Share Your Expertise and Gain More Leads

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They say if you do something well you should never do it for free, but that doesn't mean you can't tell other people how you do it. Giving away your expertise online will only increase the value of your services.

Think of the celebrity chef that publishes his recipes in cookbooks: you don’t see a competitor serving up the same dishes across the street the next week, nor does that mean everyone is staying home on Friday night trying to cook foie gras. Instead, people flock to the restaurant, eager to watch the master at work.

Be a Teacher

Teachers are trusted in our society. Sharing your knowledge establishes credibility and leaves your audience wanting more – more of what you charge for.

Blog and Ye Shall Receive

Creating compelling content takes time, but your effort will be repaid. The more I write about how to make free websites on WordPress, the more phone calls I get for massive projects.

Make it Shareable

The web was made for sharing. Take advantage of tools like Email, Facebook and Twitter by adding the ShareThis button, a free piece of code that makes it easy for people to share your content. All it takes to set up is knowledge of cut and paste.

Expertise doesn't have to be mysterious. In an age of information overload, it’s more important to establish credibility and get your voice heard. In other words, it’s not about what’s in your secret sauce – it’s about how well you cook.

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Tony Wanless Give to Get: it's the new business model But it's hard to track the ROI, which is why so many people probably resist it. So you need a little faith . Good post. Tony
Yes yes yes. Well said. We made this mental switch at Braun/Allison about a year ago. We give away information in the form of my blogs, our book, our case studies, and speaking engagements all over the place. The more we give, the more we receive. Funny, that. David Allison Braun/Allison Inc. www.braunallison.com Braun Allison is a marketing creative services company, helping companies create their brands and tell their stories using traditional and online channels.
You're not wrong Tommy. Seth Godin's blog article today was on the same topic: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/12/how-to-protect-your-ideas-in-the-digital-age.html It also starts to build up a fantastic bank of answers to questions we get asked regularly. Like FAQ's on steroids. Now when people say "what is all this SEO stuff about" I can send them a complete article, written by me, to explain it (http://blog.1300webpro.com.au). Keep up the good work.
Most definitely, Nicholas. Blogging is a great way to cut your teeth. It's also the best SEO strategy I know of. See you for lunch tomorrow!
One of the other perks of sharing your expertise is that it makes you smarter. I'd bet Julia Child (who really started this whole "chef's with cookbooks" thing) gets thousands of suggestions each year on how to make her own recipes a little better, or easier to make. Just because you are an expert, doesn't mean you have figured out every last detail. Sometimes it is very helpful to have other people applying your knowledge and making mistakes. It's like having a QA department for everything you do. Be sure to make it easy for your readers to give back and get in touch. Great post, Tommy
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