You may think you have somebody’s trust and respect once you get hired, but it truly needs to be earned. Step 3 out of 4 focuses on why companies and organizations need authority to be successful.
Step three, build your authority.
Companies want to do business with organizations they trust. People want to work for companies they respect. So how do you become more trusted and respected?
Focus on building authority—being seen as an expert on topics that matter to your audience.
Now, being an authority doesn’t mean you have to be a thought leader (which has become a ridiculously overused term). Unless you are doing deep research and advancing a field of study, you are not going to be a thought leader.
However, you can be an authority on just about any subject. An authority is an individual or organization that is seen as having expertise in a topic. You can become an authority by creating original content or simply sharing curated content that shows that you pay close attention to a particular topic.
As a staffing company, you can be an authority on recruiting for specific skill disciplines, knowledge of a local talent market, industry expertise, knowledge of how to solve specific kinds of problems (and not just hiring and staffing problems), or just about any other topic related to workforce management.
We’ve seen industrial staffing firms that are authorities on lean manufacturing. IT staffing companies that are authorities on agile software development and complex ERP project management. Clerical staffing companies that are authorities in improving business efficiency. And healthcare staffing companies that are authorities in hiring for particular skill disciplines like oncology.
We’ve also seen staffing companies that are authorities on employers in their local markets and what it takes to be the best place to work. By becoming an authority, and defining your specific expertise, you carve out a position in the market where you will have few (if any) direct competitors who can match your knowledge.
And when you combine your authority with transparent answers to your audience’s questions, you create a content (and branding) strategy that is hard to beat.
Did you miss part 3?
Don’t worry! Learn what people really want to ask.
Up Next: Create personalized content for all stages of the buying process
Our next post adds the fourth and final step of how to meet your audience where they are.
