Make Yourself a Subject Matter Expert

Whether you know it or not, as a small business owner, you’re already a subject matter expert.

A subject matter expert (or SME for short) is someone with a deep understanding and expertise in a particular niche subject matter or field of study. These are the people we turn to when we need answers to very specific questions. Becoming an SME takes many years of experience and a vast knowledge base of a particular subject area. As a successful small business owner, I’ll bet that you’re already an SME in your area of business. After all, you utilize your expertise every day to produce a product or service that helps people solve a problem. What if there was a way to leverage this knowledge as an SME to make more people aware of your business and increase profits? There is, and it all starts with a well-designed content marketing plan.

Here are four steps that every small business owner can take to show the world they’re a Subject Matter Expert.

Do Your Homework.

If you’re a small business owner, odds are you already keep up with the latest trends and technology in your industry. If you don’t, and want to be an SME in your industry, it’s a good idea to subscribe to relative trade journals and read information online that pertains to your business. Even if you don’t necessarily agree with the information, it’s still good to understand what others in your industry are doing.

Publish Content.

Writing and publishing content is probably one of the best ways to demonstrate your expertise in a subject area. A great place to start is a blog on your business’s website. Blogs are a place to write about issues that concern your customers and expand the keyword reach of your website. If you want to take blogging a step further, reach out to websites related to your business and ask to be a guest blogger.

Speak in Public.

Another way to prove yourself as an SME is to speak in front of people and to speak about your business. If public speaking isn’t something you’re comfortable with, get over it. Something really magical happens when you speak in front of people about a particular subject- you start to become an expert.

Network.

Finally, if you want to be considered an SME, you need to get out there and network with other professionals. Networking will give you opportunities to demonstrate your knowledge base and competence as it relates to your business. This is also a great way to make new business relationships and get word-of-mouth advertising.

If you’re ready to become a subject matter expert but aren’t sure where to start, contact the Milk Street Marketing team today!