Thought Leadership Marketing at the Age of Online Influence
The “thought leadership” concept has raised a lot of buzz in the digital marketing environment during the last several years. But what is thought leadership?
Many entrepreneurs and marketers have no idea how and when to use it, mostly because they are not familiar with its applications. If you’re one of those people, today’s article will help you acknowledge and understand the thought leadership concept.
What is Thought Leadership Marketing?
Thought leadership marketing could be defined in many ways. Nevertheless, I will provide two definitions:
- 1. Thought leadership marketing is content marketing that taps into the experience, talent, and passion inside one’s business or community with the purpose of answering the most pressing questions and problems related to a specific topic and target audience.
- 2. Thought leadership marketing is the skill and art of positioning your brand as a thought leader in the industry by providing the best possible content out there. By crafting and publishing unique articles, case studies, videos, research, and any other type of content regularly, members of your industry and potential clients will start perceiving your company as an authoritative voice.
Some of the most popular names in the marketing industry that have built their reputation through thought leadership are:
- Seth Godin
- Jeremy Epstein
- Dave Gerhardt
- Tom Goodwin
- Vanessa Fox
- Brian Dean
You’re familiar with their names not because of their amazing business accomplishments, but because of their original published insights and ideas. Through exceptional content, they’ve managed to gain the trust of many brands and followers.
Your brand can achieve exactly the same result by developing content that resonates with your target customers and other members of the industry (competitors and indirect competitors).
Let us have a look at some of the best marketing techniques to establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry.
Shape Your Reputation
Thought leadership marketing is all about reputation. Becoming a thought leader cannot happen overnight, as you need to build credibility and a lot of followers.
To start shaping your business reputation, you need to start providing a lot of value to your target audience. By sharing your experiences and ideas for free, you’ll show that educating your prospects is more important than financial profits. Always be transparent, authentic, and genuine!
Innovate
If you want to become a thought leader, start thinking out-of-the-box. Start approaching innovative ideas and original insights that your competitors are never addressing. Perceive yourself as a pioneer and act like one. Take Elon Musk. He’s one of the biggest thought leaders in the scientific communities because he’s making his plans and technology available to the masses.
Publish Research Papers
Start producing high-quality white papers and research papers that are strictly related to your industry. By providing new insights, you’ll gain the trust of both your customers and industry peers.
This might seem a daunting task, especially if you’re not familiar with this type of content. I’d suggest outsourcing this type of content from an assignment writing service that can help you get the job done professionally. Some places I’d recommend:
Post High-Quality Content Consistently
An established brand that aims to become an industry leader needs to post content on a consistent basis — not just any type of content but amazing content.
For example, if your competitors are writing about the same topic superficially, use the Skyscraper technique to craft a comprehensive blog post that covers everything that’s ever been covered and more. Write long-form content and focus on providing real solutions.
Guest Post
Guest posting is another productive way to establish yourself as an authority in the field. If you manage to submit your content to highly authoritative platforms like Forbes, Entrepreneur, or HuffPost, you’ll skyrocket your brand’s awareness and reputation. When it comes to guest posting, start small but aim high!
Be Very Active on Social Media
Your social media presence lends credibility. The more relevant content you create and curate, the more engagement you’ll build around your brand. Try your best to engage with your followers directly as frequently as possible and do your best to lay the foundation of a loyal community.
Create Podcasts and Videos
Text content is just a small piece of the pie. To become a reputable thought leadership leader, take advantage of the other possibilities like video and audio content. Start interviewing known influencers within your industry and share the interviews through podcasts or videos. Create FAQ videos, testimonial videos, and explainer videos.
Host and Attend Industry-Related Events
The purpose of industry-related events is to create purposeful relationships with your peers. By attending or even hosting industry events, you’ll be able to share your original ideas and insights, create press-releases about the events, and interact with some of the most important names in your industry.
Broadcast these events online whenever possible to show your audience that you’re regularly participating in important industry meetings and that you’re staying ahead of the game.
Support Non-Profit Movements and Social Causes
If you get used to helping humanity by supporting various social causes, you’re going to gain not only attention but also a lot of respect from your peers and followers. Show compassion and be genuine. Try to make the world better, and you’ll reap huge benefits out of it. The biggest brands are already doing it, and they’re doing it for really good reasons!
Write and Publish a Book
Writing and publishing a book that explores industry-related theories and practices can get you a lot of attention. Even if we’re experiencing the digital era, a book is a sign of true professionalism because it exemplifies your true expertise in your industry. A book will always make your views and insights trustworthy!
Takeaways
Thought leadership marketing is one of the most effective ways to turn your brand into a legacy. The main differences between mediocre brands and highly-successful industry leaders are defined by standards and strategies. Start applying today’s strategies right now and focus on the bigger picture!
Justin Osborne is a writer at assignment help online and top paper writing services review, he loves to share his thoughts and opinions about education, writing and blogging with other people on different blogs and forums. Currently, he is working as a content marketer at custom dissertation writing service and essay writing expert.