In business, being an expert helps to establish yourself as a trusted and respected source. Those with expertise are often revered as thought leaders, elevating their insights above that of the average layperson. This can have a powerful impact on how you are perceived professionally by others and can open doors to new opportunities.

Below, 15 members of Forbes Business Council shared strategies leaders should adopt to become known as industry experts. They offered some tips that have worked for them and how these strategies can help set you apart professionally.

1. Be Someone Worth Knowing

The word “known” is synonymous with the word “recognized.” To be more known as an industry expert, I recommend leaders be someone worth knowing. It is better to be known well than well-known. If you see things through the lens of others, you will see the magic happen. Connect and be proactive. – Georgianna W. Oliver, Tour24

2. Establish Yourself As Approachable And Professional

Grooming yourself to be a leader in the space takes getting out there and talking to customers, vendors and analysts. Establishing yourself as an approachable and friendly professional will help to build relationships. Moreover, there is no better education than listening to what others have to say, then taking those best practices and ideas into consideration for your own business and strategy. – Todd Blaschka, TigerGraph

3. Focus On Warm Audiences

Utilize the power of OPA or other people’s audiences. Podcasts, stages, blogs and email lists are great ways to get your expertise into warm audiences using borrowed trust. That content can be broken into dozens of pieces of micro-content to be distributed across various social platforms, maximizing your visibility and opportunity for content to be shared. – Cody Jefferson, Embrace The Lion

4. Think Beyond Your Industry

To be seen as an expert in your industry, you need to think beyond your industry. It’s important to understand how news headlines, world events or trends in adjacent industries can impact your business. The more you know about how everything works together, the greater expert you’ll be. – Deron Brown, PCL Construction

5. Focus On A Specific Topic And Seek Continuous Improvement

Experts are made, not born. Research by Benjamin Bloom, renowned author on talent, informs us that industry expertise is best built through consistent and deliberate practice. One strategy a leader can adopt is to focus on a specific topic of interest and become quite deliberate about learning, practicing and seeking continuous improvement of their skills through coaching and feedback. – Loubna Noureddin, Mind Market Consultants

6. Purposefully Grow And Evolve Your Thinking

Information is at people’s fingertips today, and most information is evolving. As a thought leader or expert, you need to also evolve your thinking. Adopting a mentality of purposeful growth will allow the expert to continue to stay at the top of the game and expand their expertise within the field. – Scott Snider, Exit Planning Institute

7. Get Help Establishing Your Personal Brand

You may be the expert in your industry, but that doesn’t make you a communications expert. Hire someone who can help establish your personal brand. Think of Tesla and Elon Musk—each of these entities have a very specific presence. Your company’s brand is a given, so focus on the value of your personal brand. – Taha Elraaid, Lamah Technologies

8. Actively Put Yourself Out There In The Industry

First, actively participate in professional associations, including in the committees of these associations. Second, publish in professional media. Third, speak at professional conferences. Fourth, participation in inter-industry conferences, actively speaking. Lastly, gradually create a personal brand and act as the next step in more general non-specialized media. – Andrey Kovalev, BusinessInvitee Consulting Group

9. Learn All That You Can From Others

To become an industry leader, one should try to absorb as much information as one can get. This starts with retaining a listening attitude where it is not important to show others what you know and can do, but rather to gain from the knowledge of others. Always be learning and be willing to share your knowledge with other people that are willing to learn from you—it is a win-win situation! – Patrick Scherzinger, Scherzinger Holding GmbH

10. Seek Knowledge And Have Well-Informed Opinions

Always be learning, share what you learn and share your opinions. Experts have opinions—well-thought-out, well-read, well-informed opinions—and they’re not afraid to listen to new information to see if it influences a new opinion. It may even incite an investigation into learning what’s new, what’s changing, what’s on the horizon and why it might influence the status quo. Experts seek knowledge continuously. – Kevin Coker, Proxima Clinical Research, Inc.

11. Observe Trends

A leader must observe trends happening in the business to anticipate favorable circumstances and hazards that surround the business. Being complacent may lead to a downturn, while a quick act and pivoting from the crisis will propel the business. Creating a hypothetical scenario can help in implementing this. – Lane Kawaoka, SimplePassiveCashflow.com

12. Value Your Ideas And Share Them With The World

Don’t neglect the value of publishing your ideas outside of your own digital space. Write ebooks and offer them for free, speak at conferences, publish in industry magazines and get your name known. Establishing yourself as a thought leader means taking deliberate steps to get your unique ideas out there and be seen by those searching for information. – Ty Allen, SocialClimb

13. Create Independent Content Outside Of Your Organization

Provide content outside of your organization’s avenues by having your own blog, YouTube channel and social media pages where you provide industry tips and tricks. This way, you can simultaneously build your company’s brand and your personal brand. – Jo Stephens, Law Firm Sites, Inc

14. Establish Yourself As A Selfless Leader

With social media these days, being the first one in the office and the last one out at night shows quickly that “leaders eat last.” Making it a point to give more and do more than you get paid for, with no promise of reward, allows you to be known as a selfless leader. – Joshua Steinberger, NextGen Restoration

15. Offer Insightful Content To As Wide Of An Audience As Possible

Create insightful, interesting and full-of-learning content. Offer content for free and share it to as wide of an audience as possible with no (short-term) sales target. On different mediums, such as blogs, your own hosted podcasts, webinars and posts, this can be achieved with the support of a team that will organize and spread the news. Speaking at events is the cherry on the cake, and will take you two to three years of work. – Jérôme de Guigné, e-Comas – eCommerce Made Simple

Check out the Forbes Councils website. 

[SOURCE: FORBES – link]