Positioning yourself as an expert on Facebook can feel daunting – especially if you are a new business or switching the directions.
Many business owners feel like they need a long list of credentials before they can start building their authority and positioning themselves as an expert.
As someone who has worked with hundreds of business owners with little to no name recognition, I’m here to tell you that’s not the case.
Check out these 5 tips for quickly positioning yourself as an expert on Facebook – even if you’re just getting started in business!
Why You Need to Build Authority on Facebook
No matter who your ideal client is, chances are, they are hanging out on Facebook.
With over 2 billion active users, Facebook is the largest social media platform out there.
The average user spends 41 minutes browsing Facebook every day.
How much would your business benefit if you could capture just a few minutes of their attention per day?
Where to Build Authority on Facebook
The best place to position yourself as an expert? It’s easy – Facebook groups.
People need to be able to engage with you to figure out if they actually want to work with you. The two-way conversation happening inside Facebook groups is perfect for that.
You can get started with authority building in other people’s groups.
However, having your own group will give you a huge credibility boost in the eyes of potential clients.
You will be seen as a leader, which will automatically boost your expert status.
Plus, when you create your own group, you should create one around your area of expertise and name it in a way that would serve a magnet for your ideal clients. That will make sharing your expertise and building your authority that much easier.
4 Tips for Positioning Yourself as an Expert on Facebook
1. Decide on your area of expertise.
It is very important to decide on your area of expertise before jumping into building authority on Facebook.
Having a clearly defined area of expertise will help you figure out where your ideal clients hang out on Facebook and how you can reach them most effectively.
It will save you a lot of time and effort (and money!) in the long run.
Moreover, positioning yourself as an expert in a specific field helps you avoid coming off as a jack of all trades. You can build trust with potential clients while differentiating yourself from your competitors.
When you specialize in a particular area, you are much more likely to come off as an expert in that area.
Think about it: would you rather trust a marketing “expert” who claims to know all there is about online marketing… Or someone who specializes in a particular area, such as organic Facebook marketing for coaches and consultants?
You will also become much more memorable in the eyes of potential clients. You are also able to avoid getting lost in a sea of other experts.
Pick one thing you’re amazing at within your field of expertise and focus on that, even if you are a multi-passionate with many different talents and abilities.
Don’t worry. It doesn’t mean that this will be the only thing that you do, or provide advice on – far from it.
Once you’ve built a bit of a reputation as an expert on Facebook and gained enough trust with your potential clients, you will be able to start offering them advice on other topics in your field as well.
However, if you want to build that reputation quickly, you are better off sticking to a single area of expertise at the beginning.
Otherwise, you risk coming off as an amateur, not an expert.
2. Share valuable tips and information.
Many business owners make the mistake of using their group as a purely promotional platform.
Your Facebook group should be a place for people to learn valuable information and connect with one another.
When trying to be seen as an expert on Facebook, the age-old advice of “show, don’t tell” applies.
Instead of telling your potential clients you are an expert, show them you are!
If you have your own Facebook group, you should focus on providing value that’s highly relevant to your specific niche and not available anywhere else.
Whether it’s offering an exclusive freebie or inviting industry experts to do Q&A sessions in your group, sharing something that’s not available elsewhere will boost your expert status.
Here are 3 ways to show, not tell, your audience you are an expert:
1. Show you are up to date with the latest trends in your niche by regularly sharing industry news and updates with your Facebook group members.
It can be as simple as making a quick Facebook post whenever you have something new to share with your audience.
Or, you could create a dedicated weekly or monthly thread to discuss industry news and updates with your group members.
Creating and sharing content that walks your group members through what to expect in your niche in the upcoming year, month, or even 5 years, can also be helpful.
It helps demonstrate to potential clients you really understand your industry and where it’s going, boosting your expert status as a result.
This also facilitates trust-building because it shows your potential clients they can count on you to anticipate new developments. They will believe that you can give them a heads-up when it really matters.
2. Show that you are actively engaged with important voices in your niche by bringing industry leaders for weekly Q&As.
You can also share your own conversations with these experts through Facebook lives, video recordings, or exclusive podcast episodes that are only available to your group members.
Even if you are not a top tier expert yourself, associating yourself with them will give you a credibility boost in the eyes of potential clients.
3. Make your audience’s life easy by organizing and simplifying the information they need to know about your niche.
By curating relevant content for them, you will make them feel like your group is a place they can come to whenever they need support and resources. This will help you build trust and boost your expert status as a result.
For example, sharing beginner’s guides, checklists, and “must-know” types of articles can go a long way when it comes to establishing yourself as an expert.
If you are trying to position yourself as an expert in other people’s groups, this point is even more important.
Many groups won’t even allow self-promotion.
However, if you keep sharing valuable tips and information about your area of expertise, people will notice you and reach out to you next time they have a similar question.
3. Ask and answer the right questions.
Many people think that being an expert is about always having all the answers. However, it’s not as black and white as it seems.
Asking questions that people have not thought of asking themselves is a great way to demonstrate insight and expertise.
These types of questions can easily lead to some important “aha!” moments and breakthroughs for your group members… Which is bound to increase their trust in and appreciation for your expert knowledge.
Plus, starting a conversation with your group members will help you learn more about them and their struggles.
The better you understand what they are going through, the easier it will be to offer advice and build trust with them, which is what positioning yourself as an expert is all about.
Tip: Avoid asking for advice on topics that are directly related to your area of expertise.
Those are the questions you want to ANSWER – inside your Facebook group and other people’s groups.
However, make sure to only answer questions that are directly related to your area of expertise, even if you know the answer to others.
This will make it easier for people to remember what you are actually an expert on.
4. Run an online challenge.
What is one of the best ways to build your authority and position yourself as an expert on Facebook?
Online challenges are excellent at building trust with potential clients and positioning yourself as an expert.
Think of an online challenge as a mini-program your ideal clients get to try completely for free.
And when they see that your work gets results?
They will automatically view you as an expert on the subject. And they will be much more likely to join your paid programs later on.
Need Help?
Positioning yourself as an expert is very important for building trust with prospects and turning them into paying clients.
Running an online challenge is one of the best ways to boost your authority and position yourself as an expert on Facebook.
Want to make sure you nail every single aspect of your challenge? Grab your FREE Challenge Checklist now.
Thanks! Really great article and tips.