The need to establish your brand authority as a coach is essential.
Why? Because people want to do business with industry experts – those they know, like, and trust. It creates a sense of safety when we deal with trusted and well-established businesses or organizations. As a result, learning to build brand authority is non-negotiable if you want to succeed as a coach.
And this is where it gets interesting…
In my years as a business mentor, I have run dozens of workshops, hosted over 400 speakers, and educated more than 100,000 business owners through my programs. These experiences have taught me that one of the main qualities that puts entrepreneurs ahead is their ability to build brand authority.
Your personal brand (and its degree of credibility) is your business’s paradigm shifter.
And all you need to do to strengthen, solidify, and skyrocket your brand authority is follow the 7 proven steps I’m about to share with you in this article. And the best part? Any coach can see massive success in their business if they commit themselves to these simple tips.
But before we delve into the 7 action steps, you might be asking yourself…
Table of Contents
What is Brand Authority?
Brand authority can mean many things depending on the context.
However, in terms of business and entrepreneurship, brand authority refers to the degree of expertise, credibility, and trustworthiness you’ve established within your field. And there are many elements that can contribute to your perceived authority.
Some of these elements can include the following:
- Titles and certifications
- Experience and expertise
- Results generated for your clientele
- Accolades and accomplishments
- Affiliations (whether with an organization or trusted establishment)
- Education or scholarships
Each of these elements can boost your brand loyalty as a coach. Moreover, they hold the capacity to skyrocket your business as they serve as marketing tools that contribute to and strengthen your reputation.
Why is it Important to Build Authority for Your Personal Brand?
Imagine you’re at a clothing store that sells sports apparel.
You’re searching for a sweat-resistant windbreaker for your outdoor workouts. As you browse through the aisles, you find what you’re looking for, but you’re met with two options for the same piece of clothing. One is a stunning Nike windbreaker, while the other is a random parka from a no-name brand you’ve never heard of before.
Which one do you choose?
If you’re like most people, you’ll probably opt for the Nike windbreaker. Why? Because you know and are familiar with Nike – everyone is. They are a well-established, trusted brand with decades of experience producing high-quality sports apparel for high-performance athletes and sports enthusiasts.
This proven track record offers a two-fold advantage to Nike…
First, it makes you (the customer) feel more comfortable with investing your hard-earned cash with Nike over the no-name brand’s parka. And second, it establishes Nike’s authority as a powerhouse in the competitive sports apparel industry. Do you see the importance (and power) that brand authority has now?
And this same concept applies to you when you offer your coaching services to the marketplace.
It’s a competitive landscape out there – your prospective clients have options. Why should they choose you? To answer this question, you have to differentiate yourself from all the other entrepreneurs offering similar services.
And one of the best methods to do that is by strengthening and building brand authority with your target audience.
How to Become an Authority in Your Industry (7 Easy Steps)
Your most pressing thought at this point might be how you can become an authority in your space.
Luckily, anyone can start building brand recognition by consistently taking a few proven steps. These actions could mean the difference between your success and failure in your marketing strategy. For this reason, you should review the following suggestions and develop a plan for their implementation.
Here are 7 easy steps to build authority in your industry.
1. Post high-quality content consistently
The digital age is here to stay.
In fact, the latest statistics reveal that more than 4.8 billion people are now on social media globally. That’s over half the world’s population! What’s more, the average person spends about 2 hours and 24 minutes on these platforms every day. So, what does that mean for you as a coach?
It means there is a lot of opportunity to find your ideal clients – but you have to be seen!
And the best way to increase your “visibility” is to post high-quality content consistently – content marketing. This simple step helps to establish the know, like, and trust factor with potential customers. As a result, it can act as a bridge-builder between anonymity and a strong brand.
But what does high-quality relevant content consist of? Here are a few tips to focus on:
- Accurate, well-structured, error-free blogs with valuable information
- Helpful or encouraging social media posts
- Engaging, informational YouTube videos
- Valuable ebooks, manuals, guides, and cheat sheets
- Webinars and virtual events with informative content
- Newsletters and nurture campaigns
- Educational or instructional podcasts
Quality content has the right mix of information and inspiration to help start conversations.
Another point to keep in mind is that “quality” is subjective. What one person finds entertaining, another may find distasteful. For this reason, it’s important to know your audience and direct your content efforts toward that specific group – if you try to please everyone, you’ll end up pleasing no one.
A good overall rule of thumb for posting on your social media channels is to simply think about adding value. This perspective will help you connect with your audience and establish a strong brand while also ranking on the search engine results page.
2. Maintain a professional brand image
Perception is reality.
If prospects perceive you as someone who is unreliable or incompetent, you will never get their business. As a result, it’s essential that you look, talk, and act the part of a true professional both on and offline. This concept goes a long way in conveying your degree of credibility.
Here are a few proven ways to enhance and maintain a professional brand image:
- Get professional photos for your site and social media accounts
- Don’t get into squabbles or arguments online
- Refrain from posting about race, politics, or any other heated topics
- Ensure you only post helpful, positive, and educational content
- Limit promotional posts to 1 to 5 (for every one promotional post, publish at least 5 educational posts)
It can take months or even years to build authority and establish a professional brand image.
And yet, all it takes is one wrong post to ruin all that hard work. As such, be sure that you’re only posting quality content that encourages your target market. This simple concept will help others see you as the professional you are.
3. Ensure you are congruent across all social media platforms
Consistency across social media platforms is one of the key components for establishing authority.
If your brand voice is bold and motivational on your Facebook and Instagram pages but becomes passive and unassertive when people opt into your email list, that’s a problem. Why? Because it creates confusion and distrust.
Potential clients will wonder if you’re even the same coaching brand, and this will cause them to opt-out.
This concept of having a congruent “voice” on all your platforms also applies to other aspects of your brand. For example, your colors, word choice, logo, and tone should all be consistent. Everything needs to line up on every platform you occupy.
It’s a simple idea that has a big impact on how potential clients perceive you and your brand authority.
4. Share milestones and accolades
Your achievements are credibility boosters – use them.
Whether it’s an educational award, a recent certification, a certain result you helped a client achieve, or simply an affiliation with a trusted organization, these accolades can all contribute to your brand authority. As a result, you should share them on your social media. Moreover, you should continue sharing any new milestones you achieve in your coaching career.
Here are a few accomplishment ideas you can share on your profiles:
- Client case studies, results, and testimonials
- Awards and certificates
- Educational achievements
- Course enrolments
- Publications or prominent sites you’ve been featured on
- Organizations you’ve collaborated with
A big hang-up many aspiring coaches (or even seasoned coaches) have is they view sharing these accomplishments as bragging. Don’t concern yourself with this. You never know who’s watching. And sometimes, a prospect just needs to see that one client testimonial or that single educational milestone to believe you can help them as well.
These are all excellent forms of social proof that lend you the credibility required to establish brand authority.
5. Niche down
Life in business is a lot harder than it needs to be if you’re a generalist.
People want industry experts with specialized knowledge of the problem they’re facing. This is what influences purchasing choices with your audience. So ask yourself: Who do you serve, and what’s the problem you solve with your coaching services? If you’re attempting to help everyone with everything, you’ll end up helping no one with nothing.
So, decide at the outset who your market is and what pain points you solve. For example…
- Do you help busy professionals attain work-life balance?
- Do you help stay-at-home moms develop a sense of fulfillment?
- Do you help trauma victims overcome their grief?
By niching down, you narrow the pool of potential candidates and, as a result, make yourself a more attractive and valuable coach to those who genuinely need your services. Moreover, you also separate yourself from other brands and become more engaged in your business. Why? Because now you’re serving people with problems you feel more passionate about solving.
A greater connection is established between both your work and your clients, and this will give you a competitive edge.
6. Create an exceptional customer experience
Word of mouth is one of your most valuable business assets.
When you receive positive customer feedback, those testimonials automatically come with a sense of safety to new clients. Each positive testimonial or online review communicates a proven track record of success that increases your brand value. For this reason, you want others to sing your praises for you as much as possible.
And how do you do that? By creating an exceptional customer experience!
Everything from your onboarding and client communication to your protocols and the results you help generate should all be focused on excellence and professionalism. When you make exceptional service your standard, you build brand influence and strengthen your brand identity. This leads to favorable client testimonials which you can then leverage to build your customer base even more.
So, ensure that you provide an exceptional customer experience to clients to help build your brand authority as a coach.
7. Host a virtual event
One of the most underrated ways to earn brand authority is by hosting a virtual event.
This idea is often overlooked. However, it can be incredibly effective if done correctly. First of all, it sets you apart as this strategy positions you as an industry leader. Secondly, it’s a lot easier and cost-effective compared to live events as it eliminates the need for travel.
Here are a few additional advantages of hosting a virtual event to establish authority:
- Reaches a broad audience by connecting with speakers and expert guests internationally
- More flexibility regarding time and finances
- Boosts your brand’s reputation as an industry leader
- Gain exposure to potential business partners
- Drive more traffic to your website by inviting expert guests
- Easily gather data and more accurately measure results for your next growth target
- More accessibility to diverse audiences
- Differentiates your company from competitors
A virtual event is a unique touch point that can help establish authority with more customers. As such, it is an important thought to consider.
What’s Next? Continue Building Your Brand Authority
Learning how to become an authority in your space requires a commitment to constant improvement.
While it’s not easy, it certainly offers many advantages when you get to the other side. You’ll develop the credibility clients need to trust, you’ll have the experience to help those you serve, and you’ll have the proven track record to deliver results – every time. The challenge is receiving the guidance you need to make it all happen.
And that’s where we at Entrepreneurs HQ can help. Our team of marketing experts and online business mentors are here to guide you, step by step, through the confusing terrain of entrepreneurship. And the best part?
We offer a daily newsletter where we share the best marketing tips and tricks from the world’s best entrepreneurs to help you on your journey. So sign up today to skyrocket your business, grow your clientele, and build your brand authority.