Becoming a thought leader for your industry can transform your brand because it positions your company as an industry leader, opens the door for new possibilities, and builds trust with your community. These 6 tips will get you started to build your thought leadership:
Determine Where Your Expertise Lies
A great thought leader knows their niche—that targeted area where they confidently understand the nuances of a topic and what their audience values. Some questions you can ask yourself to determine where your expertise lies include:
- What have I built my career around?
- What fulfills me?
- What am I more passionate about than my peers?
Create Content That Resonates
To create compelling content that resonates with your audience, share your personality as well as your expertise. It’s no secret that authenticity matters; telling a genuine story is what humanizes your brand and the content you create, and that’s what will draw people in.
What sets you apart from the rest of the individuals in your industry is to inject your work with your own personality and to genuinely speak to what you know. Once you’ve determined where your expertise lies, demonstrate your credibility by sharing relevant evidence, reports, and facts.
Consistency is Key
Your audience needs to see you on a regular basis to remember you, so you’ll need to commit to publishing content on a regular basis. If you’re serious about building your brand, even a few very strong articles won’t be as successful as a consistent stream of well-crafted content.
Don’t Limit Yourself
Publishing your content on your company’s blog will only reach so many people. Find the publications your desired audience is reading and where they’re going to learn information about your industry. Submit content to be featured where your audience is looking and don’t be afraid to try all forms of content including articles, videos, podcasts, and infographics!
Forget Self-Promotion
When it comes to contributed content, 79% of publication editors reported that over-promotion is a common problem. Using your own voice doesn’t mean that you need to—or should—spend all of your time talking about yourself.
Although focusing on becoming a thought leader can impact on your company’s bottom line, it doesn’t mean you should be talking about your company all the time. Instead, focus on providing value for your readers simply by educating them, sharing new ideas, and being helpful.
For more information on how DMI can help you grow your business or for more helpful tips, contact us today by calling (866) 322-3684 or visiting us online.
