Thought leadership is a critical component to an effective, modern marketing strategy. For small businesses especially, it’s one of the best ways to cut through the clutter and compete against bigger brands. The benefits are game changing for your small business — most notably in lead generation and partnership opportunities. Establishing a thought-leader position on a topic in your industry builds credibility in the eyes of your targets. It serves to influence in a way that advertising itself can never do. I’ll share eight creative ways you can become a thought leader and grow your business.
Think about the businesses and brands you follow. Part of why you like the brand is because they have established themselves as the most passionate, tireless expert on a topic. They may not be the biggest, they just have the greatest passion and most valuable content—and as result you come to trust these brands and people. Therefore, you are attracted and eventually buy stuff from them.
It’s how John Lawson is an accomplished eBay Powerseller; It’s how Chris Brogan is a leader on social media and online community; it’s how Seth Godin is a trusted leader in marketing; it’s how Beth Harte is a online marketing pro. Okay, you get the idea. These people have nailed their thought leadership and have grown massively because of it.
The term “thought leadership” is being used in the same breath as marketing and PR today. And for good reason. People don’t buy into interruptions so much anymore. They buy into expertise. People buy from brands that offer value and are the leaders in their industry.
And yet why do so many choose to ignore this as a strategy? The big reason is that it requires an investment of time, not money. You can’t simply buy ads and become an overnight nationally acclaimed expert. It requires your time to feed it and grow it. It takes months and years. Therein lies the fallout and where so many entrepreneurs don’t —and your opportunity to shine.
First place to start your thought leadership campaign is to identify your platform and give yourself a name that inspires you and helps you keep focus. The name is for internal purposes though. It’ll serve to guide your focus in content creation and where you choose to spend your time. Gary Vaynerchuk is a super-interesting thought leader on wine and social media is known as the ‘The Wine Guy’. His book Crush It! offers helpful advice in nailing down your platform and finding your passion for entrepreneurship. For our CEO Clate Mask, his thought leadership platform is the “Small Business Zealot”, which captures the passion and crusader-type mentality he takes advocating for and helping small businesses grow smarter and faster.
Once you have your platform in place, here are eight solid ways to launch your thought leadership strategy.
1. Speak at Events
Identify the events and business associations that matter in your industry and to your customers. Find a way to speak on a panel first, or moderate a discussion. Then you can graduate to keynoting. Conferences and trade shows book speakers typically about six months to a year in advance. A great place to start is your local chamber of commerce or small business association. With smaller events you have a better chance with less lead time, and as you do more of them you can graduate to larger-scale events. Here’s a couple directories for finding national events: BizTradeshows and www.tsnn.com
2. Stay in Touch With Email Marketing
Think about the top-five questions you get from prospects and customers all the time. You can answer those questions in a informative way. Include links to your blog posts. Provide useful information that’s not selling but rather informing people
3. Share Big Ideas Through Webinars
Webinars are super-useful in thought leadership and direct lead generation. You can host a webinar on a topic that is hot on people’s mind. Keep it informational and packed with best practices and useful tips. Feeling like you can’t pull it off yourself? You can easily interview someone like a customer or partner as well. Invite customers and prospects. Send information to the publications in your industry to get it mentioned. Make sure to invest some time in your presentation so it’s professional and engaging. After the webinar, post your presentation to slideshare and put a link to it on your website.
4. Grow Your Audience with an EBook
A fantastic way to present useful info is through electronic books (ebooks). They are today’s version of the old standard whitepaper, but more fun and easier to consume. Not to mention, people love to share them. As an example, here’s one ebook, When Chaos Moves In, we did we did with our friends at ChangeThis and 800 CEO Read that we used to help promote Clate and Scott’s book. For other good samples Chris Brogan, a thought leader on social media, compiled 20 Free Ebooks about Social Media that is a great reference. Not sure where to start with the subject matter? You can easily compile your best 3-6 blog posts into one ebook.
5. Blog Weekly
For some, this is a daunting commitment. (You mean I need to write two to three times a week, every week without fail?) Here are some tips from one of my favorite bloggers, Jay Baer, 11 Must-Dos for the Serious Bloggers. Implement just some of them and you will be well on your way. If you’re serious about growing your leadership stance, you can’t shy away from inspiring others through blogging.
6. Strengthen Your Brand on Twitter and Facebook
I’m assuming you’ve already figured out that Twitter is a valuable listening post and tool for pushing information out. Now’s the time to get more aggressive with it and start following and engaging with the top 40 influencers in your industry. In addition, pay attention to your customers, prospects, vendors and partners too. Search for topics central to your platform using search.twitter.com. Then dial up the engagement with others. Reply to tweets. Then share the stuff that you are working on, share useful articles and point people to your content or where you are speaking. Those who actively use and find value in Twitter view their activity as an investment in their brand that reaps benefits. Twitter is one place to further lay claim to being a thought leader in your industry. They may be members of the press, heads of associations or influential bloggers who regularly on topics that matter to you and your customers. Read their blog regularly and comment with valuable feedback when appropriate. Attend events where they are speaking.
7. Write a Book
Once you’ve flexed your writing muscle in blogging, the next natural (but perhaps more Herculean effort) is to write a book. Certainly it’s no easy feat, but well worth it. Being an expert means filling 200 pages. Whether self-published or using a publisher, books are an effective leave-behind for prospects and an amazing marketing tool. It’s the way people will seek you out for your expertise. Our cofounders Clate and Scott’s recent book Conquer the Chaos: How to Grow a Successful Small Business Without Going Crazy has been an invaluable tool in securing press and speaking engagements that we otherwise wouldn’t have opportunity for. Plus it debuted on the New York Times Best-Seller list which serves to even further pump up the small business expertise platform we are touting.
8. Issue a Survey
Poll your customers and prospects on hard-hitting stuff that press and peers in your industry would be interested in. You can use surveymonkey.com to survey your customers and prospects via email on a topic that matters For example, if you have a wedding supply business where you work with brides regularly, you can poll them on how much they plan on spending on their dress, flowers or the event overall. Put the results into a simple press release and a blog post. Reference the data in your webinars and speaking events. Let others know about the results and conclusions of the survey through your blog, Twitter and Facebook. It may grow legs and spread throughout your industry.
For long-term success, don’t overwhelm yourself to start. Meaning… don’t try to do all the stuff on this list at once. You can tackle one or two of these at first. Then each month add in another level of your thought leadership campaign. Within six months, you’ll look back and see you have a body of work that people actually share and re-tweet with one another, and soon you’re getting opportunities to speak and share your ideas. Then you’ll be addicted to generating content.
The most successful business owners see thought leadership as a journey not a destination because it’s a long-term play that reaps major benefits to those who stick with it.
How will you leverage thought leadership in your business?
[Image credit: jdanvers]
[...] 8 Ways to Be a Thought Leader [...]
hey Kathy,
Hadn't thought of using the survey options before. Great idea.
There's so much growth around Twitter and Facebook that it can't be overlooked or avoided.
Keep up the good posts!
T
hey Kathy,
Hadn't thought of using the survey options before. Great idea.
There's so much growth around Twitter and Facebook that it can't be overlooked or avoided.
Keep up the good posts!
T
hey Kathy,
Hadn't thought of using the survey options before. Great idea.
There's so much growth around Twitter and Facebook that it can't be overlooked or avoided.
Keep up the good posts!
T
hey Kathy,
Hadn't thought of using the survey options before. Great idea.
There's so much growth around Twitter and Facebook that it can't be overlooked or avoided.
Keep up the good posts!
T
hey Kathy,
Hadn't thought of using the survey options before. Great idea.
There's so much growth around Twitter and Facebook that it can't be overlooked or avoided.
Keep up the good posts!
T
hey Kathy,
Hadn't thought of using the survey options before. Great idea.
There's so much growth around Twitter and Facebook that it can't be overlooked or avoided.
Keep up the good posts!
T
hey Kathy,
Hadn't thought of using the survey options before. Great idea.
There's so much growth around Twitter and Facebook that it can't be overlooked or avoided.
Keep up the good posts!
T
hey Kathy,
Hadn't thought of using the survey options before. Great idea.
There's so much growth around Twitter and Facebook that it can't be overlooked or avoided.
Keep up the good posts!
T
hey Kathy,
Hadn't thought of using the survey options before. Great idea.
There's so much growth around Twitter and Facebook that it can't be overlooked or avoided.
Keep up the good posts!
T
hey Kathy,
Hadn't thought of using the survey options before. Great idea.
There's so much growth around Twitter and Facebook that it can't be overlooked or avoided.
Keep up the good posts!
T
hey Kathy,
Hadn't thought of using the survey options before. Great idea.
There's so much growth around Twitter and Facebook that it can't be overlooked or avoided.
Keep up the good posts!
T
hey Kathy,
Hadn't thought of using the survey options before. Great idea.
There's so much growth around Twitter and Facebook that it can't be overlooked or avoided.
Keep up the good posts!
T
Thanks TJ (Sales Rescue Team). Yes surveys are a great tool–but many think that they have to some huge numbers to report the info. Not so. As long as the sampling size is decent, with good insights, you can share it. We'll be doing more of them ourselves looking into the state of small business.
[...] 21, 2010Email newsletters have made a comeback to entrepreneurs and small business owners. Many thought-leaders have made the jump to use an email newsletter to connect with their audience, solicit engagement [...]
Hey Kathy, just getting around to reading this. It's a fantastic post! Like TJ, the survey idea was new to me, but it makes a lot of sense. It's simply conducting research and sharing the lessons learned so that you and others can make more informed decisions.
This post is also a bit of a kick in the butt. Lack of time is the easiest excuse for not doing something, but we make time for the things that are important to us. If being a thought leader is important, we make the time. If it means cutting something else, so be it. Each of us should be pruning our own trees to get to what is most fruitful.
Hey Kathy, just getting around to reading this. It's a fantastic post! Like TJ, the survey idea was new to me, but it makes a lot of sense. It's simply conducting research and sharing the lessons learned so that you and others can make more informed decisions.
This post is also a bit of a kick in the butt. Lack of time is the easiest excuse for not doing something, but we make time for the things that are important to us. If being a thought leader is important, we make the time. If it means cutting something else, so be it. Each of us should be pruning our own trees to get to what is most fruitful.
Hey Kathy, just getting around to reading this. It's a fantastic post! Like TJ, the survey idea was new to me, but it makes a lot of sense. It's simply conducting research and sharing the lessons learned so that you and others can make more informed decisions.
This post is also a bit of a kick in the butt. Lack of time is the easiest excuse for not doing something, but we make time for the things that are important to us. If being a thought leader is important, we make the time. If it means cutting something else, so be it. Each of us should be pruning our own trees to get to what is most fruitful.
Hey Kathy, just getting around to reading this. It's a fantastic post! Like TJ, the survey idea was new to me, but it makes a lot of sense. It's simply conducting research and sharing the lessons learned so that you and others can make more informed decisions.
This post is also a bit of a kick in the butt. Lack of time is the easiest excuse for not doing something, but we make time for the things that are important to us. If being a thought leader is important, we make the time. If it means cutting something else, so be it. Each of us should be pruning our own trees to get to what is most fruitful.
Hey Kathy, just getting around to reading this. It's a fantastic post! Like TJ, the survey idea was new to me, but it makes a lot of sense. It's simply conducting research and sharing the lessons learned so that you and others can make more informed decisions.
This post is also a bit of a kick in the butt. Lack of time is the easiest excuse for not doing something, but we make time for the things that are important to us. If being a thought leader is important, we make the time. If it means cutting something else, so be it. Each of us should be pruning our own trees to get to what is most fruitful.
Hey Kathy, just getting around to reading this. It's a fantastic post! Like TJ, the survey idea was new to me, but it makes a lot of sense. It's simply conducting research and sharing the lessons learned so that you and others can make more informed decisions.
This post is also a bit of a kick in the butt. Lack of time is the easiest excuse for not doing something, but we make time for the things that are important to us. If being a thought leader is important, we make the time. If it means cutting something else, so be it. Each of us should be pruning our own trees to get to what is most fruitful.
Hey Kathy, just getting around to reading this. It's a fantastic post! Like TJ, the survey idea was new to me, but it makes a lot of sense. It's simply conducting research and sharing the lessons learned so that you and others can make more informed decisions.
This post is also a bit of a kick in the butt. Lack of time is the easiest excuse for not doing something, but we make time for the things that are important to us. If being a thought leader is important, we make the time. If it means cutting something else, so be it. Each of us should be pruning our own trees to get to what is most fruitful.
Hey Kathy, just getting around to reading this. It's a fantastic post! Like TJ, the survey idea was new to me, but it makes a lot of sense. It's simply conducting research and sharing the lessons learned so that you and others can make more informed decisions.
This post is also a bit of a kick in the butt. Lack of time is the easiest excuse for not doing something, but we make time for the things that are important to us. If being a thought leader is important, we make the time. If it means cutting something else, so be it. Each of us should be pruning our own trees to get to what is most fruitful.
Hey Kathy, just getting around to reading this. It's a fantastic post! Like TJ, the survey idea was new to me, but it makes a lot of sense. It's simply conducting research and sharing the lessons learned so that you and others can make more informed decisions.
This post is also a bit of a kick in the butt. Lack of time is the easiest excuse for not doing something, but we make time for the things that are important to us. If being a thought leader is important, we make the time. If it means cutting something else, so be it. Each of us should be pruning our own trees to get to what is most fruitful.
[...] newsletters have made a comeback to entrepreneurs and small business owners. Many thought-leaders have made the jump to use an email newsletter to connect with their audience, solicit engagement [...]
Thanks Kathy. This is a terrific post. Super useful, and all true. Nobody said it would be easy, and balancing the time it takes to create thought leadership with your other corporate duties is a tricky balancing act. Too many people want someone else to create thought leadership on their behalf, and it just doesn't work that way.
Thanks Kathy. This is a terrific post. Super useful, and all true. Nobody said it would be easy, and balancing the time it takes to create thought leadership with your other corporate duties is a tricky balancing act. Too many people want someone else to create thought leadership on their behalf, and it just doesn't work that way.
Thanks Kathy. This is a terrific post. Super useful, and all true. Nobody said it would be easy, and balancing the time it takes to create thought leadership with your other corporate duties is a tricky balancing act. Too many people want someone else to create thought leadership on their behalf, and it just doesn't work that way.
Thanks Kathy. This is a terrific post. Super useful, and all true. Nobody said it would be easy, and balancing the time it takes to create thought leadership with your other corporate duties is a tricky balancing act. Too many people want someone else to create thought leadership on their behalf, and it just doesn't work that way.
Thanks Kathy. This is a terrific post. Super useful, and all true. Nobody said it would be easy, and balancing the time it takes to create thought leadership with your other corporate duties is a tricky balancing act. Too many people want someone else to create thought leadership on their behalf, and it just doesn't work that way.
Thanks Kathy. This is a terrific post. Super useful, and all true. Nobody said it would be easy, and balancing the time it takes to create thought leadership with your other corporate duties is a tricky balancing act. Too many people want someone else to create thought leadership on their behalf, and it just doesn't work that way.
Thanks Kathy. This is a terrific post. Super useful, and all true. Nobody said it would be easy, and balancing the time it takes to create thought leadership with your other corporate duties is a tricky balancing act. Too many people want someone else to create thought leadership on their behalf, and it just doesn't work that way.
Thanks Kathy. This is a terrific post. Super useful, and all true. Nobody said it would be easy, and balancing the time it takes to create thought leadership with your other corporate duties is a tricky balancing act. Too many people want someone else to create thought leadership on their behalf, and it just doesn't work that way.
Kathy,
What a great post. Love your train of thought leadership. I almost fell over when I read #7, however one cannot deny the results of crafting a tome of original or applied ideas. Guess we can add persevere as #9. Many thanks for your thoughts.
[...] DIY. One way to get started is to try it yourself. You’ll find that if you started your work to become a thought leader in your industry, media and bloggers will want to talk with you – the business owner directly – rather [...]