How do you get to be considered an innovation expert? It helps if you are a bestselling author who promotes their books and brand on national television, or a university professor who has studied their subject for decades. But there is another kind of expert. It can be a person who is well-known and respected within their industry, frequently delivering key notes at conferences and winning plum consulting gigs. Here are the following five things anyone can do to start developing a recognized brand.
1. Develop a relationship with reporters who cover your subject area. The key here is to get to know the people who write about your field. Read your industry trade journals, local business weekly, and the business section of your metro newspaper regularly, and you’ll quickly figure out who those reporters are.
2. Pitch yourself as a speaker. Reach out to your local. Chamber of Commerce or regional trade association and offer to speak on a specific topic. It’s not immodest to suggest yourself - their program committees are often interested in good speakers.
3. Align with a high-profile client. As the saying goes, you’re known by the company you keep. That means if you have well-known clients or associations, be sure to use them.
4. Create your own content. There’s no better way to showcase your expertise than creating content others can read, review, and learn from. A blog like this one requires an on-going commitment. If you don’t feel you have the time (or energy), then write an occasional article for an in-house newsletter or trade association publication. Looking for an even quicker solution? Use Twitter to demonstrate your expertise with pithy insights and links to relevant articles in your field.
5. Teach. It doesn’t require a doctorate - many colleges and universities are hungry for skilled professionals to teach adjunct courses. The experience will sharpen your knowledge, enhance your presentation skills, and provide you with an added dose of prestige in your industry.
Have you developed other ways that increase your brand recognition as an expert in innovation?
In my case I blog more than I publish with associations... maybe I should change it up, but I think writing should happen any time ideas happen. Sometimes it means writing to ourselves and sometimes it means writing to our colleagues as we publish our findings, but I think it's sad to see ideas forgotten or unheard.
ReplyDelete- Asher Bond
Software Designer
Elastic Provisioner, Inc.