As you market your business and excel during your growth or maturity cycle, one of the best things you can do for your personal brand is begin to position yourself as a thought leader.
Being a thought leader these days puts you in a position where you can be considered a local, national, or international expert in a particular niche. It establishes you as a leader among peers in your industry, and it positions you to be seen as an expert to people who potentially need your service.
There’s many steps to take when positioning yourself as a thought leader. As a digital marketing agency, we stress that you first examine your online presence to understand what your digital footprint looks like. Make sure your online bios, social media, and how you appear in search engine results represents you in an effective way. And still take into account, what do you look like offline? How do people know you locally, have you been in traditional media such as newspapers or magazines?
Once you have that part of your brand established, you can start to position yourself. These are 3 tips that can help you along the way.
Utilize your blog, whitepapers, or research to showcase deep knowledge.
In the niche that you want to establish yourself as a thought leader, dedicate a ton of content to it. Make sure that you keep a blog on your website frequently updated. If you have a company website where others contribute, be sure to showcase yourself as the author of the articles you write. If you’re in a research-based or trending industry, creating whitepapers about your niche is another way to showcase your knowledge.
If you have credentials, showcase them.
There are so many self-proclaimed experts today, it’s a great advantage if you have certifiable credentials in your niche. In addition to your college degree, your biography and personal brand should reflect where you are accomplished and any special licenses or certifications you have.
Let your audience speak for you.
As a thought leader, when your audience begins to know you, they’ll often have something to say. Let your audience toot your horn. As you focus on becoming more widely known as a thought leader, use the testimonials and endorsements that your audience gives you to propel you forward.
What’s most important is that you find a medium that works well for you. Some thought leaders have talents that are best showcased in the form of keynote presentations or workshops. Others may work more effectively providing web-based presentations or launching a video series. And some may prefer to publish information that positions them as a thought leader. No matter what your approach, find a way to connect with your customers in a way that reaches them and makes sense to you.
Here’s our quick survey – what do you think are the best ways to reach a broad audience as a thought leader?
a. As a keynote speaker
b. By hosting webinars
c. By creating videos on YouTube, etc.
d. By getting published
e. All of these techniques
