Dominate a Niche by Being the Authority

au·thor·i·ty noun: the power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior.

Authority is powerful stuff.

Authority can be abused and it can definitely corrupt…

But it can also build trust, admiration, and respect.

And when it comes to online marketing…

Authority is what works.

This is written on the first page of a free eBook called Authority Rules. It’s written by Copyblogger founder Brian Clark. It is a short and right to the point report, and you should definitely check it out (pdf link).

True Power of Authority

Can you pre-sell 3000 copies of a, yet not printed, book and generate over $100.000 within 48 hours?

Seth Godin No, you cannot, unless you are the authority in your niche.

This is exactly what Seth Godin did on December 2nd. He’s sold 3000 books which will be published in 2010, and generated over $100.000 revenue (going to charity in this case) within 48 hours.

Seth Godin is an authority in marketing. When he writes, when he talks, when he teaches, people listen to him, and people follow what he says.

How Can You Be the Authority in Your Niche?

Be Different

What makes you different from the others in your niche? If you can’t be different and unique, you won’t succeed. You are different when you start setting trends instead of following them.

Don’t be the Salesman

There are enough salesmen in every niche already. Don’t try to sell anything. If you want to create the trust relationship with your audience, you don’t have a luxury of offering sales pitches. Your audience is smarter than you think. People love to buy stuff, but they hate to feel sold!

Inspire & Lead

Your followers need inspiration, everybody needs inspiration. As the authority figure, you have to inspire your followers constantly. You have to be a great leader at the same time.

When you are the authority in your niche, people will follow what you do, buy what you recommend, and take what you offer. This is a power you can’t buy with money, and you have to use it fairly.

Whether it’s a website, an affiliate marketing project, a community platform or your personal brand, spend the time to put some hard work in becoming the authority to dominate your niche.