Positioning Yourself as the Expert in Your Niche
Personal branding & expert positioning are not a new concept. Branding and marketing yourself as an “expert in your niche” was first coined by Napoleon Hills in 1937 in the book Think and Grow Rich. However, over the last decade, as careers have started to shift away from the traditional setting (such as W-2 employees, office & in-person requirements, & pension plans) to a more non-traditional career ecosystem (more freelancers and 1099's, less job security, employees looking for more flexibility & less desk jobs, and hundreds of thousands of student loan debt), personal branding, individualism, and self-positioning has largely increased.
And, in this day of endless competition and saturated job markets, personal branding is one of the key topics that you cannot afford to skip out on.
Why so?
WHEN YOU HAVE A CONSISTENT VOICE AND A STRONG PERSONAL PRESENCE & BRAND YOU ARE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO HAVE:
less career burnout
more job satisfaction
employers & clients chasing after you (and not the other way around)
getting paid what you are actually worth
better work/life integration & balance
AFTER WORKING WITH HUNDREDS OF PROFESSIONALS AND TEACHING THE TOOLS OF PERSONAL BRANDING, HERE ARE MY TOP FIVE TIPS ON HOW POSITION YOURSELF AS *THE* EXPERT IN YOUR NICHE
1. Define what problem you solve. Have a crystal clear understanding of what problem you solve for the employer or client hiring you. Nailing this sentiment & understanding your value in the marketplace, will allow you to be very specific during the interview experience. Before you go on an interview or meet a client be able to answer:
a. What problem do you solve?
b. Why should I hire you?
c. What makes you different?
2. Be deliberate & intentional. The marketplace is too saturated to “wing- it” and pretend like you know what you are doing. If you need help in marketing yourself, if you feel like something is not working with your brand or positioning power, get help. When you are unclear with what you are an expert in, so is your buyer (including an employer or client).
3. Be clear on what you represent. If you do not understand what you represent, anyone who you meet will not understand you either. Be specific of what your brand entails, and know how to articulate & communicate that value to future employers or clients.
4. Be resourceful. Keep up with current trends, and know it is okay if you do not reinvent the wheel each time you interview for a job or pitch your company. Have a few one-liner sentences, create a tag line, know what is “in style” with your community, and keep up with current times. No one wants to hire someone who is outdated; be resourceful when keeping up with what is most important in your industry.
5. You need proof (aka evidence). You cannot just say you are good at something, you need others to speak on your behalf. This is why networking, referrals, and references are so important.
Overall, your personal brand & positioning power are essentially what people say about you when you are not in the room.
Your brand will continue to evolve as you shift through different seasons in your career too - so don't think you have to have it all figured out to get started on this process.
In order to create your brand by design (and not by default), check out more of my philosophies on this topic here: WHY DEVELOPING A PERSONAL BRAND IS YOUR KEY TO STANDING OUT IN A SATURATED JOB MARKET
Always with you!
xx,
Ashlee
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Ashlee Klevens Hayes, PharmD, MHA
Executive Career Strategist
e: HELLO@RXASHLEE.COM
(SHE/HER/HERS)
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