Position Yourself as the ‘Industry Expert’

We all know the one, the ‘industry expert’, often at a rival firm, whose name is annoyingly spattered across the trade press and often the nationals as well – always the first port of call of any journalist looking for comment. This individual gains acres of coverage, influence and brand awareness. So why can’t it be you – or someone in your organisation? Perhaps it can. You have to put in the work, but the dividends can be impressive if you pick your opportunities well. Of course your views have to be worth listening to – think beyond the standard self-serving responses, towards broader industry views that will have wider resonance. You will have to be outspoken at times, rather than consistently mealy-mouthed. Your objective should be to give your organisation influence, credibility and visibility, so you can raise issues, set agendas and change opinions.   Most importantly, you will have to make yourself available when the journalist calls – and to be a truly effective, prepare – so you can communicate with fluency and a pithy turn of phrase.   Perhaps a refresher training course would be a good idea to polish up the techniques to make you stand out from the crowd.