7 Ways to Build Authority as an Online Writer

If you’re a blogger, you’re doing this to gain influence and increase your SEO value, not for your health. You want to become recognized as an authority. You want your audience to enjoy your industry insights, knowledge, experience, great sense of humor, writing style and personality. You’re ultimately hoping to gain clients from your efforts, which is what content marketing is all about. Here are 7 ways to grow your influence and become a more authoritative online writer.

1. This is not about you. Forget private agendas and endless self-promotion. This is about sharing information, not promoting your products and services. Going out of your way to help someone never goes out of style and the results just may surprise you.
2. Play hard to get. Clients expect you to say things to please them and may even sense a little desperation. Avoid saying “I’m flexible.” A client will suspect you’ll do anything for money, suspecting you don’t care about quality or integrity, that you can be bought, cheaply.
3. Establish a reputation for one outstanding quality. Your reputation should be simple, based upon a single, sterling quality — strategic thinking, keen insights, great case studies. This becomes your calling card. There’s no substitute for great content.
4. Court attention. A little bit of showmanship is not a bad thing. We all know that one person in our social and networking groups who always has to be the center of attention. There is a fine line between endless self-promotion and getting well-deserved attention for great work.
5. Be confident. The more self-assured and confident a communicator you are, the more likely people will accept what you say. Say what you think. Don’t be afraid to share your opinions. Those who love you will love you more. Those who don’t? Well . . .
6. Deliver. There’s no replacement for hard work and commitment. Meeting deadlines. Being on time for calls and meetings. Delivering a product that exceeds expectations. There are no excuses for excuses.
7. Charge premium prices. People are conditioned to think they need to pay for what they get and well may mistrust a product or service that’s too cheap. Think about this: Do you know anyone else who does exactly what you do? What would it take for your clients to figure out and deliver what you’re providing? Not going to happen.

Don’t let others decide how you are perceived. Become the master of your own reputation.

Is your New Year’s resolution to start blogging? Talk to us at Top of Mind Marketing. We’re writers and content marketing experts.