3 Tips to supercharge your thought leadership campaign
Carmen Hughes
Thought leadership is instrumental to growing a business. It takes your business from a straight sales approach to a softer, “let me help you solve your problem” approach. And it gives you credibility. As an executive with a 50,000 foot view, you understand the “ins and outs” of an industry in the context of the technological and political climate and can provide sound perspective on how to move forward. Perhaps you have your general roadmap for your thought leadership campaign created, but aren't sure what variables to include as you're solidifying your plan.
Related video: What is thought leadership?
Here are 3 Tips to Supercharge your Thought Leadership Campaign:
Industry battles and wars! Remember this: reporters love industry wars especially between or among dominant 1,600 pound gorillas. And these gorillas abound in any industry, whether it is in automotive, airlines, cable, retail, technology, etc. If you can lend insightful expertise or make bold predictions about how the landscape is going to shift, and who you think winners and losers will be and why, you’ll find a fair amount of interest from top media.
Timing can be incredibly advantageous, so plan to strike whenever the iron is hot. Typically, this could be in advance of any major players announcing or unveiling something highly anticipated, or before their big annual conference. Perhaps it’s right after a merger or in advance of a rumored acquisition. There are numerous ways that someone could step up and share very unique and insightful perspectives.
Know your customers’ pain points. What keeps your customers up at night? What are they worried about? What’s happening in the marketplace that’s going to impact their business? Once you’ve determined this, figure out how can you help them navigate these issues. Do this without trying to sell them on your product. Put on your “mentor hat.” By doing so, you will become a credible resource and your reputation as a thought leader will naturally grow.
Once you get your opinion out there, you’ll begin to see a ripple effect. You’ll know your thought leadership efforts are working when people are engaging with your content and sharing it on social media channels. You’ll get more inbound inquiries to share your perspective with the media. You may get asked to speak at industry conferences, join a board, or contribute content to a different channel. These will be the fruits of your labor in building your executive brand.
No matter what perspective you have about the future of an industry, you need to make sure it’s unique. It can take some time to build a foundation for your thought leadership campaign. But in the end, it pays off.
There’s a whole lot more to the art of thought leadership and building a personal brand. So stay tuned for more in-depth posts that we’ll be sharing about strategies for building your thought leadership campaigns.
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