Marina Orlova of Hot for Words, The Internet’s sexiest teacher.
In blogging and business in general, authority is often your most important asset. Why is it that almost every large company spends millions or billions of dollars on simply building its brand name? It is to establish themselves as an authority in their respective industries.
Fortunately, the blogosphere provides some more economical ways to build a brand name and a lot of these tactics are related to the content that you produce. One of the easiest ways to build authority through content is to become a teacher.
In the real world, teachers and professors and almost always seen as authoritative figures when it comes to knowledge. They are credible sources of information. Hence, there is no reason why this should not transfer over to the blogosphere, especially since it is all about creating and sharing information.
Look at any niche in the blogosphere. Almost every large blog in that niche will be written by a well known blogger who teaches their readers about the subject that they cover. The make money online niche is the perfect example. John is an authority in this niche because he teaches you how to make money online. He shows you how he does it and how you can apply his knowledge to do the same. This is why you keep coming back to read his latest posts.
Becoming a teacher is easier than it sounds. All you have to do is change the structure and tone of your posts. Write posts in a manner where the emphasis is on sharing your knowledge and expertise on the subject. For this tactic to be successful, you cannot simply rehash content you find on other blogs. YOU need to have experience in the subjects that you are covering and need to share and need to share YOUR experiences with your readers.
Yet, this tactic is a double edges sword. It can build your reputation and make you an authority, but only if you actually know what you are talking about. Hence, you can’t simply talk about what other bloggers are covering, you need to find your own voice and share your expertise. If you haven’t had a lot of experience in your niche, then positioning yourself as an expert or teacher will backfire and readers will see right through you, hurting your overall credibility.
If you happen to be a newcomer to your niche, do not try this tactic. Instead, show that you are just getting started and share your journey as you gain more experience and become an expert. Once you have gotten your feet wet and have had some of your own success, you can begin teaching others.
Summary
In the blogopshere where content and information is king, teachers are the ones who succeed. To start a successful advice blog, you need to format your content in such a way that you share what you know and what you have done with your readers. If you haven’t had much experience in your field, DO NOT try this tactic. Instead, share your journey towards becoming an expert, sharing what you do and what you have learned every step along the way.
This post was written by Aditya Mahesh, founder of AMBeat.com, a complete resource for entrepreneurs complete with advice articles, start-up profiles, interviews, news analysis, and more.
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