You may be a visionary in your field with heaps of knowledge and experience. But if you don’t know how to sell your expertise online, it can be difficult to leverage your know-how and get your message across in a way that increases sales and conversions.
You don’t have to have a fancy job title or lots of letters after your name to be considered an expert. In fact, research shows that only 44% of entrepreneurs have a college degree. Instead, many build up their reputation and business by demonstrating their real-world experience and knowledge in their field.
Wondering how to use your experience to sell your services better? In this guide, we’ll outline nine great ways to sell your expertise online to give you and your business the boost it deserves.
Table of Contents:
- What Kind of Expert Are You?
- 9 Ways to Sell Your Expertise Online
- Start a Podcast
- Offer Online Courses
- Build a Content Library
- Publish an e-Book
- Start a Paid Newsletter
- Publish a Digital Magazine
- Launch a Paid Community
- Set Up Paid Zoom Calls
- Sell Digital Downloads
What Kind of Expert Are You?
Generally speaking, there are two classifications of expertise:
Functional expertise - Accrued through self-study, experience, and practice, resulting in extensive knowledge and mastery within a particular field.
Accorded expertise - Bestowed when another person, organization, or institution grants you the title of expert. Think degrees, licenses, certificates, and job titles.
Neither is better than the other, and both types of expert may struggle with how to sell products and services online. For example, it’s common for functional experts to undervalue themselves. Conversely, accorded experts often feel lost, because formal training and education aren’t necessarily predictors of real-world success. In either case, the key factor is getting other people to know that you’re good at what you do. That’s why knowing how to sell your expertise online is so important.
9 Ways to Sell Your Expertise Online
1. Start a Podcast
A podcast is an excellent way to sell your expertise online because storytelling creates a strong bond where people are drawn in on a personal level. Many successful entrepreneurs leverage podcasts to share their message, build their audience, and grow their business.
If you run a membership site or similar enterprise, there’s also some value in having a private podcast. The fact that listeners have to subscribe or be invited adds an air of exclusivity that positively screams ‘expert.’ Plus, you’ll attract and retain more listeners (i.e., potential customers) because people won’t want to lose access to bonus content once they have it.
2. Offer Online Courses
You’ll need to take some time to research and choose the course software that’s right for you, as some can be restrictive and expensive. But once you’re up and running, online courses are a very effective method of selling your expertise online while simultaneously generating income, because they allow you to:
- Establish yourself as an expert in your field
- Boost your profile as an industry leader
- Provide an entry-level point for people interested in your services but not yet ready to commit.
- Build your CRM with leads that fit your ideal customer profile (IDP) for future membership campaigns and service offerings.
3. Build a Content Library
Content libraries are an efficient and easily monetizable way of using your experience to sell your services online because you can charge for premium access while sharing your knowledge and expertise. Not sure what to include in your content library? Here are a few ideas to get you thinking:
- Social media post templates
- Stock images
- Graphics templates
- Printable training resources
- Workbooks
- Tutorials
- Recordings of coaching calls or mastermind sessions
- Cheat sheets and checklists
4. Publish an e-Book
We know what you’re thinking. Writing a book feels like a lot of time and effort. But, with a PDF book, you can include a whole heap of your existing content to tell your entrepreneurial story while rewarding clients with more resources that provide undeniable proof of your expertise. Plus, you can add value with minimal effort by including:
- Photo-laden how-to guides
- Previous blogs
- Reviews and video testimonials
The best thing about e-books? Because you only have to make the book once, it's a great source of passive income. And the more copies you sell, the higher the reward.
5. Start a Paid Newsletter
If you already have an active email list, paid newsletters are a fantastic way to sell your expertise online because they provide extra value beyond your standard marketing blasts. Content ideas include:
- Expanded print or audio content
- Early or discounted access to videos and courses
- Special members-only website access
- Exclusive downloads (like eBooks and guides)
- One-on-one coaching offers
6. Publish a Digital Magazine
While they involve more work than some of the other methods we’ve listed, digital magazines are an incredibly effective way of selling your expertise online if you already have a sizable audience of blog readers, social media followers, or email subscribers. Readers have the flexibility to access your exclusive, paywalled content on any device or print out articles of particular interest, but without you having to worry about logistics, printing, and mailing.
This route isn’t for everyone though, and digital magazines are generally better suited to entrepreneurs who:
- Are comfortable writing
- Have experience using basic digital publishing and design programs
- Can commit to a regular publishing schedule
- Have a network of associates who may be interested in cross-promoting your magazine
7. Launch a Paid Community
By creating your own paid community, you can use your experience to sell your services while simultaneously attracting a community of engaged and excited people who are interested in what you have to offer. Although, you don’t even have to have created a product yet to build your first community. You can start simply by creating discussions between people with similar interests. As your audience grows, they'll want to interact with you more, allowing you to:
- Pair with other offerings like your content library or paid newsletter
- Grow your brand.
- Develop better relationships than you can using social media alone.
8. Set Up Paid Zoom Calls
If you’re not already using video to communicate with your target market, it’s time to start! Zoom is well known as the world’s most popular online video meeting platform, generating over 3.3 trillion meeting minutes annually.
By moving your in-person events like seminars, workshops, training sessions, and masterminds onto Zoom, you can reach a wider audience, develop a new revenue stream, and build your reputation as an expert. Plus, video screen recording allows you to reuse Zoom sessions - and edited clips from them - in your other marketing and training materials.
9. Sell Digital Downloads
Digital downloads are a high-profit option for entrepreneurs looking to sell their experience online. After all, you only need to create each product once, but you can sell it multiple times. But, what to sell? The opportunities are almost limitless and include:
- PDFs
- e-books
- Handouts
- Checklists
- Social media templates
- Audio files
- Video training
Start Selling Your Expertise Online Today!
Becoming familiar with all possible ways to sell your expertise online doesn’t just allow you to monetize your knowledge and skills. It helps you educate and enlighten people who might be in the same situation as you were earlier on in your entrepreneurial journey. Your content can help people gain from your experience, making their lives easier, and give you a hefty dose of the feel-good factor at the same time!
Whichever methods to utilize to sell your expertise online, integrating Bonjoro personal video software is a foolproof way to convert more leads and spark incredible customer relationships. Coupled with the right team of experts and flexible membership software, you’ll have all the tools you need to succeed!
