How to become the ‘go to’ person in your industry (hint: it involves blogging!)
If you’re a therapist or health professional, blogging can help you build authority, gain trust from your audience and create awareness of your business brand and services . Which in turn creates business opportunities to diversify your business and income streams.
Even if you haven’t started your own business yet, you can still get started. Blogging, when done right, can make you the go-to person in your industry.
If you work within a specialised area, or in a niche in your industry, blogging is an invaluable tool to grow awareness of your brand and services, educate people on topics you’re an expert in, and grow a following. Through the delivery of consistent, value-driven content, your audience will learn to trust and rely on you for information they need. You will become the go-to person on those topics. And it doesn’t take long for word to spread.
How to build authority
Opportunities will arise as long as you ensure your blog posts have the following:
A different or interesting angle on an already well known topic
You inject your personality and personal experiences into your writing
You deliver consistent content of a high standard
You share your content regularly
You have a content strategy that is aligned with your business goals and values
And you make genuine connections with other people in your industry
That last point is really important. The more you support and connect with other people in the industry the more reach you will have. You become more visible and people will expect that every week you will deliver an article of interest.
Side note; you may not be the only go-to expert in your industry and that’s okay! There are plenty of opportunities to share around! But you can become the go-to person within your network.
What opportunities arise when you become the ‘go-to’ expert in your industry?
When you become more visible and people know what you’re about, you could have the following opportunities presented to you (just as I have!):
Podcast interview requests
Guest post invites (on other people’s blogs)
Be a source in media interviews for expert opinions
Partnerships
Write for publications
Invited to conferences and speaking engagements
And more!
There are certainly ways to actively seek these opportunities, too. But blogging gives you an edge because these opportunities happen more organically.
How can you diversify your income via blogging?
And how does this benefit your business? Some of these things aren’t paid for. But many of them can be.
The unpaid opportunities are often used for ‘exposure’ and while I don’t advocate for unpaid work, when you're strategic about these opportunities they can benefit your business in a number of ways:
When you speak on podcasts, link the topic back to a particular offer you have which can increase sales/ bookings/ referrals/ leads etc
Swap audiences. Grow your audience by swapping with someone else
You get backlinks to your website which Google loves
You get your byline on other websites which leads people back to your website and offers
Diversify your income streams
Move you away from relying on 1:1 client work
Launch profitable workshops/ training/ online courses
Take on consultation or supervision roles
Can all this happen from blogging, you ask?
Well, yes. This has been my experience. But you do need to be clear on your niche, have a content strategy that drives your audience toward your offers and make genuine connections with people in your industry. LinkedIn is a great platform for this and most of the opportunities I listed above came through this platform.
I often talk about blogging being a long game. And in the sense that it drives traffic to your website and grows your business organically, this is true. But you can also grow your business through brand authority which can happen as early as a couple of months (or weeks!) into your blogging journey.
Your expert blog can make you the go to person in your industry
If you’re keen to become the go-to expert in your field and diversify your business and income streams through blogging, when you put in the work, you will see results.
I offer 1:1 content coaching for therapists and health professionals who want to launch their expert blog and diversify their business. I have a person-centered, strengths-based approach and I work with you to find your unique voice in the blogging space, identify your ideal audience (or client) and create a sustainable content strategy. This means you develop the skills and confidence to write for your business rather than paying someone else to do it for you.
Month to month coaching sessions available, with no lock in contract. Book your free 15 minute discovery call by completing the briefing form here.
Download your FREE Launch Your Expert Blog eBook here.