What do you do if you want to establish yourself as a thought leader in product marketing through networking?

Amazing, impactful work is the only way of becoming a thought leader in product marketing, and no level of networking will get you there, without the work. Once you are producing the industries best, then: 1. Connect with the right people, especially people within your industry or those you could potentially partner with 2. Engage meaningfully by sharing insights, tips and tricks 3. Become a source of knowledge & ideas 4. Offer to help others

Before you start building your network, make sure that you have a well defined networking plan. This plan will define the type of connections that you need to make, as well as the profile of the personas that you need to engage with. With all this in mind, make sure that you then identify the places where these people are. This could be events, but it could also be social media. It's any place where they are active. This should be your starting point for developing your network. Make sure that you are adding value to your new connection so that you can establish a strong relationship. It's all about the quality, not the quantity

When you do attend events, like industry conferences and webinars, seek opportunities to speak. This will not only increase your visibility but also position you as an authority in your field. Moreover, building connections is about mutual value. Be generous with your knowledge, and be open to learning from others. As you contribute to conversations and provide solutions to industry challenges, your reputation as a thought leader will grow organically.

1. Target: Attend industry events & join online product marketing communities. 2. Contribute: Share valuable content (articles, presentations, social media posts) & engage meaningfully in discussions (ask questions, offer insights). 3. Build Relationships: Connect with influencers & mentor others in the field. 4. Promote Expertise: Share content with your network & speak at events when opportunities arise. 5. Consistency is key! Regularly provide value & build connections to solidify your thought leader status.

I attend industry meetups and events to connect with peers and thought leaders in product marketing. I join online communities like LinkedIn groups, Slack channels, and Reddit forums to engage with others in the field. I also reach out to influencers and thought leaders in product marketing and ask for advice or insights. Example: I attended the Product Marketing Summit last year and met several industry experts who are now part of my network.

Personally, I consider someone an expert if they provide solutions to their target audience's problems, rather than simply claiming to be experts. We become recognized as experts when others see us as the go-to person for overcoming challenges—whether it's resolving issues in marketing communication or becoming more efficient using automated tools for crafting unique content. I've learned that by helping others, they often reciprocate. Finally, it's important to be unique when sharing your knowledge and solutions. This distinguishes you from the crowd, who may offer outdated solutions.

It's very important that you always have value to your connections, and sharing your expertise and your insights is one of the most powerful ways to provide value. This also demonstrates that you are not selfish, but rather a person that's interested in the development of others. One of the things that I do to build relationships is to 7:00 AM (every single day) about the automotive or battery industry with my insights on it. This is how I frequently and consistently add value to my audience. It also sets me up to become a bad leader in my field - Automotive & Battery industries.

Make sure that not only are you're adding value because you're posting on a regular basis, but also because you are interacting with your connections on social media. Make sure that these interactions are meaningful even if they are not necessarily frequent - Make insightful comments about the content that they just shared or provide your personal opinion on other aspects to consider. Make sure that you are always adding value to your connections.

Share relevant and timely content on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. * Engage with others' content by commenting, liking, and sharing. * Participate in online discussions and forums related to product marketing.

In my experience, providing content in is the first step to developing strong relationships. You also have to spend the time to be authentic and share things that are important to you and to your audience - work anniversaries, personal interests, etc. Make sure that you balance all this with the "etiquette and the expectation" of the social media that you're using - Facebook is not Linkedin.

* Nurture your connections by staying in touch and offering help or advice when needed. * Collaborate with others on projects or initiatives. * Offer to introduce others to your network.

If you're sharing content on a daily basis, it's relatively easy to stay current. You'll have to read a lot in order to post on a daily basis. So this could be a forcing function for you to stay on top of everything that's happening in your industry, on your function. This approach will enable you to add true value to your audience on a daily basis and will naturally position you as a thought leader.

* Develop a strong personal brand by showcasing your expertise and thought leadership. * Create a professional website or blog. * Use consistent branding across all online platforms. Linkedin is an amazing platform to start with, do give it a try!

I believe having the knowledge is the half of it which should be broadly acceptable, updated and extensive. You know, knowledge convince people to introduce you as a pioneer and they come to you to have your advice. They listen to you and mimic what you do which is itself kind of professional personal branding.