Emerge as a Subject Matter Expert

Published by Rebecca Oldfield-Heath

At Jago, we rarely work with clients who seek fame and dream of being a big personality. Rather, their challenges are unique and their reasons for working with us are more nuanced.

Many of our clients are specialists in their chosen field. They love what they do, and they do it better than anyone else. Either they have risen to the top of their field, often in large multinational businesses through their own merit, or else an entrepreneurial spirit led them to create businesses around their passions and skills. In either case, selling themselves as leaders isn’t their core skill. We help these brilliant specialists position themselves as expert thought leaders.

To be considered an expert and use this to help grow your business is no mean feat, no matter how much subject matter knowledge you have. It takes a lot of dedication and showing up consistently as your authentic self. And it takes a whole lot of confidence and communication skills to break down subjects you know inside out for a wider audience, without dumbing anything down. 

And this is exactly what Ben Fryer needed when we started working with him a few months ago. As co-founder of Diverse Interactive an AR / VR content agency he truly is an expert in the metaverse. He had a small following, however, with little presence outside of his organisation and, as an introvert, had no intention of moving into the limelight.

 

“I was nervous and sceptical when I started the process, but I have a deep desire to shape the future of the metaverse and share my knowledge. The team at Jago helped me to do this in a natural way that felt like me. I realised that when done right building my personal brand just needed to be an extension of my best self.” – Ben Fryer, Founder, Diverse Interactive.

 

By establishing himself  as a subject matter expert with the people that count, after just three months of working together, 14 LinkedIn posts, one scripting and filming session, a podcast guest spots and a 1:1 workshop, Ben has just landed a six-figure deal with a dream client. That’s the power of personal branding done right.

So, how did we help Ben master his reputation and become known as a subject matter expert?

It’s a seven-step process, but anyone can do it:

  1. Fully commit to the process. Rome wasn’t built in a day, you have to show up consistently, and we don’t just mean posting regularly on LinkedIn (although that helps!) Carve out the time your personal brand deserves, keep it precious.
  2. Understand your whole self. We use EQi 2.0 Emotional Intelligence assessments with our clients. But there are many strengths identification and psychometric profiling tools to help you understand your superpowers.
  3. Invest in personal coaching. This is what helps unlock the real value in the process. Emotional intelligence coaching gives you the confidence to reach your goals and holds you accountable throughout the process.
  4. Identify your values, purpose and mission. This becomes your positioning. Once it is in place everything you do with your personal brand and content will feel natural and authentic to you and your vision for the future.
  5. Create your strategy. Plan your personal brand strategy, define your story. Let this feed a social strategy that is achievable and maintainable in the long term.
  6. Become an independent content creator. Begin creating content on your chosen subject matter and disseminate across your chosen platforms. Tell your unique story in a way that works for you.
  7. Employ professional help for premium content. While it’s important to be able to create your own content, there are situations where premium content is needed to show you and your ideas at their absolute best. Jago offers video and written content solutions that reflect the real you through a unique co-creation process. 

All this isn’t for everyone. The world is full of journeymen, as well as subject matter experts. Becoming a voice for your industry takes commitment to your true self. And it isn’t always easy. But as Ben would no doubt tell you, it’s absolutely worth the work!

 

Get in touch if you’d like to hear more about how Jago can support you to become an expert thought leader.