Becoming an authority on a topic is a complicated venture that will vary greatly based on your field. Becoming recognized as an authority in interior design is a hugely different task than becoming recognized in microchip innovation. If you want to become a successful leader in your field though, a blog is a hugely useful tool for gaining respect and following.
No matter your field, becoming an authority is a matter of gaining a following. Your goal should always be gaining recognition, although the ideal givers of this recognition will vary.
If you are part of a field which relies on trends and decisions by customers, the best way to be seen as influential is to cultivate a large following. In this way, your ideas will start to permeate the market, as your readers and customers turn around and expect your style or type of service from others.
Therefore, if your field is one in which this can be done, business blogging should be a tool for gaining popularity and spreading your ideas. This can be done in several ways. One of the more established methods for this type of success is to blog in a manner which offers information, yet does not seek to sell. Covering and being informative about topics which exceed your services will help you to draw in greater variety of people. If you choose topics which are of interest to the type of customer also likely to employ you, you will be bringing people who fit your ideal customer archetype in, and they will feel indebted to you.
However, if your field is one where authority is more empirical, a blog should not be a tool for gaining a large following. Rather, it is an opportunity to bring together leaders in your field. So when writing in a science or technology discipline, you should seek to interest and engage leaders in your field, while showing your connections and impact off to the rest of your audience. If you can gain recognition from other people perceived as authorities, this is a great shortcut to your ideas spreading and being recognized.
To summarize, if you are perceived as an authority on a topic, it gives you the freedom to change the market to suit your desires. Depending on your following, a blog can be a great tool to help cement you as a leader in your field.
