions in return for opportunities for flattering media coverage to boost your visibility among the masses.

5. Speak up:
Gain influence by taking the stage at industry conferences or participating in panel discussions your target market attends. Public speaking is a powerful way to command attention and engage the right audience. To gain momentum, start local, then build up to speaking at larger, national events.

However you choose to position yourself as an expert, keep your messaging clear, simple and memorable. Giving away your wealth of knowledge can help you position yourself — and profit — as a successful industry expert.

How else could you position yourself as an expert in your industry?

Lisa Goller helps businesses tell their story. As a Strategic Freelance Writer & Editor, she helps executives and entrepreneurs stand out, look good and save time. Learn more at lisagoller.com

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Resources
Fleiss, Will. 6 Tips for Crafting a B2B Thought Leadership Marketing Strategy. Outbrain. August 27, 2014.
Patterson, Maggie. 5 Tactics for Positioning Yourself as an Expert Starting Today. Female Entrepreneur Association. August 7, 2014.
Riklan, David. The Top 10 Ways to Position Yourself as an Expert Using Social Media. Early to Rise.

Help Your Brand Stand Out

The threat of invisibility spooks every business owner and marketing executive. That’s why they work so hard to make their brands stand out and resonate with their target market. What’s even trickier is trying to attract attention in an oversaturated market with a limited marketing budget.

To get your brand noticed, use these cost-effective tips:

1. Show you’re smart:
You’re nerdier than you realize. Share your knowledge in a LinkedIn group that’s relevant to your target market. Without overtly promoting yourself, help them solve their pain points. Do the same by sharing your content on SlideShare.

2. Start a blog:
Blogging improves your brand’s search engine ranking, and increases your reach and visibility. Free sites like WordPress and Tumblr make business blogging easy and economical.

3. Guest blog:
If you’re concerned about the effort required to maintain a blog, don’t dismiss this medium. Offer to post your ideas on blogs that are popular in your industry. You’ll increase your brand’s exposure by tapping into another site’s audience.

4. Hold a contest:
Everybody loves freebies, so design a contest around an irresistible giveaway to attract your ideal customers.

5. Be a resource:
Journalists are desperate for credible, insightful sources for their articles. Offer to be a source for your industry and respond promptly to the media. Start with the online service Help a Reporter Out (HARO).

How do you make your brand stand out?

Lisa Goller helps businesses tell their story. As a Strategic Freelance Writer & Editor, she helps executives and entrepreneurs stand out, look good and save time. Learn more at lisagoller.com

 

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