10 Ways to Establish Yourself as an Expert Investigator
- November 03, 2012
- by PInow Staff
You might be an expert in your daily investigations work, but your expertise isn’t quite as valuable to you if people don’t know that you’re the go-to person for information about a particular subject. Establishing yourself as an expert private investigator in the public eye is something you might need to work at, but once you have obtained that recognition, it has several advantages that can propel your business to new heights.
If you’re ready to let the world know that you’re an industry leader, keep reading to find out why and how to establish yourself as an expert.
Benefits of being an expert
Even the word “expert” inspires confidence. It tells the media that they should interview you for a breaking story. It gives your peers the feeling that you’d be a good person to collaborate with on a case. Most importantly, perhaps, it tells potential clients that they should hire you over all others.
Think of establishing credibility and expert status as not only a way to gain respect, but as one of the better marketing methods to use for your investigation firm. People tend to flock to experts, and you can use that added attention to your competitive advantage.
10 Ways to Become an Investigative Expert
As mentioned before, gaining recognition can take some work. If you combine several of the following measures and stay diligent about it, you should see your reputation grow exponentially.
1. Choose a niche to showcase your expertise
Do you have a particular area of expertise, one where you feel like you have in-depth knowledge that places you among the best in the business? Focus on that niche and try to become well-known for it. Whether it’s intellectual property investigations, background checks, missing persons investigations or one of the thousands of other areas, find your niche and make yourself visible.
2. Get published
Ever hear the phrase, “He wrote the book on the subject”? That’s because people who get published instantly gain credibility in many people’s eyes. You have several publishing options: magazines, newsletters, podcasts, videos - even authoring your own book. If you would like to write a book or article but lack confidence in your writing skills, you can always hire a ghostwriter.
One of the first places you can look to get published is the PI News Round-Up, which is distributed to thousands of investigators around the world. Contact us at [email protected] if you’re interested in writing for us.
3. Present at industry events
To stand out in your industry, you have to get in front of people. Look for speaking opportunities at association conferences, attorney conferences and any other relevant event you come across. This is a good chance to show what you know to peers and potential clients.
4. Make yourself available to the media
Getting interviewed and quoted in local and national publications is a great way to put yourself on the map. These interviews will live online and in print for a long time and be viewed by people who are trying to find out more about your services. Once you start doing interviews, it may serve you well to keep a record of all your media appearances.
5. Teach or create online courses
If you know something well enough to teach it to others, that gives people a good idea of your capability. You could teach a continuing education class for your state association, create an online course or conduct a webinar.
6. Become an expert consultant
Give yourself another source of revenue by branding yourself as a consultant. The idea of bringing in an expert consultant to evaluate and repair any deficiencies appeals to many corporations and other organizations. If your specialty is security, for example, make it known that you offer security consulting for clients.
7. Issue press releases
Press releases are a proven method of alerting the media whenever you have something to announce. There are many free press release distribution websites, or you can spend a little more money on a paid site that gets your press release out to hundreds of media outlets nationwide. The next time you help to shut down a huge counterfeit operation or find a high-profile missing person, let the media know by sending out a press release.
8. Get involved with politics and legislation
The investigation industry regularly has to rally against legislation that could make it harder for private investigators to do their jobs. By staying informed and leading the charge against harmful proposed legislation, you will make it clear to others that you are an important figure in the investigative world.
9. Stay ahead of the pack
Paying attention to new trends and technology gives you an advantage because you can remain at the forefront of your industry, as well as offer improved services to clients.
10. Use your imagination
If you have come up with innovative ways to showcase your expertise, we’d like to hear about them. Tell your fellow investigators about how you’ve established yourself as an expert by posting on PInow’s Investigator LinkedIn Group.
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