How to write like an expert

You might already know that writing quality articles and content for your website is sure and steady path to becoming an “expert” in your audience’s eyes.

One way that you can do this, and it works no matter what industry you’re in, is to take a process that you do and explain how and why you do it to your customer.

It’s very easy to do and by communicating this to your audience, you show that you specifically know about interior design, or running a pet shop.  It’s the difference between someone who tells you they’re a good cook, and someone who can give you a step by step recipe (with tips from experience) that elevates a toasted cheese sandwich from a simple snack to a mouth-watering memory (if anyone has such a thing please let me know).

Now, you’re not giving away your secrets, telling your customer how you do something doesn’t make you redundant. When a customer is looking for the service you offer, they’re not necessarily looking to do it themselves, and they are more likely to trust you when you’ve got a number of articles that show you know what you’re talking about.

So here’s a simple way to do this:

Zoom into the detail

Pick something very small and specific that you can take apart and explain easily. The smaller the better because you can use more detail leaving your customer under no illusion that you know your stuff.

So if you’re a pest controller, instead of writing about how to protect your home from pests, zoom in on something more specific like wasps, and then rather than just talk about how to protect your house from wasps, zoom in again to something like: “How to protect your holiday home from wasps when you’re not there.” Then you can really go to town about how to repel or kill the little blighters in a particular situation.

Focus on the process, not your talent

There will be certain instinctual skills you have that might not be easy to explain. For example, if you’re  a fashion designer, you might just have an “eye” for outfits and not necessarily be able to explain why you can do this so well. In which case, you could talk about which are your favourite shops for bargain outfits or which are your favourite stores for vintage clothes instead.

If you’re finding it a real struggle to pin down a particular process, focus on some of the tools you use in your business, or computer software and explain to your customer how this helps you do a better job for them.

Give them a “why”

If you really want to seal your “expert” status then give your customers a “why” after explaining each step of your process.

For example:

We only use the finest lamb’s wool for our creation because we know from experience that this makes longer lasting creations and feels soft to the touch even after many washes…

This makes your process easier to understand, and more credible in your customer’s eyes. If you can also base your “why” on research, results or your own experience, your “expert” status is going to go up another notch.

Let me know how you get on showing off your own expertise to your audience.