Expert Advice || How to Become an Expert

Becoming an expert in the realm of social media is tricky & takes a lot of work, but once you achieve the title (whether self-proclaimed or not), it sticks with you forever.  The following are some tips outlined by Powell, Groves, and Dimos overviewed and expounded on by me.

1. Establish a social networking brand - Your social networking brand with establish your position in relation to other influences and your profile should reflect that. Pay attention to writing style as it is a key component to your brand. This branding ultimately serves as your online personality and it's important to come across with a clear approach. 
2. Choose the right networks to participate in - Which networks are your target audience involved in? If LinkedIn isn't one of those, then don't worry about it. Stick to the other, relevant networks. 
3. Choose where and when to engage - Engaging with others' content and actively publishing your own is key, but it's also crucial that you are aware of the best times to interact in these networks too. Learn your audience and when the most active times are, and base your schedule around them.
4. Provide valuable content - Make sure that when you do post, it's something worthwhile, your audience won't care about your content if it's not consistent and of substance. 
5. Engage and partner with other social influencers - portray your expertise by convincing others that your an expert, then people will have to believe you! If you can, partner with other individuals to in a symbiotic way that will benefit both parties.  
6. Market your social networking profiles - Tie together the social networks you engage in. Connection is so easy nowadays, to portray a stronger online presence, link together your accounts so multiple posts happen from one.
7. Market your social networking brand - 3 words: SHAMELESS SELF PORMOTION. Continue to relentlessly put yourself out there on the interweb, claim your self-titled expertise, and rock the digital world, hoping to grow your audience. 

Once you've established your expertise, brands will begin to reach out to you for endorsements and opportunities you never thought possible. Persistence and perseverance are really the only necessary ingredients for success in social media.