Let’s say that you’ve had the good fortune of coming into an unexpected sum of money. While you are tempted to splurge this newfound wealth on some shiny new toys, your more prudent side reminds you that it’s probably a better idea to invest this money. Maybe you’re building up a down payment on your first home or maybe you’re trying to save some extra cash for your retirement. Whatever the case may be, simply having the money sit around and do nothing isn’t exactly the best idea. You want this money to work for you. You want to enjoy the wonders and glories of passive income.
What Would You Do with the Money?
So, you start looking for some advice about where you should be investing this money, given your particular risk tolerance, investment horizon and financial goals. On the one hand, you could turn to someone who has worked in the finance industry for a number of years and has tons of first-hand experience about what investments have rendered the best returns and which ones are probably better to avoid. On the other hand, you can ask a random guy you meet at the coffee shop, a guy for which you know nothing about his background or experience.
Which person are you going to trust more? It only makes sense that you’d rather turn to the person who has more of an established reputation in exactly the areas of expertise that you desire. Just about everyone else on the Internet is really the same as you; they want expert advice they can trust and they’ll turn to “experts” who appear credible, authoritative and experienced.
The difference, as you may have guessed, is that it’s much more profitable and lucrative to appear as that expert than it is to be the person who is seeking the advice of the expert. And in the context of blogging, establishing your expertise and credibility is definitely more of a long play than something that you can fix up overnight. It takes time.
You Are the Expert, Not Your Company
Something that I came across the other day revealed that there is an increased trend in building the credibility of a single person than there is in building the image of a brand or a company as a whole. This might make it more difficult to separate you from your blog, website or company, but it also makes you much more valuable.
When you’re the established expert in a particular field, you’ll get invited to speak at seminars or to appear in media to give your perspective. That can put money in your pocket either through the front-end or the back-end. They don’t want “some guy from XYZ.com.” They want YOU in particular.
It certainly helps if you actually know what you’re talking about and if you really are an expert. However, you also have to realize that perception is oftentimes even more important in this context. If you know everything but no one knows that you know everything, that doesn’t do you much good. If you know enough, but everyone thinks you know a lot more, that’s far more valuable.
Be the Best (Or At Least Look the Part)
How can you establish this reputation? How can you gain this much needed credibility and exposure? It can start with your blog and building up your presence through those kinds of channels. One of the best things you can do to show that you’re serious and you really know your stuff is to publish a book. It’s actually a lot easier than most people would imagine (but they don’t know that).
Your real goal through all of these efforts is to make you stand out from the wannabes, fakes and losers. Dare to be unique, put yourself out there, gain the respect of your readers, and you may find that your professional credibility is one of the best investments you can make in your future as an Internet marketer and online entrepreneur.