The importance of thought leadership
Setting the goal to become a “thought leader” is a real challenge. True thought leaders use their expertise to show a perspective of their industry through education, guidance and insights. They then go on to inspire, lead and influence within their respected industries. The main importance is that you are NOT SELLING your business. Over time, brands, individuals, and businesses come to you because of your recognition and reputation as a thought leader. A great way to do this is thought leader video.
Why should you invest your time to become a thought leader with video? You are your personal brand, if you are seen as an expert in your industry, people will come to you to work with your business. The long term benefits are exponential, far more than any marketing campaign could achieve. Thought leadership is not a short term goal, it should be seen as a long term investment that could generate a passive income. Your thought leader video will have a much longer digital footprint than standard marketing content.
How to start? We recommend creating a Vlog for LinkedIn or a YouTube playlist for your website. This is a great way to start your journey to becoming a thought leader as you are creating content that can be shared straight away. Video builds trust, Google loves videos, video and mobile go hand in hand, and video encourages social shares. Create a steady stream of content and you will get a steady stream of followers, once you start your vlog, you might find your videos popping up in places you did not expect. You could also try; Live stream talks that you deliver at networking events; offer to be a guest speaker at networking or events; take part in guest vlogging with business connections; give out free consultation sessions; try to get published online and in local papers; self-publish your own content on industry-related websites;
Once your reputation or brand begins to grow, you can start sharing or making bolder claims and predictions about your industry. Continue this cycle to become a trusted thought leader in your industry.
If you would like to start your journey to becoming a thought leader, chat with us, we might be able to help you through training or content creation.