Authority building requires you to be mindful of two key groups among your competition: the know-nothings and the know-it-alls. And neither one are all that easy to take on. Allow us to explain.

The Know-Nothings are tough to beat because…

Know-nothings, on the surface, may seem easy to defeat, and they are in the sense that they beat each other with surface-level content and the insight of Captain Obvious.

However, they create a roadblock for you in the sheer volume of content that they pump out. This “echo chamber” may make it difficult to stand out at first, especially if you are talking about the same material.

The Know-It-Alls are even tougher because…

The good news: high quality content will eventually push know-nothings to the bottom of search results.

The bad news: there are plenty of know-it-alls, who are excellent at creating engaging content and distinguishing themselves as authorities in their respective fields.

So what’s an Authority Builder to do? 

Firstly, you have to examine the competition. See what makes great content so good. What types of insights do they bring to the table, and how do their readers/visitors respond. That means reading lots of great content, watching lots of awesome videos, and listening to all the superb podcasts/audio files that you can get your hands on. But don’t just consume it. Dissect it. Make notes on what you liked about the presentation, whatever form it takes.

Secondly, understand what makes bad content, well, bad. When it comes to content consumption for the purposes of inspiration, you shouldn’t ignore the bad guys. Grant it, most of what you’re consuming should be from the top influencers, but it pays to know why content gets forgotten so you can avoid the same mistakes.

Thirdly, look for missed opportunities. If you read enough comments or book reviews, you will find where even great content sometimes falls short. In every two- or three-star review on Amazon, for instance, there is someone either slightly disappointed or profoundly let-down by the fact the author didn’t cover something he/she thinks they should have covered. That’s where you come into play. Pinpoint these missed opportunities, and create content addressing it. Do it right, and you’re on your way to becoming an authority in your field.

One final thing to consider…

You are not always going to reinvent the wheel. In fact, some might even say that you’ll never truly reinvent the wheel. Forget it. That’s not your job.

Your job is to merge expertise with what others are demanding. And therein lies the secret ingredient every great piece of authority building content needs. You. Your perspective, your experience, your unique ability to lead others.

Once you find the pain points that others are having, you can step in and become the solution. And every solution that you present brings you a little bit closer to the Authority Building business that you desire.

So what about it, readers? What struggles are you still having with your Authority Building business? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.