Why is developing one's "expert status" so important in
business positioning these days? Because as consumers, our
ability to focus our attention has reached an all-time low
due to the overwhelming deluge of information and
advertising that we're contending with today.
We frequently find ourselves scurrying for authoritative
advice on what to think, do, or buy. We have little time to
do this for ourselves, so we lean on know-it-all experts,
or "mavens," to direct our scarce attention. This article
offers a three-stage process for building a maven
reputation in your field.
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Stage 1: Identify a Role You Can Play as a Maven in Your
Domain
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Malcolm Gladwell helped popularize "mavens" in his
blockbuster study of social trend setting, "The Tipping
Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference."
Gladwell posits that a maven is someone who gathers
extensive information on a subject, and knows exactly to
whom to deliver it. Because mavens are continually seeking
knowledge and love passing it along to others, they
contribute much of the fuel behind the tipping point
formula, in which ideas, products, messages, and behaviors
ultimately explode into "word-of-mouth epidemics."
What kind of positioning would you like to have? Think
about how the "experts" you hear, watch, or read about
today package their messages. Each may have a distinct
"persona," or character profile, that makes him or her
stand out. A few of the many "maven personas" you could
adopt are:
* Researcher - who filters, assembles, and delivers
cutting-edge information
* Contrarian - whose unusual or controversial convictions
intrigue audiences
* Intellectual - whose education, knowledge, and experience
create authority
* Futurist - who predicts emerging trends that can shape
people's decisions
* Synthesizer - who collects and integrates information
from many sources
* Cross-pollinator - who sees interconnections among ideas
in diverse fields
* Common person - who's "just like us" and has solved our
burning problem
* Advocate - who fights for an audience's interests and
keeps them informed
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Stage 2: Identify One or More Potential "Audience Personas"
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In this stage, you focus on the audiences with whom you are
trying to connect. To begin, brainstorm the types of
general audiences you already serve, or might want to
serve. The more narrowly you can define your domain, the
better.
Many people would stop there, without drilling deeper.
Within each domain, however, lies a range of specialized
sub-audiences who could be drawn to specific aspects of
what you have to offer. They comprise distinct, and
possibly separate, slants or perspectives that your
offerings and marketing outreach eventually might address.
Whether or not you already have an audience base, start by
identifying one or more fictitious characters who represent
your specific audience, and who will become your "audience
personas." These personas portray typical consumers of your
information, product, service, Web site, or whatever you
will be developing. You might identify three to five or
more personas to explore in depth.
To make them as realistic as possible, give your personas
names, genders, ages, professional or personal roles,
friends and families, hobbies, educational backgrounds, and
major challenges.
Persona identification is especially important when no
specific client or customer exists, such as when developing
something for a nameless, faceless mass market. It can
also, however, work extremely well when working with a
client, to help pinpoint specific kinds of concerns and
options that would not have been readily apparent.
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Stage 3: Create Your Offerings and Promotional Materials
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To establish a strong connection between the "maven" and
"audience" personas you've identified, consider the
following:
1. Choose a "maven" voice or perspective, particularly for
information-based products (for example, researcher,
expert, advocate, contrarian, futurist, synthesizer). This
is the role you're adopting for yourself as the idea-person
in your market. Select this approach based on what you feel
most comfortable with and how well it would sustain the
attention and interest of your audience.
2. Choose a framework for presenting ideas, such as
problem/solution, chronological, modular, numerical, or
compare/contrast frames of reference.
3. Develop an outline, proposal, or specification, and
fine-tune as needed.
4. Prepare the first and subsequent drafts of the content,
proof, or prototype. For information products, if you can
imagine having an informal conversation across a kitchen
table with one of your audience personas, you can explain
even complex ideas in a clear and engaging way.
5. Then ask a group of trusted colleagues to review or beta
test your material, and also help you derive a snappy,
memorable title.
Now you're ready to start promoting!
In conclusion, whether you seek customers, clients,
subscribers, partners, affiliates, or investors,
strategically building your expert status by connecting
your "maven" and "audience" personas will help tip your
audiences in your direction, and set you apart as the
undisputed champion of your cause.
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Adele Sommers, Ph.D. is the author of the award-winning
"Straight Talk on Boosting Business Performance" program.
She helps people "discover and recover" the profits their
businesses may be losing every day through overlooked
performance potential. To sign up for more free tips, visit
her site at http://LearnShareProsper.com
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