Thought leadership is a buzzword, perhaps even a cliché. Perhaps it lives on because no one has come up with a better term. Whatever your label, it is a personal choice. However, the one requirement for success that will never change is your ability to showcase your expertise and position yourself out in front of competitors. One of the best ways to build thought leadership is to keep building your personal brand through events and stories.
- Find your topic and own it. While your brand may have expertise across a broad range of interesting topics, not all of them will be appropriate for establishing your desired level of thought leadership. There’s an open space (white space) where every customer’s needs are unmet. Competitors either can’t or won’t, help consumers in this space. Your customers have anxieties—of this you can rest assured. Use what your brand knows best to solve their problems. The winning strategy has always been when companies found a way to make a customer’s life better through their core values. That will always be hard for competitors to emulate if you reach the finish line first.
- Be the main player. Some influencers might suggest to partner with industry players if possible. That may or may not be a viable option. If you’re an innovator, you may be the main player on the block—at least for a little while. Others will try to emulate your success.
- Fill the white space. In marketing, as you well know, you have to say something a number of ways before it catches on and becomes a break through. Thought leadership is the ability to take things to the next level and dominate your topic like no one else has done before. Dominating your space will usually require a major investment on your behalf. How many ways and methods can you reach your customers and across how many channels?
Thought Leadership Marketing
It’s impossible to become a true thought leader without commanding your customers’ attention. This is the primary distinction between transactional and collaborative customer interactions. Transactional interactions are brief, and there isn’t time to establish thought leadership. Collaborative interactions tend to form a partnership where your services are highly perceived as being valuable.
Eliminate Ambiguity About Your Product
The average customer is just that—average—until they become knowledgeable about your product. The more you can tell them about your service, the more you’ll be recognized as a thought leader. Establishing your leadership allows your audience to turn to you with confidence. They’ll reward you with continual business.
Measure Your Brand’s Effectiveness
If your brand is successful, you’ll notice it in three areas: growth/reach, conversations that are robust, and thought leadership. These components all provide insight as to whether your services and marketing strategies are working.
- Reach – This can be assessed through social media by the number of followers and how your brand is referenced. Trackbacks (when one website notifies another about updates) and social media metrics can help you gain valuable insights.
- End User Conversation and Social Media – Social media can be a powerful tool when customers provide engagement and feedback. Your social media and advertising should offer a streamlined experience for users. Just keep in mind that you’ll always be tweaking your campaigns based on data analysis and results. If you don’t know where you want to go—it’ll be impossible to get there.
Stick with Your Strategy
Creating the perception and reality of thought leadership takes time and a lot of dedication. Find your messaging and stick to it—only if it appears to be promising. A figurehead that is strongly attached to the brand can also increase your audience’s confidence.
Understanding Your Feedback – The Value of Swurveys
Maintaining your brand and promoting thought leadership marketing means collecting valuable feedback that can be analyzed to enhance your services. As mentioned, your brand should appear in everything you do, including your surveys. The challenge with most feedback collection methods is their lack of visual stimulation and personality.
However, the right collection methods can help maintain and promote your brand. Swurveys allows you to place your brand front and center, educating your audience while collecting valuable feedback using the All Swipe, No Type Swurvey.