My Freelance Journey: My October 2018 Snapshot

Memories are amazing. Being able to look back at what you have done is always great, so I've decided to start documenting my freelance journey here on Amanda Cross Co. At the end of each month, I will sit down to talk about what I've been doing and what my goals for the next month are. I hope you will like these peaks into my life as a freelance writer!

Note: This post contains affiliate links.

Here's what I've been working on this month:

1. Experimenting With And Loving A Monday Post Schedule

So, after a ton of experimenting with different post days and frequencies, I think I have decided upon a Monday posting schedule here on Amanda Cross Co. I love starting the week with a new post on this blog. Plus, I love that I can promote the blog all week. It somehow feels like I have more time before I am forced to write more content for the blog again.

Now, there is a chance I might experiment with a different posting schedule in the distant future, but for right now I am obsessed with this Mondays for posting, and I want to continue using this day in the future.

2. Giving Amanda Cross Co. A Much Needed Facelift

If you haven't been to the site in a while, you may notice some changes. I was using the same theme on here that I was using on The Happy Arkansan. While the two sites had a different logo and colors, they became so similar that I wanted to separate them.

So, Amanda Cross Co. got a facelift. I created a new logo, changed up the colors, and got an entirely new theme. This one is built on the Genesis framework, which means that it is a child theme. My theme even came with a free version of Genesis which I thought was cool.

3. Taking Double Your Freelance Writing Income

I am all about education over here. I love learning as much as possible about my craft and how to perfect it. This course was an investment, but I believe that it will ultimately help me create a thriving freelance writing business.

I have followed the teacher behind Double Your Freelance Writing Income for a while now. Her name is Abbi Perets and manages the website Successful Freelance Mom. I am not a mother, nor do I want to be any time soon, but I was still intrigued by her and her experience. Double Your Freelance Writing Income has been a great course to take, and I am already making massive moves in my business because of the course.

4. Working On Money Mindset

As a result of the course, I am working through a ton of money mindset things. I have been reading books and working on my pricing structure for client work a ton. I am going to be revamping my services page very soon to account for all these new updates! I cannot wait for you to see them.

So, what have I been reading to work on money mindset? Well, at the moment I am listening to "You Are A Badass At Making Money: Master The Mindset Of Wealth" by Jen Sincero. I have also been reading a great eBook by Meera Kothand called "But I'm Not An Expert!: Go From Newbie To Expert And Radically Skyrocket Your Influence Without Feeling Like A Fraud" to get out of my mindset issues on premium pricing.

Reading these books is just the start of working on this. I know that this will take a while for me to work on, but I am excited to work on this every single day.

5. All Of The Writing And Pitching

Last, but not least, I have been writing SO much. I turned in close to 20,000 words last week alone to clients. I am excited about the writing I have been doing lately.

I also recently got another off Upwork client and another on Upwork client. Also, a client I had on Upwork a few months ago reached back out and wanted to order more blog posts, so that's awesome.

Also, did I mention that I am so close to getting to $10K billed on Upwork? It's been a journey, but it will be here by the end of the year, and I am so excited!

I am thrilled about the content packages I am working on, and I know that you all will be too. I can't wait to showcase those in the next few weeks. These packages are everything!

November 2018 Goals

Here are the goals I hope to have accomplished by the end of next month:

1. Set up my *NEW* package prices on Amanda Cross Co.

2. Finish both the books I am reading and listening to.

3. Pitch and win a client with my new package pricing.

4. Finish taking the Double Your Freelance Writing Income Course

5. Pitch a more prominent client in the HR or Digital Marketing space.

These are my goals for November that I hope to accomplish. It's important to have goals in any business, and I think these are great ones to aspire to for this coming month.

Conclusion: What Are Your Plans For November?

Ah, we have come to the end of the first post in my new monthly series "My Freelance Journey." I want to be open and transparent with you all about what I am doing to create a fantastic business.

This journey has had its ups and downs, but I am finally on a trajectory that I love. I am creating content that I am so proud of, and I can't wait to set myself up for success for the end of 2018 and beyond!

I genuinely love the work that I get to do every single day. I am working with amazing people and helping to change the internet one article at a time.

I would love to know if you have considered your November goals and plans yet? What did you do this month that you are excited about? I want all the details in the comments below!

It's time for me to sign off and start working on client work!

PS: Catch Up On The Great Content From This Month

Here's what I've been posting on Amanda Cross Co. this month:

What Is A Content Style Guide And What Should You Include In It?

5 Powerful Ways To Build Authority In Your Niche

What Is Evergreen Content And Why Is It So Important?

How To Attract And Retain Quality Employees

How To Attract And Retain Quality Employees

Attracting and retaining quality employees is not easy. You may be so worried about just filling a vacancy that you don't have time to worry about employee quality. I completely understand that mindset, but that thought-process won't work. Hiring is expensive. Did you know that in some industries, hiring a worker could cost as much as $5,000+ per hire? That's a lot of money! The cost to hire isn't the same in every industry, obviously, many times this cost can be much lower. Either way, though, you are still spending quite a bit to hire talent.

Bad hires impact our companies more than just by leaving a vacancy. When you are short-staffed, this could lead to:

• Lower productivity

• Negative employee morale

• Negative client interactions

That's just the tip of the iceberg! You need to hire quality employees because your company depends on it, especially if you work in a small business. So, let's figure out how to attract and retain those quality employees.

Before We Get Started

I recorded a podcast version of this article for you, if you ever want to listen to this article on the go:

Also, if you ever need any human resources content written for your company, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I love researching this topic and writing helpful guides just like this one.

Related Reading: Fifteen Effective Human Resources Blog Post Topics by Amanda Cross Co. (hey, that's me!)

How To Attract Quality Employees As A Company

First, let's talk about how to attract those employees to your company. If you want to attract high-quality talent, you need to focus on culture, stellar recruiting, and the benefits you offer employees.

Evaluate Your  Company Culture

Company culture is everything! No one wants to work in a toxic environment, no matter how much you pay them to do so. They may stick around to collect their check, but they will not be staying long much longer after they have found a new place to work.

I know you may have had a job with unspoken rules. Rules like:

• That group of people is always promoted.

• Reply all should never be used.

• We always celebrate all our birthdays once a month.

• You should never approach that person with questions.

Not all of your company cultural practices are good. You may have a fantastic company culture or a less than stellar one. If you want to retain quality employees, though, you have to work on the culture and politics of your work environment.

Related Reading: 5 Simple Ways to Assess Company Culture by The Engage Blog

Make Your Company Vision, Values, And Goals Known On Your Website And Social Media Pages

Now, it's time to be honest with your potential employees. You need to sit down and set your company vision, values, and goals. What does your company look like? When you set your company vision, values, and goals then proclaim them on the internet, you will attract the talent that agrees with those statements.

Do not lie when setting these items for your company. You have to be able to follow through on the vision, values, and goals you have for your company. You don't have to be there yet, but you can't be so far off that those statements aren't even on your radar.

An example of lying to attract employees? Maybe you say that you value ambition, but the company structure you have stifles it through a lack of ways to be promoted. You may have those issues when you sit down to proclaim your values, but once you say something is a value, you need to act like it.

Related Readings: How To Create Your Company Vision by Cleverism; 190 Brilliant Examples of Company Values by The 6Q Blog; The Ultimate Guide to Small Business Goal Setting by The Balance Small Business

Create A Referral Program For Employees

Your employees know best! An employee referral program will give your employees the tools they need to refer their friends and acquaintances to work for your company. If you already have an amazing batch of employees, why not let them take the wheel on recruiting for you?

When you create these referral programs, you are giving your employees the chance to become brand ambassadors for your company. We know that hiring can be expensive, so you may even want to provide them with a bonus if someone they recruited is hired.

So, how do you make sure that employees are acknowledged as being the person who recruited an employee? Well, you could give the employee a form to fill out with their recommendations so you can reach out to the potential employee, or you can put a "Were you referred by an employee? If so, who?" question in your job application. Either way, you want to make this process as easy as possible for everyone, that way you are guaranteed to receive quality referrals.

Related Reading: How to Create An Employee Referral Program by Emplo; 6 Ways To Build An Employee Referral Program That Works by Workable

Recruit Constantly

There are many usual places to recruit, but you never know when you may find someone who would be an excellent fit for your company. You should create a recruiting-themed business card using a site like Moo or Vistaprint. When you have a conversation with someone you think would be a great fit for your company, give them a card.

You never know when you might go into recruiting mode. You could be in the line at the grocery store, at the library, or even at a coffee shop. It's important to recognize those people who could be hidden gems for your company. Once you find those hidden gems, talk with them, and get them to at least fill out an application so you can learn more about them.

Related Reading: 29 Creative Ways to Find Employees Online & Off by FitSmallBusiness

Pay For Quality Employees

While I have and will talk about how money isn't everything, you still need to pay your employees appropriately. If you want to attract quality talent, you need to pay them a decent wage. Salary is significant because if your employees don't have enough money to survive and thrive, it's hard for them to get excited about your job.

If you are a smaller business, it may be hard to provide fantastic compensation. Along with a decent salary, offer a path to yearly promotions, and maybe even a tiny percentage of the company if you have a small, scrappy team. This will help you create some salary incentive without paying everything up front.

Related Reading: 7 Reasons You Should Pay Your Employees Above-Average Salaries by Inc.; The Importance of Pay Philosophies by Salary.com

Offer A Nice Benefits Package

What will you offer your employees besides financial benefit? Money is fantastic, but as we covered earlier, even a decent salary won't keep quality talent. Here are just a few benefits you might consider:

• Education Budget: Will you invest in your employee's future education by allowing them to take college classes, online courses, attend conferences, etc.?

• Technology Stipends: Technology is critical for employees. By providing a technology stipend, your employees can get the pieces of tech that will make their jobs easier.

• Healthcare: We all know that healthcare isn't cheap, providing decent healthcare can be an amazing benefit to your employees.

• Paid Time Off: We all want to take a vacation now and again. By providing PTO, you are helping your employees soak up the sun in financial peace.

• Maternity/Paternity Leave: It's not all about the mothers, both moms and dads want to be home with their children for a while, without fear of losing their job.

• Work/Life Balance: Your employees shouldn't have to carry a ton of baggage home with them. Make sure they can leave their inbox and problems at work!

Related Reading: Top Workplace Incentives Your Employees Actually Want by Aventr

Create A Breezy, Informative Application Process

Have you ever lost a quality employee because you didn't keep them informed during the application process? As a potential employer, it's your job to make the application process as comfortable as possible.

What does this mean? You need to keep your employees updated on your company actions! Lucky for you, there are a lot of ways to automate this process. One of the biggest things you can do is send out an automated thank you note soon after you get an application from an applicant. In that note let them know that you are excited about their interest, give them a brief overview of the hiring timeline, and let them know you'll be in touch.

I know that managing hundreds and sometimes even thousands of applicants can be overwhelming. Communication with applicants is vital, though, because you never want to lose a great employee to a competitor because you didn't keep them in the loop.

Related Reading: 5 Steps to Improve Communication with Applicants by ApplicantPro

How To Retain Quality Employees As A Company

Now that we have talked at length about attracting quality employees let's talk about keeping them at your company. It's not just about attracting high-quality talent; your company needs to be ready to keep those talented people once you have them. Let's see what it takes to do just that.

Create An Amazing Onboarding Process

Onboarding is essential. The way you introduce an employee to your company sets the tone for how the rest of their time with you will be. You want to make a strong first impression!

So, this is where you need to work closely with the HR department to get your employees up to speed with your company culture, trained to do their job, and excited about the months ahead.

Now, many tools can help you with onboarding. You need a tool that's easy for you and your employees to use. You also want something that makes it easy to gather all your paperwork in one place. New hires take a lot of paperwork, and you don't want to miss anything.

WorkBright is a potential tool you may want to consider using for your company. It helps make the onboarding process more manageable and paperless! You can upload all your necessary documents, it sends your new employees reminders to fill out paperwork leading up to their hire date, and it just helps your process move much faster.

Remember, onboarding doesn't stop in the first week of an employee being there. You need to create a more intensive program so that you understand the needs of your employees and you can watch them grow!

Related Reading: New Employee Onboarding Guide by the Society for Human Resources Management

Invest In Your Employee's Education

Now that you have a wonderful set of new employees onboarded, you need to invest in their education. You should never want employees who cease learning when they get in a position at your company. Your industry is continually changing, and if your company doesn't become a leader, you become a follower. Worse than a follower, though, your company could become obsolete. It's important to keep up with the Jones' in a sense, but more so when it comes to education, over which CEO has the fanciest car.

Here are some ways to invest in your employee's education:

• Offer an education budget (like we talked about earlier in the benefits section.)

• Create online courses that teach your audience more than just how to do their jobs correctly.

• Get a monthly speaker to come to your office to educate your employees about industry topics.

• Host a yearly retreat for your employees with lots of education built in.

• Produce a monthly educational industry newsletter for your employees with the information they need to know.

Related Reading: Why It Is Essential To Invest In Employee Education by CultureIQ

Create A Mentorship Program For Your Employees

I know what you are thinking, "My employees will naturally find their mentors, why do I need to offer a program for this?" Well, because not all of your employees will naturally find a mentor, and even if they do it could take weeks for that to happen. What happens during the first few weeks of their employment when they feel that they don't have anyone to talk to?

You should create a simple six-month to a year mentorship program for your employees. Here's a timeline of how that six-month program might work.

Note: This is just a suggestion, not a definite mentor plan. You want to research mentorship programs so that you can make the best decision for your company.

• You pair up your employee to a higher-up employee that you think they will get along with based on the interview process.

• Your higher-up employee reaches out to your new employee during their first week to set up their first meeting.

• For the first month or two of the mentoring program, your employees meet weekly and chat over email/text (whichever they prefer.)

• During month three and four, your two employees meet at least every two weeks and have email/text conversations

• During the last two months, your employees meet at least once a month along with discussions via email/text.

• At the end of six months, you and your two employees have a conversation to address the mentorship program, how it went, and how it could go better.

• Your employees can either decide to continue with the mentor relationship, be friends, or whatever they'd like to do.

Related Reading: How to Design an Employee Mentorship Program That Doesn’t Suck by Hubspot

Provide A Path To Success For Each Employee

After each employee has been at your office for a few months, you and their immediate manager should be able to understand more about who they are and how you can help them.

At this stage, after your employees have settled into their new roles and you can evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, you should sit down with each employee to develop a path to success with them. In this conversation, you can ask them things like:

• What do you struggle with that you feel wouldn't be a struggle if we had more effective policies and procedures? How would you fix those issues?

• Is there any part of your current job that makes you particularly excited in the morning?

• Have you gotten to see what other people do in the company? Are there any jobs they do that excite you?

• Do you have any programs that you'd like to see implemented in the office?

• What is your vision for your department or this company in three years?

Once you get them talking about what they love, their struggles, and their hopes/dreams you will get a better picture of how they can succeed at your company. Maybe you have a scholarship program they should apply for, or you may even want to slightly change their position or build a role for them to go further in your company.

You should prepare you and your employees for this conversation. You may find some answers you don't want to hear, but you could also find more clarity in your business.

Related Reading: 5 Steps To Creating Employee Development Plans That Truly Work by Insperity

Listen To Employee Feedback And Act On It

When people are told to listen to feedback, often they listen, but they don't act. You can listen to complaints and feedback until the cow's come home and do absolutely nothing about what you are hearing.

Employees don't want to just be heard, they want to be acknowledged, and they want you to make changes to your company based on that feedback.

Employee feedback isn't always easy to implement. Sometimes it takes time, and employees understand that. The best thing you can do is say something simple:

"Thanks for your feedback about _____. We are currently working with _______ to figure out how we can resolve this issue. I will update you in ______ with more information."

If you need more time on that date, alert them with a more actionable date. Don't use this to keep kicking the can down the road.

You don't have it all together. You can pretend that you do, but when real life takes hold of our ideas, it often shakes it up. Listen to your employees and use that feedback to grow your business!

Related Reading: How To Get, Process, and Act On Employee Feedback by Process Street

Find Ways To Acknowledge And Reward Quality Employees

People are not praised for a job well done enough. It's easy to talk to employees about what they are doing wrong, but have you ever stopped to think why we don't encourage and praise employees enough? Think about your last few interactions with employees: how many of those were neutral or negative, how many positive?

There are a few ways you might go about implementing this positive acknowledgment. You might strive to have at least 3-5 positive, reward-themed interactions with your employees each day, or you might use technology to help people feel appreciated.

One Slack integration that I love for feedback and rewards is Disco. Disco allows anyone at your office to give stars to other people for a job well done. On the backend, you can see who your companies rising stars are as well as the people supporting their coworkers with lots of stars. Disco isn't free; you pay per employee per month or year. There is a free trial so that your team can sign up to see if it's right for you!

Related Reading: 39 Thoughtful Employee Recognition And Appreciation Ideas For 2018 by SnackNation

Check In With People Who Seem To Be Disengaging

Did you know that only 1/3rd of the American workforce is engaged in their work? Now, this isn't always a bad thing, but you want a workforce that is as involved as possible.

One way to retain employees is by reaching out to people who seem to be disengaging. It may have nothing to do with your company. Your employees may be they are dealing with issues at home that bleed into work! You still need to check in on your workers though. You don't want them facing problems when they could just as quickly come talk to someone who works at your company.

Approach the topic delicately. Don't call anyone out in a public meeting. Call your employee into your office and have a serious conversation one-on-one. Give them a space to chat about their issues, and help them come up with a plan to move forward and re-engage with your company.

When it comes to engagement, an outstretched hand is your best weapon.

Related Reading: 10 Employee Engagement Statistics in 2017 You Can’t Afford to Ignore by Aventr

Conclusion

Whew! We talked about a lot of topics today! Attracting and retaining great employees is critical for the growth of your company, and I hope today's blog post has helped you grow closer to that.

Employees are your greatest asset. Instead of treating them like pawns in a chess game, you should treat them like humans who will help you advance your companies vision. You cannot run a company by yourself!

What are your best tips for attracting and retaining quality employees?

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What Is Evergreen Content And Why Is It So Important?

It's Monday, so that means I am back at it again with some more tips to help you rock it at content marketing and business. Today's topic: evergreen content. You may have heard this phrase tossed around a lot as a business owner getting into content marketing. I want to help you demystify this term and give you some great ideas for how to make this work on your business blog.

Related Reading: What Is A Content Style Guide And What Should You Include In It?

What Is Evergreen Content?

Evergreen content is that fantastic content that is relevant no matter the season. Content marketers love this type of content because they know it will pull in an audience no matter the day, month, or year. Once you have this content on your website, it will continue to pay dividends. It doesn't have an end date.

Why Is Evergreen Content Important?

Now that we have discussed what this type of content is, let's chat about why it's so important!

Evergreen Content Is Always Relevant

Did I mention that evergreen blog or video content is always relevant? That's why evergreen pieces are so important. You know that what you post will continue to stay relevant to your ideal audience for a long time to come. Since your blog pushes out relevant content, you will begin to build authority in your niche, and we all know how awesome that is!

Evergreen Content Is Easy To Schedule

Have you ever seen someone accidentally post a Christmas piece in March? It's pretty awkward, huh? If your blog is filled with timely articles and you use an automatic scheduler like MeetEdgar or SmarterQueue, you may find yourself tweeting about Halloween in March. When you have a ton of evergreen posts on your blog, though, you cut down your chances of that happening significantly.

Evergreen Content Is Cost-Effective

Since evergreen content is always relevant, spending money on this type of content is cost-effective. You know that if you ask a freelancer to write an evergreen piece, you will be able to reap the rewards of that blog post for a long time to come. On the other hand, if you get a freelancer to write about your Christmas sale, that will only apply to your business for a few weeks to a month at most. While there is a place for timely content, that we'll discuss later, you can't deny that evergreen posts are pretty amazing.

Examples Of Evergreen Content

Now that we have talked about evergreen content and why it's important, let's walk through some examples of this type of content.

Evergreen content is always relevant, so you want to write articles that people in your niche will always be searching for. I am going to walk through some ideas across a variety of categories like how-tos, listicles, checklists, and more.

When it comes to evergreen blog posts, I am particularly partial to listicles. I like listicles because they keep you organized. If you know you are listing six restaurants in your list, you can create a template to follow for each restaurant. Lists stop you from doing too much rambling.

How-To Ideas

• How To Start A Community Garden

• How To Start A Blog In College

• How To Find Friends As A Young Adult

Listicle Ideas

• 10 Things You Must Have In Your Car

• 5 Amazing Places To Eat In Denver

• 5 Things I Wish I Told My Daughter When She Was Younger

Checklist Ideas

Checklists and listicles seem similar, but I would say that the main difference is that listicles aren't necessarily a step-by-step process or something you are checking off. I would also include an actual checklist in your checklist articles that people can print off and check off as they go.

• 7 Things You Must Do Before You Hit Publish On A Blog

• 101 Things You Must See In Nashville

• 11 Things You Must Do Before Every Party

Case Study Ideas

• Instagram Madness: How The Brand Grew To 1,000,000,000 Monthly Active Users

• How I Grew My Brand's Shares X% By Creating Infographics

• How X Brand Increased Their Email List Signups By x%

Explainer Piece Ideas

• What Is Evergreen Content And Why Is It So Important? (hey, that's this blog!)

• Why Do You Need Good Lighting To Shoot YouTube Videos?

• What Is IGTV And Should I Use It For My Brand?

Related Reading: Use These 16 Content Ideas To Get High-Quality Traffic To Your Site In 2018 (And Beyond) | Check out this piece for even more awesome content ideas you can use!

How To Mix Evergreen Content With Timely Content

Your entire site shouldn't be made of evergreen content. Timely content has a place on your site! Those timely pieces make a difference because they can increase traffic to your website. Posting about your sales can help boost sales. Talking about those initiatives you are running for a short period can help raise brand awareness.

There isn't a magic number or ratio of evergreen to timely content, unfortunately. I can't give you the number you are likely craving to help you produce better content. I will say that I would not personally make more than 10% of your content timely. If you are continually posting sales are chasing current events, your site won't be great in the long run.

Let's put it like this. A few months ago I was obsessed with rewatching old episodes of Saturday Night Live as I was going to bed. They had a bunch of older seasons of the show on Hulu from around 2007-2008 and some even earlier than that. Some of the sketches I got, but a ton of the sketches were laughable because they just weren't correct. Those pieces served a purpose to make the country laugh when they aired in 2007, but in 2018, they didn't make as much sense.

You want most of your content to make sense in 2019, 2025, and even 2038. The best way to do that is to make evergreen content.

Evergreen Content Upkeep

You may be wondering what I mean by upkeep. I know I just said that evergreen content is always relevant, but that doesn't mean you never have to show it some love now and again. You need to keep up with all of your content!

Every week I would dig back in your archive to check out some of your old posts. You may want to do 3-5 blogs a week or more depending on how much content you have. Go through a list:

• Can I add more content to make this more relevant?

• Do I still use the tools I am recommending here?

• Do these links still work and get me to where I want to be?

• Does this place or tool I am recommending still exist?

• Are there any new tools or blogs I can recommend to my audience to make their lives easier?

• Can I add some affiliate links to this article to monetize it?

• Do my pictures look outdated? Do I need new social media images?

• Can I interlink any new pieces to this post?

Upkeep is essential to keep your evergreen pieces evergreen. You won't likely need to make any significant adjustments to an evergreen piece, but you need to make sure that you are visiting them often anyway.

Conclusion: Pump Up The Evergreen Content!

So, here are my conclusions about evergreen content: pump them up! You should want to create pieces that are always relevant to your audience. Content creation can be difficult, so you want to make sure that all your pieces count!

You should mix evergreen and timely content. It never hurts to be current and trendy so you can get those traffic increases, but your entire content strategy shouldn't depend on that.

Related Reading: How To Plan One Year Of Content For Your Business Blog

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5 Powerful Ways To Build Authority In Your Niche

Being a trusted authority in your niche is vital in 2018 and beyond. You want your audience to know, like, and trust you; that doesn't happen overnight. Building authority in your niche is still possible, even if your niche is well populated. It does take effort on your end, to position yourself as the go-to person in your niche, though. Today, we are going to discuss five simple, but powerful ways to build authority in your niche.

*This post contains affiliate links.

1. Build A Trustworthy Website

If you want to build authority in your niche, you must first create a trustworthy website. When someone visits your site to book you for a speaking engagement or ask you to be their business mentor, how does it make them feel? If you want to be seen as an authority, your site has to position you as one.

So, what does it mean to build a trustworthy website? Focus on the people you have served! People trust the opinions of others after all, especially when they don't know who you are yet.

• Get testimonials (especially video testimonials!)

• Share the number of customers served (this is especially significant for product-based businesses)

• Be open about the amount of something you've generated for other people (pageviews, shares, dollars, you name it!)

Above all else, you want to make sure that people know who you are, who you have helped, and how you can help them.

When you are sharing this on your website, make sure the site matches the information you are sharing. Create a website that's clean (not cluttered!), professional, and easily navigable. Focus on your customer's journey through your website. Use sites like Hotjar and Mouseflow to optimize your user's experience.

Related Reading: How To Build A Trustworthy Website via Neil Patel

2. Produce Brilliant Content Across The Web

Content is king. Creating content is a fantastic way to build authority. We consume so much content on a daily basis. You want to be sure that you are creating content that cuts through the noise and provides value.

It's 2018, people! We can no longer create 300-word articles and hope they stick. Instead, we need to invest in producing long-form articles. The problem with long-form content? Some entrepreneurs don't understand that you need to say something.

Here's my suggestion––stick to the good old-fashioned listicle. Why am I such an advocate of the listicle? Simple, it keeps you (and me) on track. For today's article, I started by listing out five ways to build authority. After I created my main points, it was just a matter of filling everything in and forming a conclusion. Now that this post has an outline, I know that my work will say something.

It's easy to create short or long-form content without actually saying anything. Make sure that you are creating content that doesn't waste people's valuable time. Even if you are guest posting or sharing your expertise with someone else's audience, be sure that you have a point to your communication that people can follow.

Related Reading: Use These 16 Content Ideas To Get High-Quality Traffic To Your Site In 2018 (And Beyond)

If blogs are not your cup of tea, try something like a podcast or videos! You don't have to produce written content, although that is usually the easiest thing to do if you want to build authority in your niche.

Get In Front Of The Audiences Of Other Authorities In Your Niche

If you genuinely want to gain authority, you need to branch out further than the audience you are creating for yourself.

• Write guest posts for industry blogs

• Become a guest for a podcast in your niche

• Do a social media takeover for a popular social media account

• Present with another person in your niche on a joint venture webinar

• Host a giveaway with someone in your niche on niche specific products

There are so many ways to collaborate and reach out to people who would love your content while growing your audience.

Related Reading: How To Write A Fantastic Guest Post

3. Link To Reputable Sources

We have all checked a Wikipedia article for some information about someone famous. We may have even used Wikipedia to start researching a topic in high school or college, even though our professors told us not to. I am guilty of this, at least.

Wikipedia is not a reputable source, though. Anything that can be changed by anyone is not a good source to use.

Now, this doesn't mean that you should only link content written by people with P.h.D.s! We don't all need a Dr. in front of our names to be considered an authority on a topic. You need someone who has a following for knowing what they are talking about.

Think about the leaders and emerging stars in your industry. Link to their content proudly in your posts. You never know, one day they may be linking to the content you write.

I would make it a goal to share 2-3 great articles from outside sources in each piece you produce. Your articles don't have to be a college research papers, but it's always good to back up what you say with further reading for your audience. Make sure all your sources open in a new tab, so you don't disturb your reader's place in your article.

4. Give Advice Online In Groups And Reputable Message Boards

If you are trying to build authority in your niche quickly, a fantastic way to do so is to give advice to newcomers trying to make it in your industry. Here are a few places you may want to look for questions:

• Facebook and LinkedIn Groups

• Quora

• Niche-Specific Message Boards

• Reddit

• Twitter

How To Give Advice And Build Authority At The Same Time

One of the most important things you need to understand when giving advice is that you shouldn't link and run. Even if you have already produced the perfect piece on the topic, don't just drop your link with no explanation. Instead, give that person your #1 tip on the subject. For example, say a new freelancer wanted to know what to do when they were facing a lull in their business. I have an entire post about this topic on my blog, but I want to build trust with this person before I link my content. I might say something like:

Hi (insert their name here)!

I'm a freelancer too! I know how hard it can be to deal with lulls in your freelance business. I have found that the #1 thing I have done to get more consistent work right now is to reach back out to past clients. Instead of focusing on getting new clients right away, go back through your old clients and reach out to them. See if they would like to work on a different project and make sure they know your entire freelancing skillset. For example, maybe they hired you as a blog writer in the past, but you also write social media copy or ebooks. You never know what they may be looking for in a freelancer!

If you want more information on what to do when you have a lull in your freelance business, I wrote an entire post about this topic called 10 Tasks You Can Accomplish When Freelance Business Is Slow! I would love for you to check it out. Let me know if you have any more questions about this topic!

As you can tell, I give actual advice that the freelancer can follow for dealing with a lull in their business. I start with their name, and I empathize with them for a little while.

Now, you should follow this formula in your own way. You don't have to do exactly as I do, but you should always chat with them for a little while before you go right into linking mode with them.

Don't Answer The Same Questions Everyone Else Is Answering

Another piece of advice, answer the questions no one is answering. Don't jump on the post that already has 20 responses. Instead, answer the question that has no replies or only a handful of them. People may look through every response, but by the tenth responses, everyone has already said what needs to be said. Your time is better served as an authority builder by focusing on the questions no one has answered yet.

5. Speak At Conferences

Last, but not least, let's chat about speaking engagements. Getting your face out there at conferences in your niche is crucial. One thing you must understand, though, is that we can't all speak at big conferences. You have to start somewhere before you get on stages like the HR Technology Conference for instance. There are huge conferences in your niche that you would love to speak at one day, but you need to build your audience and speaking engagement list first.

So, before you get on the big stage, think about the small ones you can occupy. Here are some ideas:

Online conferences in your niche: With the increasing use of webinars, a ton of businesses and entrepreneurs started throwing online conferences. These are cool and likely easier to speak, even though the audience size can be much bigger than a traditional conference in your niche.

City, State, and Regional conferences in your niche: If you want to get out there and attend an actual live event, try smaller conferences in your niche. You may not be able to participate in the national conferences, but you can start with smaller ones that are more local to you.

Overall, you want to speak at as many events as you can. Come up with a few topics that you feel knowledgeable about and come up with a good 30 minute to an hour speech on the topics you love. See if you can find events to pitch speeches too. It doesn't even have to be a conference. You could even start teaching what you are passionate about to local businesses. For example, a speech about Instagram marketing pitched to your local Chamber Of Commerce.

Everyone starts somewhere. As long as you are getting your face out there, you can build authority in your niche.

Conclusion: Go Build Authority In Your Niche

Now that you are equipped with a ton of ideas for authority building get out there and do it! I am so confident that you can build your authority and reputation in your niche. So, start building your authority today!

If you need help with content creation along the way, don't hesitate to reach out. I would love to work with you to take your expertise and turn it into engaging short and long-form content for your audience to consume. Check out my services and give me a holler if you need my help!

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