How to Build Authority Over Your Brand

I was lucky enough this week to be joined by a dear friend, Nkiru (pronounced Ink-u-ru) Asika.  This woman is amazing.  Among her accomplishments are an online marketing strategist, award-winning journalist, social enterprise founder, and a television producer, but that’s not all.  She represents “Rethink Press”, a UK-based, hybrid publishing company, as the commissioning editor for the US and Africa, where she helps entrepreneurs plan, write, and publish their own books.  Nkiru is also the founder of “Women Building Authority”, a group that helps women entrepreneurs get seen and heard through their offerings of coaching, content creation, and more.  Nkiru has offered so much valuable information and insights that I can’t wait to share with you regarding how to build authority over your brand.  Ready to dive in?  Let’s go!

I asked Nkiru what she meant by “building authority” and why it mattered in the first place.  She explained this concept as the act of positioning yourself as someone of influence in your chosen field and that it is important because it makes you the expert and begins to establish trustworthiness among your audience.  She further explained that there are four very important pillars to building authority that should not be overlooked:

1.  Be memorable
2.  Be credible
3.  Be visible
4.  Be scalable

These four things will help to create a sense of authority because, as she explained it, you’re actually selling yourself far beyond anything else.  Your audience is far less concerned with what you look like on paper and much more concerned with the results that you can offer them.  She shared that internet marketing legend, Frank Kurn said, “Positioning yourself as an authority is the single most important thing that you can do to increase your perceived value in your market.”  Once your perceived value is where it needs to be, this gives you the leverage to raise your prices, hone in on your ideal market, and open doors that may previously have been closed to you. 

So how do you actually go about building this sense of authority?  Nkiru also shared that there were three distinct steps to do so:

1.  Define your niche: You have to know who you are marketing to in order to become the authority for them.  Who is your ideal client?  What are their pain points?  How can you speak their language? 
2.  Define your message: Be prepared to share who you are, what you do, why it matters, and how it will help to transform your clients.
3.  Find ways to “brand your brilliance”: There are likely lots of people doing similar things as you.  What makes you stand apart from the crowd?  What uniqueness do you bring to the table and how does that benefit your client? 

Once all of these steps are completed, you’ll be able to create content custom-tailored to your audience that will fully grab their attention.  She pointed out the difference between specific content and generic content…your audience will know the difference.  Calling out the struggle of your audience before offering the solution will grab their attention and help to establish that trust right off the bat.  Nkiru encouraged us to “decide you are an authority” and run with it!  Recognize when your imposter syndrome pops up and work around it.  You don’t have to be loud and flashy to stand out.  In fact, as she explained, there is a big difference between brand awareness and brand authority; between reach and influence.  Just because people know your name doesn’t mean they consider you a trusted expert.  Rather than trying to impress, just focus on being authentic and follow the steps above so that you’re consistently engaging with the right audience.

Lastly, Nkiru shared the three commitments we have to be willing to make in order to achieve authority over our brand. 

1.  Consistency: Show up over and over and over again.  Whether you’re posting daily, bi-weekly, or monthly, set your audience up to eagerly anticipate your content and then deliver it to them every time.  Make it strategic (as previously mentioned) so that you’re reaching the right people.
2.  Don’t go it alone: Whether you hire a private coach or join a group, such as Nkiru’s “Accelerator Program”, do some research to determine where you need additional support and resources and find them.  No matter how good you are at what you do, nobody can do it all. 
3.  Commit to visibility: Find as many platforms as you can that will help you to reach your audience in different ways.  “Always be a teacher” …know more than your audience does.  That doesn’t mean you have to know everything.   Just try to be 10% ahead of the curve.  Don’t be afraid to collaborate, either.  Your resources don’t always have to come from you.  Your clients will gain value by exposure to lots of different people who can provide them with insights and information that will help them to grow and become their best. 

There was so much great information in this interview and I hope you’ve had some incredible take-aways.  If you want to learn more about Nkiru, you can find her on LinkedIn or Facebook and you can also learn more about her group by checking out www.acceleratorprogram.com.  She’s also been kind enough to share a great free resource with us today, “23 Quick and Easy Ways to Instantly Brand Your Authority”, so don’t forget to check it out.  If you want some personalized help building your brand, you can also always reach out to me for a discovery call or join our Facebook group, “Be a Confident Entrepreneur, Gain Confidence and Grow Your Business”.  I’m excited to potentially be a part of your entrepreneurial journey in any capacity. 

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