Why Marketers Should Leverage Subject Matter Experts for Audience Growth

Regardless of the format, message or style of online content, everyone strives to reach the largest possible audience with the best possible content.

To make this a reality, companies need to create something that answers the audience’s most important questions, is presented in an engaging way, and maybe even offers some new ideas that no one has come up with.

Because content marketers pursue these goals, one ingredient can distinguish popular content from something that is neglected: the input of a subject matter expert (SME). Partnering with an SMB can add credibility and value to content, which in turn helps grow the target audience.

In this post you will learn what a subject matter expert is, how you can become one and why your company should use SMEs in your content marketing strategy.

Companies can use an SMB to integrate new software, fix technical problems, design their website, extract and format data, and provide insights. In addition, a company can hire a subject matter expert as a permanent advisor. If so, you might be wondering what this job is like. Let’s dive in below.

Job description subject matter expert

While people can become SMEs regardless of their official job title and description, if you’re a subject matter expert looking for a job, you may find a job that goes something like this:

At “Company X” we are looking for a specialist in social media who will support us in developing a consistent social media strategy. This person is responsible for creating our social media strategy and managing it on a daily basis.

As an expert on social media topics, one of your tasks is to evaluate our current social media content and recommend new strategies and trends. To ensure success, our social media professional should have an exceptional track record of increasing engagement and pioneering multiple successful social media campaigns.

Job requirements:

• Master in Social Media Management
• Verifiable references as a leading social media specialist.
• 10-15 years of professional experience in a relevant field.
• In-depth knowledge of project management and social media management.
• Advanced ability to recommend and execute social media campaigns.
• Exceptional leadership and mentoring skills to introduce and implement new strategies.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Now that we’ve looked at an example job description for a subject matter expert, let’s look at that person’s roles and responsibilities.

Roles and responsibilities of subject matter experts

The typical roles and responsibilities of a subject matter professional vary widely depending on the type of position you are applying for. You could be an in-house manager or an employed consultant who specializes in helping a company grow in a particular area.

Based on our example for social media experts above, typical roles and responsibilities could look something like this:

Roles and responsibilities for a social media expert:

• Analyze the company’s current social media content and activity to identify areas where new solutions would improve performance
• Providing a new strategy for every platform you find is most important and best suited to our audience
• Create a content creation process and content planning
• Make recommendations for social media platforms, content, and hashtag ideas
• Validation of the requirements and services required for our social media team
• Advice and collaboration between teams to create useful content

At this point you might think “This is great. How can I become a subject matter expert in my field?” To become a subject matter expert, you need to build up your specialist knowledge in your field over a long period of time. We’ve outlined some good steps below.

1. Earn advanced degrees in specialization.

The first step to becoming a subject expert is to study the subject you want to specialize in. You can earn advanced degrees and spend time writing dissertations in your field. This takes years to earn degrees and certifications and study your industry.

2. Keep up-to-date knowledge in your area of ​​expertise through continuing education.

After you’ve graduated and studied in your field, it’s important to continue your education. As the world goes on, your industry will evolve and you should consistently maintain your current knowledge by reading breaking news and trends.

3. Consume and create content consistently and stay up to date on current industry trends.

Another great way to become a subject matter expert is to consume and create your own content in your field. Write about current industry trends and actively participate in the discussion.

4. Experiment with your own ideas.

In addition to participating in the conversation, you should also work on projects and experiments in your area of ​​expertise. This is how you continue to educate yourself and develop your skills. In addition, you may have a chance to gain new knowledge and write and discuss what you find.

5. Participate in social media community forums.

To participate in your community, you should be active on social media and community forums where your industry discusses industry news. Interact and share with other subject matter experts and don’t be afraid to share your opinion – which brings me to my next point.

6. Share your expertise.

When you have experimented and studied, it is important to come to your own conclusions and test your hypothesis. Then share this news and your results with others in your community by attending lectures, participating in social media, and more.

7. Remain credible and value your reputation.

To truly be considered a subject matter expert, your reputation and credibility are of the utmost importance. To hold on to it, try to stay neutral and seriously consider other people’s thoughts and opinions.

8. Become a person of authority in your field.

The final step in becoming a subject matter expert is to become an authority figure. It doesn’t matter whether you work your way up in a company and hold a management position or run a freelance consulting company.

Now that we’ve learned how to become a subject matter expert, let’s look at a few examples of what this looks like in practice.

Examples of brands that subject matter experts use

1. HubSpot

A great example of a brand using subject matter experts is HubSpot itself. On our blog, we partner with thought leaders and subject matter experts to grow our audience and bring as much value to our content as possible.

For example, check out some of our thought leadership blog posts below:

2. Backlinko

Backlinko is the brand of subject matter expert Brian Dean. Having become an SEO expert, Brian Dean decided to share his thoughts and research on a blog called Backlinko.

Some great examples of thought leadership posts written from an SMB perspective include:

1. More attention leads to better results.

It’s not difficult to say that an SMB brings immense benefits to a content project. Adding a household name to a project, be it a downloadable e-book, video, or series of articles, inevitably attracts attention. Just as a popular novelist can make presale purchases months before a book is published, name recognition can lead to an automatic buy-in from a community of enthusiasts.

2. Know and understand current industry trends and challenges.

An expert can also serve as a resource for the latest knowledge and news about an industry. He or she will be able to convey the greatest challenges, latest breakthroughs, and future concerns on a particular topic. You can use this information to determine the direction, message and format of your project.

3. Spread the word and reach out to more people.

Once you’ve completed a project, an SMB can also play an important role in getting the news about it to their social media followers. With a well-known expert, your content promotion efforts have the potential to reach a huge community of enthusiasts, peers, and industry leaders. Awareness of your content and brand can reach unprecedented levels of awareness when you use the social channels an SMB can bring to the table.

Use a subject expert for your content

The insights and perspectives of a subject matter expert can turn a one-dimensional content into a complete and nuanced portrait of a topic or an event. Adopting some of a journalist’s basic tactics means researching who is the best choice for experts, contacting them, arranging speaking time, developing some effective questions, and then conducting the interview yourself.

As any journalist can tell you, an interview is much more than just asking questions. The best interviews require careful planning and should not be conducted in lockstep with questions and answers. The ability to ask spontaneous questions or ask an interviewee to explain a statement can help make the discussion meaningful.