April 28, 2010

Social Media Series Part 3: How to Best Leverage Your Expertise Online

By:

Hostway Team

By Mike Koehler

No matter what you do — whether you’re a lawyer, exterminator or weekend gardener — some of the information you have in your head is valuable to someone searching for answers online.

That’s why one of the most important steps you can take in expanding your footprint on the Internet is to leverage your expertise. Don’t worry, no matter what you have to say, someone is out there willing to listen.

Blog Ideas Aren’t Hard

Your job is to leverage your expertise. But you may not know where that first step is. Here’s an easy way to start. Think about what you would tell a customer or friend who walked through your door and asked about what you do. What’s the most common activity in your business and how did learn how to do it? Congratulations, that’s your first blog.

Video Is an Option

Maybe you’re not comfortable writing something. Fortunately, the ability to shoot video content for the Web has never been easier. High-definition video cameras can cost less than $300 dollars, and YouTube offers one of the highest trafficked sites in the world for free.

Don’t get overwhelmed with length — of either a blog or a video. A few hundred words for a blog or three minutes or less of video content are the gold standard of the Web. Any more will drive visitors and viewers away.

Spread the Word

Once you’ve written something about how you learned about accounting or shot a video of you hammering a house frame, post it online. But make sure you tell people about it! Put up note on your Web site. Put a poster in your office. Email your clients. Put the Web address on your business cards. Mention it at your club meetings. Get the word out.

Don’t worry about being stuck in the future, either. Anytime someone asks a question that you know a great answer to — and these will seem like no-brainers — that’s great content for the Web. Many people are even interested in how you manage your day. What do you do to balance projects or get through email? With the size of the Web, anyone’s process could provide a breakthrough for others. Don’t obsess about traffic either. A few hundred visitors to your blog may be just the right ones you want to become customers. And there’s always a chance that what you write strikes a chord that makes it go viral. If that happens, watch out!

Come back each day this week for the rest of the series:

Social Media Series Part 1: How to Build an Effective Network
Social Media Series Part 2: Connect with the Traditional Media
Social Media Series Part 3: How to Best Leverage Your Expertise Online
Social Media Series Part 4: Shortcuts Keep Social Media from Taking too much Time
Social Media Series Part 5: Not all Social Media Platforms Are Created Equal (and Why)

About the Author

Mike Koehler is a social media consultant, speaker and freelance writer based in Oklahoma City, where he lives with his wife and three kids. You can follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mkokc

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