How to engineer authority

How do you establish authority in your niche? Is it something that just happens organically and with luck? Or is it something you can be intentional about?

Well, it is a bit of both. And it also requires (obviously) that you know what the hell you’re talking about. But, there most definitely ARE concrete things you can be doing to actually purposely engineer your authority in your niche.

Let’s go there…

#1 – Present A Plan.

I’ve said it many times, but a good market is going to be aligned around a transformation. A person wants to move from their current reality… to a new reality… within the context of whatever it is you do. Think… before and after.

Well, whatever that is… you need to put forth a plan. A pathway. A roadmap. Actually codify that general roadmap so that it can be presented in a simple manner.

For instance… take my own Online Business Roadmap. 5 phases. That’s the plan.

What’s the plan for your people?

#2 – Answer a lot of questions in absolute ways.

Your market has questions. Lots of them. Chances are, they’re going to be asking many of the same questions repetitively, too.

Answer them. Even if you get tired of saying the same thing over and over again, answer them anyway. To them, it is new and it is a legit question.

So, can you present concrete answers to common questions in the form of blog posts? Hell yeah, you can.

You can also go to sites like Quora or AnswerThePublic.com and find out what people are asking. Build yourself an FAQ. Link off to specific content on your site to answer those questions. (Hell, I just gave myself an idea right there. Score! 😉 )

#3 – Be Certain And Absolute.

People want absolute answers. They don’t want people to dilly-daddle around in a bunch of gray zones.

This is why people with some kind of body issue just want a darn diagnosis and they want a label. They want to say “I have [insert disorder name here]”. They want it to be finite and put a little bow on it. If a doctor came in there and said anything non-specific, or gave non-absolute answers like diet and exercise, that doctor wouldn’t be as popular. People want their damn labels and pills, man! Absolutes! Quick answers!

So, give absolute answers. Be confident. Even if you know, in your expertise, that the answer might depend on a number of factors, just shut your trap and give them a simple answer. You can work out the details later.

Speak in absolutes.

I don’t say that banner ads can work in some cases. No, I just say banner ads suck.

In marketing, people always want to know what works best. What’s the best site color? What’s the best button color for a call to action? The real answer is “it depends” and that you should split test it. But, the answer that engineers authority?

Make all your buttons green. Just… green.

Doesn’t matter if “it depends”. Just be confident.

#4 – State Your Why and Your Beliefs.

It should be a central part of your brand to state what you believe and why you do what you do.

Case in point, look at the video on the LAB Sales Page. I didn’t want to come up with some long-ass video for that page. I didn’t want to repeat myself on what the text on the page said. I wanted something that would position me and the LAB and do so quickly. So, the video talks about my WHY… and my beliefs. And my beliefs are stated in quite an absolute way, too.

If people resonate with your why and they resonate with your beliefs, they will be attracted to you. The rest is details.

#5 – Alter Their Behavior or Routine With Unique Exercises

People will follow those who lead them. And what do leaders do? They get people to do something. And when that “something” that they do is unique to you and you’ve changed their habits somewhat, that’s authority.

Think about how Tony Robbins gets people to walk on freakin’ fire! That’s a weird thing to do! However, people do it and they feel like they just freakin’ accomplished something cool. And the people who have done it have that common bond between them.

Think about how Dave Asprey gets us to put butter in our coffee to make it “bulletproof”. A bit weird, right? But, I’m drinking it right now as I write this.

It can be simple, too. Some companies will hand out swag. Like a sticker to stick on the laptop or a fridge magnet. Ever thought about why some home realtors will send out little refrigerator calendars? It is just getting people to keep that brand there front and center. In a little way, it is altering behavior.

So, for what your’e doing, what could you get people to do that isn’t ordinary? How can you get them to change their routine or the “normal” way of doing things?

My Business Building Bootcamp starts off by telling people not to start a blog. I flip the usual routine on it’s head and we do other things BEFORE we start blogging. I change the routine.

…

I’ll end with this…

Most people want to be led. They want to be told what to do. It isn’t a bad thing. It is just… human. Especially when people are looking to solve a particular problem they have, at least in that segment of their lives, they don’t feel like a leader. They might be a leader in other aspects of their life, but in that area… they’re not. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be looking for answers.

So, lead them. Be the leader. At least in the zone of what it is you do.

A leader is certain. A leader has confidence. A leader changes people’s behaviors, answers questions, and portrays confidence.

Do it… and you will go a long way to engineering your authority in your niche.