How can you create content that establishes your brand as a thought leader?

To establish your brand as a thought leader: 1. Niche Focus: Concentrate on a specific area of expertise. 2. Audience Understanding: Know your target audience deeply. 3. Free Premium Content: Share high-quality, free content. 4. Experience Sharing: Convey real-world expertise. 5. Authentic Engagement: Interact genuinely with the audience. 6. Consistency:Maintain a regular content schedule. 7. Collaborate: Partner with industry experts. 8. Stay Informed: Keep up with industry trends. 9. Feedback Loop: Act on audience feedback for improvement.

The problem with content is... Everyone is doing it. Everyone is doing it badly. Everyone is pumping it out there in the hope that it works. Why? No one is really focusing in on the symptoms that our clients, the market, prospects are exhibiting. We're too focused on the problems/challenges and relating it back to our business. Poor pipeline - buy our platform, etc. But when you go to the doctor - they do not ask you what do you have (and to name it in Latin). They ask you for the symptoms and from their questioning they are able to work out what it is that you have. With these symptoms identified you can then attempt to show them how they can get from exhibiting these symptoms to not having them in a completely novel way.

Actually, I disagree with this advice: ?? Creating content will help you to identify your target audience. Especially if you have multiple personas in mind or start to explore new markets. I suggest this process: ? Ask yourself: What are the obstacles your target audience is facing? Then create content based on your assumptions. ? Where does your target audience hang out? Publish your content on multiple channels, test different formats and media types. ? Interact with the people who eventually start to engage with your content. Create 1:1 situations to ask more questions and validate your assumptions. ? Iterate your messaging, repeat the process, and organize all information in one place. Then create an ideal customer profile! ??

Harnessing marketing automation and dynamic content ensures your thought leadership material reaches its intended audience at the ideal time. It's essential to strike the right balance, honing in on a formula and cadence that resonates with your B2B audience. The perfect blend of content, delivery, and timing can set the stage for your brand to emerge as the undisputed industry thought leader. Adjusting to user context with dynamic content, combined with a meticulously planned distribution cadence, lays the foundation for authoritative industry presence.

Write like you'd talk to your audience. While grammar, style, relevance are all important, having your own 'voice' is what makes you truly unique. Ultimately, people choose to read (and trust) another person. One does not refer to a person they trust as a 'thought leader'. Build human relationships with your audience by being your authentic self - including humor, strong (well-grounded) opinions, quicks.

One thing, that I find super insightful to identify relevant topics is: ??Listen! Get to know your audience! ?What questions are they asking? ?What motivates and inspires them? ?What do they prioritize and value the most in their life or work? Next, find the key topics that are connected to your thought leadership zones! (Venn diagrams are great for this kind of visualization! ??) Once you've identified focus areas, start answering the questions and start a meaningful conversation! Share your experiences and create as many aha-moments for others as possible! ????

My advice, talk with your customers and find out what really motivates them to buy - their "why." What motivates them to seek out a solution like yours? (Were in the market out of their own volition - or were they been directed to seek out a solution?) What questions did they have when they first entered the market for a solution? (Did they feel as though they were able to find satisfactory answers? If so - where from?) Why did they choose you? (What - specifically - made the difference?) From their answers to questions like these, you should be able to pull relevant subject-matter for your content.

What keeps your customers awake at night? What challenges are they looking to solve? What is on their agenda for 2023/24? What problems are they tackling today. What are the symptoms they are exhibiting. These 'insights' are what should rive your content strategy. Do the insights. Do the research. Talk to customers. Get them to tell you the above. Document it. Build a simple matrix of challenges, problems, agenda, etc. and match this to how your product/service can solve these issues. This will be the foundation of your relevant content.

Unique Insights: Share your own ?? fresh thoughts, opinions, or angles on industry stuff. Don't be a parrot ?? repeating what everyone else says; bring your unique flavor to the party ??. Live Chats and Webinars: Throw epic live events like webinars, Q&A seshes, or hands-on workshops to get up close and personal with your peeps ??. Don't forget to shout about these on your socials and in your email newsletters ??. Learning Goodies: Whip up some killer educational content like ebooks, how-to guides, or online courses ?? to help your audience level up ?? in your niche. Sharing is caring, after all ??

I would stick to recency and relevance topics to targeted audience Recency: People pay attention to what happened an hour ago, rather than a year ago. Relevance: It has to be personal and meaningful; we can pick a specific targeted audience.

Start with identifying valuable topics. Talk to your prospects and customers and truly understand their world today and the challenges they face. This in itself will give you original and quality content (and great feedback for messaging in your marketing campaigns). Now you can take this further and interview the leaders/subject matter experts in your organisation on their opinions on these core issues. Set up video calls and record them if possible — this will give you the ability to repurpose content across video and written when you distribute it. But ultimately there's a treasure chest of insights in your organisation — you just need to leverage them!

Ask yourself the question: Is what I am creating/sharing of value to my audience? Is it helping them to make sense of the choices? Is it helping them to understand better the issues? Is it helping them to make the right decisions? If the answer is yes - you're ok to proceed. If the answer is no - don't create. don't publish. Don't share.

Start with understanding what's on your prospects' minds when they engage with your content. It really comes down to one golden question: "What's in it for them?" They want to know what your product does, why they should pick you over the competition, and why they should do it NOW. What motivates them? Job security, reputational assurances, impressing clients, earning a bonus, or to comply with regulations. This means your content must be customer-centric and compelling. How? ??Clarity: be very specific--no fluff. ??Connection: make it relevant to their needs, anxieties, and emotional triggers. ??Capability: show your product's benefits and the results they can achieve. ??Credibility: show them why you're different (social proof).

It's not just about originality. It is also about relevance and creating value. To evidence thought leadership, it is important to share solutions to problems which you believe are tangible and real. Too much thought leadership content out there has become about what should be done rather than evidencing why it should be done and how to get there (a nod here to Simon Sinek) Having a powerful why behind your thought leadership strategy will help create value, and value should not be measured just in financial terms - this is a road to the bottom as people will see through your 'thought leadership' content and realise it's just about more sales.

Real thought leadership requires content that provides real immediate value to the customer you want to attract. When it is successful it will bring them to you with gratitude when they are ready to engage. This strategy is generally not an overnight sales generator. It plants seeds of gratitude in prospects who value what your brand has to offer.

One of the most effective ways to "showcase" your credibility is to really "put yourself on the spot" and pitch yourself as a guest to podcasts relevant to your audience.

One way to achieve this is to turn the attention from you to your customers. Share real stories of transformation. Share real stories of transformative journeys. Share real stories that inspire others to take the same path.

The best way to show your credibility and authority is to create powerful video content. Specifically you should be creating on-going video content that showcases customers raving about your solution. Use your SME's to answer those FAQ's and use your leadership to tell your companies mission story. Start with these 3 video series and watch you solutions adoption rate rapidly grow.

If you want to set your brand as a category- and thought leader, boldly address pressing issues your industry is facing. Offer your honest product/ tech proposition and showcase the way you're working towards an actual improvement. Credibility is built over time and in different industries - it comes in different formats and channels. My tips: ? Try to share just as much as you can without jeopardizing yiur position. ? Use tangible assets, share proof points. ? Be honest about the way you still have to go- it's ok (and will be appreciated!) to talk about the challenges your product has yet to overcome.

Its all about providing valuable insights to the right prospects at the right time. Focus on providing relevant, informative posts and content when it’s apparent your audience wants it. This will help to establish your position as a thought leader, as well as adding your take on curated content. Avoid social posts that just promote your products and services as many followers will find it spammy and switch off. Being present on multiple channels can be time consuming, and you might be inclined to use automated tools for social interaction. However, your audience is likely to notice when your liking and commenting seems inauthentic and in turn, this can damage your personal brand. The goal is to make yourself seem approachable.

An interesting addition here, is that what is deemed by many as organic content (e.g. short-form videos that are informative but not focussed on conversion) are actually great fuel for paid distribution. To me, paid advertising on socials is only different from organic because it guarantees distribution to your audience. So there is 0 need to change your content. Just make the content valuable for your audience, and use paid to get the audience to the perfect prospect.

Most companies fail as they do this: 80% of time on creating + 20% of time on promoting. Flip this - 80% on promotion and 20% on creating

All thought leadership has to include an opinion (which is something that can be disagreed with), and this is why most businesses struggle with thought leadership. Executives and legal departments hate it when you say things that can be disagreed with. But, it's the only way. A willingness to stick your neck out is what leadership really is.

Getting a thought leader position doesn't happen over night. But a effective way of getting there is to stop hiding behind a logo and let the people behind the logo take their place in the spotlight. Start with the subject matter experts. You need to work very hard on getting their personal brands right and creating the appropriate content distributed on the right channels to reach your target audience. Subject matter experts articles combined with debate articles very interesting to your target group or very current topic to the industry you serve. Distribute in magazines, advertorials, on social media, try to get speaking ops at fairs or at panel discussions. Share about where you are invited to speak about your expertise!

Why it matters... Proper distribution and visibility of your content is one of the biggest pitfalls B2B markets find themselves in when working to gain thought leadership. What’s the cause and effect… The frustration that B2B marketers feel can be so much so that many will give up. Thought leadership marketing strategies require uniquely captivating perspectives that set them apart immediately. Accompanied by rock-solid research that supports the idea's core concepts. Very few marketers can do this at a high level repeatably. I know you’re one of these few if you’re reading this! Too bad no one saw it… Where do we go from here… Knowing your audience is separate from knowing where they spend their time. So, ask them where they prefer to go.

Sorry to take you down memory lane, but I thought it was important and relevant to goals via a SMART framework. Example Overall goal: Increase brand awareness over the next four months for my social selling platform. Specific ? Connect with local social media managers within a 30- mile radius. Measurable ? Increase number of impressions on product post by 15% ? Increase number of views of product video overview by 15% ? Have an average post reach of 1,000 Attainable ? Yes Realistic ? Boost posts by sponsoring them and doing targeted ads with an advertising budget of ￡500 per month. Timely ? 4 month time limit to achieve this goal and report back.

Establish your brand as a thought leader by creating insightful, valuable, and original content. Research industry trends, provide unique perspectives, and offer practical solutions. Use data and case studies to support your points, showcasing expertise. Engage with your audience through webinars, podcasts, and social media. Encourage discussions, share diverse content formats, and stay updated. Consistency in delivering authoritative, credible, and forward-thinking content solidifies your brand's position as a thought leader, fostering trust and recognition.

Peep the Stats: Regularly keep an ?? on the analytics to check how your content is doing. ?? This is like your GPS ??? in the digital jungle, showing you where you're on track and where you might need to switch lanes. Why It Counts: Analyzing the numbers is a big deal because it tells you what's lit ?? and what's a flop. ?? It's like having a treasure map ??? to guide you through the content world. Adjust and Upgrade: When you see which content gets the most love ?? from your peeps, you can tweak your game plan. ?? If a certain type of post, topic, or style is fire, think about doing more of that. It's all about staying flexible and keeping it ?? with what your audience vibes with. ??

To be a thought leader in any industry or topics, one needs to challenge the audience by making them reflect and more importantly, make them feel something. I can't stress enough the importance of making people feel something! Emotions are key to grow any brand and be a thought leader. I like to use the Know-Feel-Do method. What do I want my audience to know, how do I want to make them feel, and what do I want them to do!

?? Dare to be brave! In the B2B space, I see too many brands that are drifting in a "sea of sameness". They behave alike and talk alike because it's comfortable to say what everyone else is saying. Differentiate your brand! Stop being risk-averse and conservative! Start talking about topics no-one else is talking about in your niche and own them. The best conversations happen outside your brand's comfort zone! ????

Being a thought leader means not simply parroting what others are saying. Have your own unique perspectives, even if they seem radical or are going against the norm. Importantly, it must stay true to your brand values and what they represent to your customers. They must also be useful to your customers, else you are just adding to the noise without much substance.

It can be a challenge to establish your brand as a thought leader, particularly if you are a new player in the market. If you find yourself in that situation, I suggest working with thought leaders who have already established themselves in your industry. By continuously co-creating high-quality content or webinars with thought leaders, you can establish yourself through association.

There's content and then's there is format. Think about each piece of content as the foundation. What can you build from here? One podcast episode could become: 1. long-form blog post 2. multiple video/audio teasers 3. reels for Instagram, YT or TikTok 4. Twitter threads 5. etc. I create at least 10 pieces of content formats from each podcast I release.