Chad S. Sloan
From a marketing standpoint, establishing thought leadership makes a lot of sense. If you are seen as a leader in your field, your credibility will be significantly enhanced, and customers will be more comfortable working with you. However, what is the most effective way to implement a thought leadership strategy? Here are three ways that can get you started:
1) Start Writing Blogs
Cost-effective and consistently successful, blogs are the perfect way to get started on your way to thought leadership. Start writing about industry topics and discuss news and events from the perspective of your industry and relevant to your first-hand business experience, and you’ll begin developing a reputation as a go-to source for information. As an added benefit, try optimizing your blog for search engines by blogging on specific, industry-related keywords to help your posts (and, by extension, your website) ascend in search results.
2) Engage in Social Media
Social media is a great vehicle to promote your blog posts, but it also offers additional opportunities to establish thought leadership. Join industry groups on LinkedIn and participate in relevant discussions to raise the visibility of your expertise and, by extension, your business. Share industry news and analysis on social media outlets, while answering questions and giving tips to succeed at the same time.
Choose your social media outlets carefully. You want to be where your customers are, so while Instagram and Pinterest may work great for visually-based businesses, B2B marketers may prefer the professional surroundings of LinkedIn and Google+.
3) Create Podcasts
This may seem like a lesser-used option, but if you’re looking to take your thought leadership development to the next level, why not start a podcast? A digital, episodic series can be a great way to subtly let your customers know just how much you know about your industry and products available. If you think you lack the expertise or time necessary to start a weekly series, find podcasts in your industry and begin asking if you could appear as a guest. Being a guest on a popular podcast is a great way to break into the network, and immediately raise your credibility in front of your target audience.
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