There are countless benefits to entrenching yourself in your local community and becoming the expert in your field. The number one perk is that you’re top of mind when a local resident – or someone they know – is in need of your products and/or services, and you receive a warm lead.
But, becoming the reliable, local expert doesn’t happen overnight. You can’t simply spend a bunch of money advertising in your community and expect to automatically become the trusted expert in your area. You have to consistently provide value and expertise to your local community, and earn their trust.
The best way to do this is through your communications plan. In order to remain top of mind, you have to provide educational tips and market news through your social media, blogs, involvement in local events, and so on, on a regular basis without asking for anything in return. Demonstrate how you can solve common problems as opposed to talking directly about your offerings.
In addition to ensuring your business remains a pillar in the community, your personal time devoted towards bettering the community – whether you volunteer to help raise funds for a local sports team or spearhead a charitable event – is just as important. In order to be seen as the go-to expert in your community, you have to be seen around town helping make it a better place to work and live.
And once you’re perceived as being the local expert, you have to keep working on staying in that top spot! Building your profile isn’t easy, but it’s well worth the effort.