UpGrade - Are you an Expert?

I have heard from many professionals that when they are going to school in their discipline, they are taught that they should look for opportunities to get articles that they write, or have written for them, published. This works to a degree, but there are three problems with this, and there is a solution that can really make an impact on your bottom line.

First, over the years, I have been approached by over 200 (no exaggeration) professional people, that would like to “write for us.” They range from accountants to chiropractors; from dentists to massage therapists. Real estate agents, insurance agents, orthodontists, chefs, business coaches, cleaning companies, electricians, physical therapists, school counselors, family counselors, marriage counselors, and so many more. Then there were the bankers, credit union managers, retirement planners, reverse mortgage advisors, senior citizen advisors and even a staffer from a senior center. All of these people and more believe they are qualified to be an “Expert” in their field.

Our problem in the newspaper industry is that we just don’t have enough room for expert columns, along with all the local news. It would take a large newspaper to print all of the articles that people would like to write for us, before we add in the news. In small communities, where there is only one chiropractor, we might get away with it. Not in our communities. Sorry.

The second problem – We have done surveys and focus groups and have found out that readers would prefer these type of articles not be mixed with the news in our newspapers unless they are marked as advertisements. The surveys have said that if there were a way to pull up just the articles you want, when you want them, readers would prefer that.

Our third problem is that when you do this for one person, it isn’t fair to all of the other dentists (or what have you). How can we pick just one business to feature with an article each month?

The Good News!
There is also lots of data that shows that people want to be well educated when they make a decision. Let me give you an example of this:

I was in a car dealership, talking to the general manager. We were talking about how the world-wide-web has changed customers for the better. He said that customers are more educated than ever before about the cars, features and deals that are out there. As we were talking, a person in his late 30s came into the dealership with a folder in his hand filled to about 1 ½ inches thick of information. The general manager pointed to him and said “He know what he wants. He has done his homework, and just wants to see the car we have on our lot that he has decided to compare to a couple of others.

He, of course, was right. The person talked to a sales person and immediately went out to the lot to the exact car he had already found on their website. As we watched him, he pulled out several papers and asked questions. We were too far away to hear the questions, but he obviously knew what he was looking for. I could see the signs that he was not sold and needed to be convinced that he would be making the best choice.

As he walked in, the salesman told the customer about a program that the auto manufacturer was providing for people who bought this type of car. The salesperson then pulled out an article from a folder that he was carrying. It was an article about the difference between that program and one that this dealership had put together for their customers. This article had been written by the general manager that I was talking to, about the benefits of both programs.

The buyer was impressed and quickly read it. As they began to talk about the programs and the needs of this customer, you could tell that he had been sold by this special report that explained the differences between the programs. The GM told me that he didn’t care which program the buyer would go with. He just wanted the buyer to be so informed, he would know that “we are the best choice to buy your car from!”

Isn’t that what business people need to do? Identify the things that make our company different from our competitors, tell those that are looking for our products or services, and then we make sure that we take care of the people that become our customers. We need to become the experts on the products or service that we are involved with. An article or report is your best way of helping prospective customers to know that you are more concerned them making the best decision for their needs. That may mean they need to use you if you have the best product, service and really do care about the customer. You are serving their best interest.

How to use these differ according to what you are trying to accomplish. With a report, you can offer it as part of an ad campaign or give it out to prospective customers. “FREE Report – 15 things that you need to know before you list your home to get a higher price on it.” This is long but is also effective. If you are looking to sell your house in the next few months, you will want this report.

An article, on the other hand, can be done a bit like this but having it on a website that provides several articles on several topics, makes it a low risk way for potential customers find out about you and your knowledge without actually letting you know. Write a few articles, have them read and you will become an expert in no time to the person that is reading them.

The key for getting your articles read online is to have them on sites that the search engines search often. Our website began a service to post these articles a couple of years ago. Those articles are found by many people but especially by those locally. It is amazing how many people read these articles that I email to you and then post online.

You too can do this with your own articles. There are many places to post them, but start with your own website and then get them posted to other websites that get traffic. Check out our “Expert Advice” on any of our websites. Ask about the first one free program for our Expert Advice columns.

One final note: when you write articles that get found on the web, you become the expert in your field by not only the local residents but also by the search engines. When the search engines start putting you before national writers, you have become more relevant than they do. This is huge for getting more of the local resident to find your writings and help them feel that you are the expert in your field.

Good luck and good writing,

Boyd Petersen
Publisher, The Valley Journals
801-580-3310

Are you an Expert?Write a report or an article for publication.

Are you an Expert?
Write a report or an article for publication.