Are you an expert, or an authority, just because you say you are?  How many purported authorities have you met in the past, only to be disappointed in the information they provided, because it was either too basic or flat-out wrong?  With the rise of consultants with dubious certifications, there are all too many ways for people to be misled.  That is why it is important to build credibility carefully and consistently.  When Ann Marie and I work with our clients, we stress the importance of a “slow-build” when it concerns marketing, public relations, and creating expertise.  Just because a client has a few “quick-hits” in local or national media does not always translate into a sustainable “buzz” around their product or service.  We stress building credibility carefully and consistently because it would be counterproductive to peak too early, and become old news.

So as you are building the marketing and PR plan for your business, keep these three things in mind:

  1. ) Slow and steady wins the race
  2. ) Merely calling yourself an expert does not make it so!
  3. ) You will stand apart from other experts if you can point to specific articles, interviews, etc. where you have been quoted and provided your opinion

This doesn’t mean that once an article or interview is in the public domain, that you shouldn’t use all the tools at your disposal, e-mail, social media, your website to promote the fact that you have an earned media placement.  By all means, you need to strike while the iron is hot and receive as much publicity as possible through those channels, because the public’s memory is very short, and you need to get as much mileage out of your earned media as possible!