To migrate up the visibility ladder, you need to define an area of expertise

To truly stand out in a crowd, you need to define your personal value proposition, the intellectual capital you bring to the party. Define your area of expertise honestly, then work hard at being among the best in it.

The narrower the niche, the more likely it is that you can stand out. If you have a broader "area of expertise" there is a higher likelihood it will be crowded with authors, speakers, etc with higher name recognition. The more crowded the niche is, the harder it is to stand out.

My main area of expertise is marketing to the government. This is how I make my living. While this may seem like a broad area, I was early in staking my claim (I started my business in 1985). I established my claim early and have worked hard to maintain it.

Over the years I have had to find multiple ways (speaking, writing, joining, etc) to promote myself in order to keep the pipeline full - and hence have developed a skill in self-promotion.

There are several venues where you can start to define your area of expertise. The most visible ones are social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook (this blog has groups at each, please join!). You should have already done this on you own web site if you have one, but social networks are where many go first to look at the credentials of others.

So start there. look at some of the profiles of those you are connected with to get some ideas for making your profile stand out.