The Kharisma Magazine The Kharisma Magazine (Full) Premiere Issue | Page 254

254 { 4 Things You Need to Master to Become a “Go To” Person in Your Niche! 1. Your personality needs to be inviting. I was born and raised in New York City so I can tell you that ice cream truck owners get a lot of business during the warm months there. However, no matter how much young adults like frozen treats, they do NOT like bad attitudes. I’ve overheard plenty of school kids advising their friends not to go to certain vendors because of how poorly they were treated. And, word of mouth travels fast! Something as simple as, “Don’t buy from her because she’s grumpy!” can become a made-up story like, “Don’t buy from her because she’s rude, her ice cream tastes nasty, and she doesn’t even have a license!” WRITTEN BY SOPHIE ARELI I Seriously. School kids are like that. And, guess what? Some adults are like that, too! Do yourself a favour and learn to master your emotions. As a photographer, I had to understand that after a while, people get tired of smiling for the camera, and that’s okay. Your customers won’t always be smiling at you, but that doesn’t mean you have to take your cues from them. Maintain your good manners and positive attitude anyway. How you treat others will determine whether or not you get repeat customers and/or referra ls. wasn’t the main photographer. My camera and I had been hired for something else. Yet, so many kids and teens at the Sweet Sixteen kept coming up to me all night to have their pictures taken. Even though I was just starting out, I ended up being a “go to” photographer at the event. You may not be a photographer, but what I learned at that event can still apply to your business. Here are four things you need to do to become a “go to” person in your niche, even if you’re the new girl in town! P R E M I E R I S S U E 2 0 1 8 } K H A R I S M A M A G A Z I N E 3. Your knowledge needs to be up to date, and in tune with your industry. I’ll let you in on a little secret. Before my camera and I would arrive at any event I was hired for, I would scroll through Pinterest and Google Images to see what other photographers were producing. Browsing through those photographs would keep me up to date on the kind of poses and shots that were trending at the moment. That’s not cheating; that’s researching and staying up to date on what’s popular in your industry at the moment. When you take the time to get to know what’s trending in your niche, you will have a better understanding of what potential clients like and dislike. You’ll be able to create better content for your website. And, when consumers ask you questions, they will be impressed with the way you seem to anticipate their needs. Comb through social media posts, youtube videos, magazines, newspapers, and even books in order to become savvy in topics relevant to your industry. That way when others ask you questions about what you do, you will always be prepared to give interesting and informative answers. 2. Your appearance needs to match up with what you’re saying. 4. Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Tumblr have all taught us that most people are attracted to images. Ads with pictures and quotes that have been “prettied up” do much better than ads without an image or plain words. Therefore, your consumers will most likely meet your appearance before they meet your words. Keeping that in mind, your appearance needs to match up with the claims you make in your business. Have you seen those Facebook ads that promise to teach others how to generate six-figure incomes? There’s nothing wrong with ads like that. However, some of them aren’t very convincing. I just don’t understand how someone making all that money can be wearing jeans and a sloppy t-shirt in their advertisement. People want to see how money has elevated someone in an ad. So, how are they going to teach someone how to make their first $100,000 with an appearance that’s similar to the person who wants to learn from them? As business owners, we must learn to look the part. When you invest in your appearance, your words will hold more weight with consumers who see you for the first time. Entrepreneur Nikki Elledge Brown has done a great job doing this. As someone who teaches others how to write copy, she’s figured out a very creative way to make words attractive! I’ve got some questions for you to think through: 1. What experience are people getting when they go to your website? 2. Is your online space inviting to your target market? 3. Are the pictures you have up on your site able to attract your ideal clients? 4. Are you sharing valuable content about your niche in your blog posts? There have been times when I was attracted to a brand on Instagram or Facebook, but then when I got to their website I was turned off or uninterested. The brands had missed the mark in terms of making their sites user friendly, appealing, or knowledgeable. We have to realize that there are tons of business websites out there for people to land on, and all it takes are low-quality photos to make someone click off of your site and head on over to someone else’s. When you take the time to update your photos and create an online experience that’s nice for others, people are more likely to stay and explore your website. An appealing website also makes it easier for consumers to feel good about sharing your content. Those social media shares will add up and put you on the right path towards becoming a “go to” person in your niche! Your website needs to embody the three things we just went over. About the Author: Around the clock, Sophie Areli is a wife and mom to the world’s most amazing super heroes! And, in her spare time Sophie is the CEO and founder of Your Podcast Show - a four month “GET IT DONE” experience designed to help introverted women in business get F R O M T H E I N S I D E O U T seen,heard, and paid with their own podcast show and professional website. Visit Sophie online here: yourpodcastshow.com 255