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How to Become an Industry Expert in an Industry You Know Nothing About

How to Become an Industry Expert in an Industry You Know Nothing About

Let’s be real. Working for an agency, you come across clients of all different shapes, sizes and industries. You can’t be an expert or know all of the tricks of the trade in each industry. That’s a lot to expect. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t learn as you go.

If you know where to look, who to talk to, and what to trust, you’ll find it’s easier than you thought to become an expert in an industry you know nothing about.

Here are a few ways to become a real authority in any trade:

Read your client’s content (then read it again!)

The first place you should look to become an industry expert is at your own client’s content. What resources do they already own and what topics do they write about? This should give a good start into what topics are prominent and important in this space. If it’s worthy to write an e-book or a whitepaper on, it’s probably pretty significant—or at least it was at one point in time!

Collaborate and listen to the client

You’ve read through their content, so why not ask them specific questions too? They are the ultimate pros and can give you the background you need. They may have hired you to solve one of their problems or enhance their business efforts, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know what they’re talking about when it comes to the industry as a whole. And, if you work together with them, the outcome is generally a lot more rewarding. Ask if you can interview them or send over specific questions you have for them. They’ll appreciate the research even if it takes a few extra minutes out of their day to get you up to speed.

Know where to look and what to look for

You could do a quick Google search for certain topics or industry news, but then you don’t know which content is reliable and which is lousy. Ask your clients for the sites they use and learn from. What resources do they pull from?  Which newsletters do they subscribe to?   If they are members of a professional organization in the industry, ask them to share with you their login so you can dig a little deeper into the content they find important. Pull from these resources and you’ll get the inside scoop.

Know who to talk to

Real experts love to share knowledge. No joke. They aren’t afraid of giving away too many secrets and want people to use their advice to succeed. Who are the influencers or industry pros in this space? Find them and read their blog, follow their social handles, and sign up for their newsletters. They’ll have great, first-hand experience that they’re just dying to share with the world.

Take advantage of industry blogs

If you aren’t taking advantage of blogs, you’re kind of dropping the ball. They are the best free learning source out there. You get the info you need, a handful of different opinions, and a bunch of perspectives from a wide variety of experts. Take a look at the different topics or categories each blogger writes about and see which contains the most content. Start by focusing on the most prominent and work from there. You won’t become an expert over night, but reading different perspectives and insight can open your eyes to what was going on a few months ago to what’s happening in the industry now.

Check and engage in the industry’s trending topics

This won’t work for every industry, but taking advantage of trending topics via Facebook, Twitter, or any other source you use to stay current, can be a valuable resource. What hashtags are people in this industry using? Which topics are people talking about? These can change daily so checking once a day is a good start to staying in-the-know. It can also lead you to a number of different articles or influencers in the space that will give yet another fresh perspective.

Becoming an expert is no easy feat. It is earned over time through hard work, persistence and a go-getter attitude. There are a number of different ways to do the research, and finding the balance between them all will help you become an industry expert your clients will trust with their biggest challenges.

What other tricks do you have to become an industry expert in an industry you aren’t familiar with?


Republished with permission from HeinzMarketing.com

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