Being recognized as an expert in your field doesn’t demand celebrity; it merely requires that you start to get the word out. In seeking to become an authority in your area, your primary goal is to be the first person others consider when your subject matter is mentioned. To begin with, you will likely need to start small and work to increase awareness of your expertise in your local market. Make a start where you are and with what you have, but take heart, starting small can lead to big things. Once you gain some attention, more awareness is likely to follow.

For example, perhaps you offer a workshop teaching people about your specialty area. You can publicize this workshop inexpensively and effectively through various channels, from community calendars on billboards to local newspapers and television and radio stations. Give your local radio news station a call and offer to be interviewed for one of its programs. With each additional listing and appearance, public awareness of your expertise will grow.

You may also have an upcoming event you wish to publicize. Again, radio stations are a valuable marketing channel. Offer yourself as an interviewee for early morning or noon talk shows. Interviews are a particularly good opportunity to display your knowledge, so make sure you prepare well. Identify two or three key points you wish to make about your field and try to make them accessible and unique. Make sure you tape your interview and then send it to other stations with a broader audience as an audition tape.

You can also showcase your expertise by contributing to public discussions. Write letters to the editor for magazines and newspapers whenever these publications address your specialty area and offer an alternative point of view or provide informed support for a well-written article. The more people see your name connected with your industry, the more you will be recognized as an authority in your field.

You can also use this strategy on the internet. Writing a blog, for instance, will enable you to share your thoughts and insights daily. It is a great place to begin your online presence. It is quick, free, and fun and allows people to find you with ease on the internet. If you have already set up a blog or webpage, get into the habit of regularly visiting forums and message boards related to your industry and posting your opinions with a link to your page.

If you start to put these strategies into practice today, in just a couple of short months, you will begin to see a steady increase in interest in your expertise as well as a jump in the number of people who consider you an authority on your subject. Don’t keep your knowledge and skills to yourself. Start local and then spread your net wider. Tell the world what you can do!