How to brand yourself as an expert.

1. expert yourself!
developing your expert brand
Jessica Faye Carter
Girl Geek Dinner - New York City
August 20, 2009

2. agenda
• expert information
• self-assessment opportunities
• the two Rs
• conversation partners
• publish
• elements of the expert brand
Copyright © 2009 Jessica Faye Carter.

3. expert information
• An expert is “a person who has a comprehensive and
authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area” (New
Oxford American Dictionary)
• Characteristics of experts:
‣ substantive knowledge
‣ well-read/up-to-date on industry knowledge
‣ interact with other experts
‣ produce publications
Copyright © 2009 Jessica Faye Carter.

4. self-assessment ops
• are you an expert?
• expert status undergirded by
‣ education
‣ knowledge
‣ work experience
‣ life experience
‣ third-party recognition
Copyright © 2009 Jessica Faye Carter.

5. the two Rs
• reading
‣ books
‣ periodicals (esp. industry publications and columns)
‣ research
‣ digital content (blogs, social networks)
• researching
‣ interviews
‣ speeches/remarks
Copyright © 2009 Jessica Faye Carter.

6. conversation partners
• how to identify
‣ circle of colleagues, acquaintances
‣ conferences, industry events
• what to discuss
‣ industry trends, emerging ideas
• meet periodically
• discretion is key
‣ be careful of name-dropping; you can’t be aware of all relationships
Copyright © 2009 Jessica Faye Carter.

7. publish
• write (or hire a writer/writing company)
‣ books
‣ white papers
• speak
‣ conferences, corporate events, industry functions
‣ present views in the media
• build a wiki/resource repository
• benefit: demonstrates value and increases publicity
Copyright © 2009 Jessica Faye Carter.

8. expert talk
• How do you talk about yourself?
‣ self-deprecatingly vs. confidently
• How do you describe what you do?
‣ “I am a real estate agent”; OR “I help people find their dream homes”
• how do you communicate your expertise?
☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻
‣ feeling/emotional/relationship appeal, technical/quantitative appeal, or
both
• are you tailoring your communication style to your audience?
Copyright © 2009 Jessica Faye Carter.

9. elements of the expert brand
• A-B-C-D model
• think: packaging
‣ Appearance
‣ Behavior
• think: value
‣ Competencies
‣ Differentiation
Copyright © 2009 Jessica Faye Carter.

10. thank you.
http://jessicafayecarter.com
@jescarter