To become an influencer, you first have to recognize the mindset that all prominent industry influencers have. Then you need to know exactly who and what you are attempting to influence. You need to determine what niche product, service, or topic you are going to become an expert on. This means thinking in terms of specialization, not generalization. A heart transplant surgeon makes considerably more money than a general practitioner does because the skills required are more specialized and take longer to master.

Another benefit of specialization for attaining influential status is speed. When you are targeting a smaller, more focused market, you have fewer competitors. This means you can become a market influencer more quickly than if you were targeting a larger marketplace.

Once you have identified the market you are going to influence, be proactive. Always think about how you can provide value. Be a useful source of information. Be persistent and consistent, answering questions, solving problems, and giving recommendations on a regular basis. You should also remember the golden rule of marketing in the 21st century: Before you speak, publish, or create anything, make sure it is focused on the interests of your target market, not your own interests or desires.

The following are a few of the proven strategies that highly successful industry influencers have used to get to where they are today.

Learning from Social Groups in Your Market

You can only “fake it until you make it” as an industry influencer for so long. Becoming the real go-to source for information in your desired area of expertise requires specific knowledge. Social media networks, online and off, are a great place to learn what you need to know to become an expert in your field.

Popular online social hangouts include Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Create an active presence in each of these leading online social networks. Then search for groups and virtual communities inside those networks relevant to your market.

(Note: Through trial and error, you may find that one or more of these social networks do not provide value for your time invested. Spend your time instead at those social media hangouts where you can learn the most.)

Another great way to harness the global power of the Internet to improve your market knowledge and influence is by using Google. Use Google to search for forums relating to your market. For example, if you are going to become the most influential figure in Alaskan Malamute dog training, you would search for “Alaskan Malamute dog training forums.”

Online forums are full of passionate and dedicated people who discuss every aspect of a particular niche or topic. They provide two benefits if you are positioning yourself as the premier source of influence in your market. First, they are a great place to extend your knowledge on a particular topic. Second, by actively answering questions and solving problems in your market’s forums, you begin to build your reputation and influence.

Ongoing Education Is Everything

Warren Buffett was considered by many to be the smartest stock market investor 40 years ago. The same belief was held 30, 20, and 10 years ago. Today, Mr. Buffett is still seen as the smartest financial mind by many of the world’s experts in investing. What is Mr. Buffett’s secret to 40 years as a market influence?

Warren Buffett has always said that ongoing research and education is what has kept him at the top of the heap in the investing world. Educating yourself on a daily basis is vitally important if you’re going to become – and remain – an important influencer in your field.

Where to Get Educated

You should be attending all applicable local and virtual seminars and conferences. Podcasts are free sources of specialized information. You can access podcasts from your MP3 player, smartphone, desktop or laptop computer, just about anytime and anywhere. This means you can improve your knowledge in a desired area whenever you have a few minutes to spare during your busy daily routine.

Use the reference section of your local library to get a leg up on others who wish to become influential in your field. Pay attention to industry movers and shakers who are already considered authorities in your market. You can take virtual or “real world” courses and college classes to receive respected certification in just about any area.

Trade journals are an excellent source of top level market information. A trade journal for divorce attorneys is where the top divorce attorneys publish content relevant to that discipline. You can contribute your own content to these journals, positioning yourself as a respected authority. Industry trade journals of all kinds are available online and off – do a quick Google search to find some in your market.

Media Tracking

To be a reliable influencer, you need to be up-to-date at all times. This means tracking all media pertaining to your area of expertise. Unfortunately, there may be thousands or even tens of thousands of newspapers, websites, podcasts, and other forms of media pertaining to your market. There is simply not enough time in the day for you to sift through all of this information.

Instead, ask others what the top 5 or 10 information sources are in your market. Subscribe, listen to, and read those few media sources every day. You can also once again turn to the power of the Internet to track any and every mention of your market focus.

Benefiting from Alerts Services

Several websites offer free and paid alerts services to track market-specific keywords and phrases for you. Whenever these words appear anywhere on the Internet, you are alerted. You can set up immediate, daily, or weekly alert schedules. The following websites offer various types of alerts services, and you can choose the one that works best for your needs:

• Talkwater Alerts
• Social Mention
• IFTTT
• Mention
• Meltwater
• Google Alerts

Share What You Know

The virtual and off-line social networks, trade journals, communities, and forums you joined earlier are where you need to begin sharing your knowledge. Remember to stay focused on your specific niche market.

You can also start your own blog or website about your niche. This puts you in total control of your online presence. Owning your own website means you always have control over your own little piece of virtual real estate. You can use this platform to spread your knowledge in whatever way you choose: text articles, videos, images, and so on.

When sharing your knowledge, make sure your brand is noticeable. In forums and other online communities, you are often allowed to add a Signature Link to your comments. This should include any relevant personal or company and contact information. You can hire a talented graphic designer inexpensively on Fiverr, UpWork, Elancer, or 99Designs to create a memorable company logo for you if you don’t have one already.

You should also think relevance when sharing your knowledge and expertise. To become the top local influencer and expert on tulips, you should be attending all relevant local garden shows. In other words, be visible where it makes sense. An expert on vegetarianism is wasting his time reading forums for cheeseburger lovers.

Your local Chamber of Commerce can have multiple opportunities for positioning yourself as an industry influencer. Chamber of Commerce organizers are always looking for speakers who will share their knowledge for free. Donating time, products, and services to a local charity can also expand your circle of influence.

Write guest blog posts for websites respected in your market. Refer people to other influencers in your area of interest. Check out local “meet and greets” at MeetUp.com, and start your own if there are none in your area. Give speeches or presentations to local clubs and organizations, or start your own podcast.

In short, “Be everywhere.” That is the advice of entrepreneur Pat Flynn. Flynn began in 2008 as a small-time affiliate marketer. He eventually started a blog, and has built a business worth millions off his belief that when people see you everywhere (online and off), they can’t help but consider you a market influence.

Make Yourself Accessible

Nothing can alienate you from your desired market faster than being aloof and unavailable. You should be accessible to everyone that matters, from the most important influencer in your market to someone just getting started in your field. To do this, make sure that your contact information is readily available on everything that bears your name.

Don’t be hesitant to hand out your business phone number and email address. Make it widely known that at a specific time each week, you will host one-hour question and answer sessions. As mentioned earlier, you should be attending podcasts, seminars, webinars, and conferences important to your industry. Get there earlier and stay later than anyone else, giving your time to anyone and everyone who requests it.

Create Instant Authority

Why not write a book about something important in your field? Authors command instant respect and authority. You can pay to have a book ghost written, or inexpensively pen and publish e-books for platforms like Amazon’s Kindle. Aside from expanding your industry influence, virtual and traditional books can create a passive income stream as well.

Creating information products to solve problems for your target audience is an easier but equally effective way to quickly become a market influencer. Once again, you can turn to Fiverr, Elance, or another freelancer website to have an information product developed for you. Record short but value-rich videos to share on YouTube and other video sharing sites.

Any piece of valuable content you have written can be published for free on PDF-sharing sites. Blog owners in your market are always looking for free quality content. Provide them with blog posts, infographics, videos, and reports in exchange for publishing your contact information and a link back to your main website.

Direct marketing is one “under the radar” method of spreading your influence. This involves delivery via snail mail of postcards or some other form of content. You can rent lists of people who are interested in your particular marketplace and mail them gifts, substantial discounts, or other offers that bolster your expert status.

Use the SHIP Method to Become an Industry Influence

You just have to remember the word “ship” to make sure you are always demonstrating the traits of an important influencer in all that you do. SHIP stands for:

• Stories – Craft memorable and emotion-provoking stories about yourself and your brand. Share these true-life stories whenever possible.

• Help – Always be helpful to anyone and everyone in your market. This means focusing on the needs of your prospects, always with the idea of solving their problems and answering their questions.

• Integrity – You need to do what you say and operate with the highest set of business and personal morals. Displaying a high level of ethics is extremely important if you are to become a dependable and reliable influencer.

• Passion – Display real passion about your market. When others see that you are truly emotionally invested in a certain niche, they will be more likely to consider you an expert in that area.

Now it’s time to put what you just learned into action.