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More brands today are gaining attention and impact through thought leadership. Positioning yourself as a brand of authority that people can trust gives your business a massive boost in the online world where shady deals lurk.
But in this new business climate and knowledge economy, methods, such as using digital channels and adopting new technology, are needed to stay visible, relevant and competitive.
You can only create something tasty that draws people in and keeps them coming back if you find the proper content mix for your company. Remember: consumers are more inclined to transact with someone they know they can trust.
This is why thought leadership has increasingly become significant in how today’s companies manage to stay visible, relevant and competitive.
So what makes one a thought leader?
A thought leader is a well-known authority in their field who shares their knowledge and perspective with people around them. A business with remarkable expertise and achievement in its particular field could also be considered a thought leader. Simply put, a thought leader has a solid track record of enlightening and assisting others.
Take note, however, that being knowledgeable is not enough. For one to become a thought leader, they have to be likable. They have to build trust. They have to be relatable. Because no matter how innovative or meaty a thought leader’s views are, they’re nothing if no one listens to them.
Instead of promoting or selling a company’s goods and services, thought leadership content is intended to offer insights, solutions, counsel, education and assistance.
A thought leader gives their audience something to discuss to gain traction and engage them in a meaningful conversation. A company’s reputation will be built, managed and safeguarded using thought leadership if done correctly.
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This can be achieved in a variety of ways, including making commentaries on current events on your website, in a blog or a social media post; penning articles for media outlets about a specific field of expertise; delivering a presentation at a (virtual) conference; or participating in a panel with other subject-matter experts (or in a modern way, guesting in a podcast.)
Thought leadership can take many different shapes. Therefore your approach should align with your knowledge, background, and professional goals.
You need a plan to achieve your goals, just like in everything in life. Create a strategy first, then include your thought leadership approach into your content marketing strategy. Below are essential things you should remember if you want to be a thought leader.
Ask yourself what you are looking to achieve. Do you wish to increase brand recognition? Are you introducing a new product or service or entering a new market or industry? Do you desire investment? You can be more systematic and consistent once you figure out these questions. You’ll avoid confusing your audience, which primarily bars you from scoring authority, as to the consumer journey you intend on taking them to.
Align your strategy with who you are. What’s your story and the story you want to tell? How do these fit with your services, products and business goals? It’s important to consider building around what you love talking about, which would usually be the foundation of your business. Otherwise, you’ll get burnout projecting yourself as a thought leader on something you don’t really care about. You’ll end up not achieving anything.
Be authentic. Touch some grass and stay human. Contrary to the social media norm of flaunting all your achievements and success stories to your followers, you can be more relatable if you will talk about your failures and flaws. (Of course, you must back these up with your come-back narrative.) Show your vulnerabilities and your prospects will listen more to you. They’ll be more comfortable transacting with you knowing that you’re being transparent to them – a big step to establishing a relationship of trust.
As with any strategy, making your content revolve around your target audience and the platforms they use is a must. After all, thought leadership is about being heard and seen.
You may also want to read: 5 common corporate workplace communication pitfalls (commsroom.co)
Jaw de Guzman is the content producer for Comms Room, a knowledge platform and website aimed at assisting the communications industry and its professionals.
