I'm not an expert and that's ok!

Yes, I'm not an expert and that's ok. An important part of personal branding is understanding what it is you want to be known for. You need to find out what your expertise is, what you're passionate about, and drives you. When I tell this to people they often say that they don't know enough to position themselves as an expert. This raises a lot of questions to me, when do you know enough? What is an expert and how many experts can there be around a topic? Well, I think you get the point, the word expert is a very vague word. And when it comes down to personal branding, it's ok that you aren't an expert.

I'm not an expert either, like you. But I do position myself as somebody who knows a lot about personal branding and digital marketing. So why is it ok? I work as a client solutions manager for Marketing Solutions at LinkedIn. I speak with clients about marketing campaigns, objectives, strategies, budget, you name it. I see a lot of different campaigns and strategies and I know what works and doesn't work to get results. So I have experience when it comes down to digital marketing. Sometimes I get questions which I can't answer. Does this mean I'm not an expert? I think it doesn't matter, what matters is that I get them the answer by asking other people. And the good thing about it is, I learn and my client learns as well. So, I'm not an expert because I don't have all the answers and that's fine. Are the people I reach out to the experts? Maybe or maybe not but they have experience in a specific area like me. We are all very experienced, like you, in specific areas or around specific topics. This experience is much more valuable than being an expert.

Regarding the topic or skill of personal branding, I like to share content about it. I make videos, I write blog posts and I make a podcast. Everything I share is based on my own experience. Am I an expert? No! There are a lot of people out there who know much more about the topic than I do. But, I have the experience that I can share with people. And people can learn from my mistakes. When I share my experiences and thoughts it's never wrong or right, it's my personal story. And this raises the question, is an expert aloud to say the wrong things?

And last but not least, I'm not an expert and this makes me easy to approach. I'm not a thought leader with thousands of followers, I'm like you! And this makes it some much easier to relate to. I'm pretty sure you would send me a message first before reaching out to a thought leader with a very large follower base and very professional looking content.

My most important message for you is, you're not an expert and that ok. Or even better, you're not an expert, good for you! Your personal brand is based on your own experience, your thoughts and your opinions. You can't be wrong when you share these with your network. You still have space to learn but you also have a lot to give. Nobody knows everything so don't let this stop you from building your personal brand!