How can you use video content to position yourself as a thought leader?

This is difficult in the beginning. You'll need to publish consistently for at least a couple of months in order to see who responds to your video. You'd be surprised, you really don't know who your talking to in the beginning, so speak as if you're speaking to a public conference, or a group of students, or even some specialists. But generally, social media is about the public, so don't be too specific until you know their age and education background. You'll start to see that in the comments to your videos.

Finding a niche can be an ongoing process and sometimes your niche finds you. Start with what you know, and what you do best, and then look at who would be most interested in your expertise. How have you solved unique problems in the past for specific industries or job functions? Those labels are often the best way to start niching down and over time you can create more specific demographics and psychographics for your niche content.

In my own experience becoming a thought leader is akin to crafting a masterpiece. Your niche is the canvas, your target audience the appreciative audience. Choose vibrant colors of passion and knowledge, sketching the landscape of your expertise. Investigate the gallery of competitors, seeking blank spaces where your unique brushstrokes can shine. Your masterpiece should be specific, relevant, and not just art for art's sake, but a valuable creation that resonates with those seeking inspiration in your domain.

The more specific your niche is - the better. My advice is to narrow it down even more than you think you already have. Think of it like cooking. Being just a chef is not narrow enough - are you a savoury or a pastry chef? Let's say you are a pastry chef. You can narrow it down more. Do you make cakes, croissants or a specific type of dessert? Let's say it is macarons. You can dedicate your entire career to crafting the best macarons in the world, and thus become a thought leader. The more focused you are - the better.

1. Identify your expertise and target audience. 2. Plan your content strategy around valuable insights and actionable advice. 3. Invest in high-quality video equipment or work with professionals. 4. Share your knowledge authentically and engage with your audience. 5. Optimize your videos for search and discoverability. 6. Upload and share your videos on various platforms and repurpose content. 7. Collaborate with other thought leaders to expand your reach. 8. Engage with your audience by responding to comments and feedback. 9. Be consistent in publishing new video content. 10. Stay committed to providing valuable content and improving your skills.

People don't do business with companies, they do business with people. Video is hands down the best way for perspective clients to get to know YOU. What you look like, what you sound like, and how you can help solve their problems. Investing in video-first allows you to create content on multiple platforms as well so you can be omnipresent. If you are visible everywhere they turn, that builds authority.

The internet is saturated with so much content the only way to truly stand out is to provide simple, actionable value to your audience. Knowledge without an action plan is useless. Don't shy away from giving quick tips and actionable things your audience can do in a day, a week, or a month. Your content needs to educate while also calling the viewer to action and compelling them to achieve a result with your knowledge.

Value can be three different things - inspiration, education or entertainment. It is completely okay to focus on only one, but if you could combine some of them you can achieve even better results. The content itself should always strive to bring something new to the table and actually contribute to the discussion rather than just aiming for growth.

Thought leadership is built on the foundation of providing valuable and insightful content. Develop video content that addresses key challenges, offers solutions, and provides a fresh perspective within your chosen niche. Share your experiences, expertise, and industry knowledge to establish credibility and showcase your thought leadership.

Creating valuable content is easier said than done. Valuable to who? That's a very subjective question. But prepare the things you want to say and the things you want to emphasise. You may be brilliant, but you've got to explain clearly what you think and repeat the main concepts for each video at the end.

Be yourself. Period. If you swear a lot and speak gruffly - do that. If you speak eloquently and in business terms - do that. Don't put on a show for your audience or become a character (unless that's part of your plan) be yourself. Be vulnerable. Share your failures. Share your successes. Share what you learned and when you learned it. Share how you applied your learnings to what you're doing next.

If you are going to be held up as a leader in the industry it is important to be authentic and not portray a false narrative to people that are trying to follow your example

Remember this is a journey for you as it is for your audience. So, keep working on your identity and how you relate to your audience then in time you will notice what makes you authentic and keep at it. Enjoy the journey of discovery.

Consistency is crucial in building thought leadership. Regularly publish high-quality video content to stay top-of-mind for your audience. Authenticity is equally important; share genuine experiences, opinions, and insights. Authenticity builds trust, and an authentic thought leader is more likely to resonate with and inspire their audience.

Well, it's easy to be consistent if you try, and a little bit harder to be authentic. To do that, you need quite a bit of practice in front of the camera. Get used to speaking to a wall, imagine someone you're talking to. Don't feel awkward or stupid, you become authentic little by little as you feel more at ease in front of a wall being as spontaneous and sincere as you can.

Creating valuable content is just the first step. Actively promote and distribute your videos across relevant platforms, including LinkedIn. Leverage SEO techniques to optimize video titles and descriptions for searchability. Share your content in relevant LinkedIn groups and communities to increase its reach and visibility.

Search engines love video. Spend some time thinking of great titles that correspond to what your target audience is searching. Make sure descriptions capture that information as well. Make it part of your content marketing strategy to retitle videos, edit descriptions, and add metadata –?all aligned to your SEO strategy.

As a first step, work with one social media, not all. It takes a while to see what messages or promos work the best. DO NOT EXPECT RESULTS!!!! Just because social media is free and in real time, doesn't mean people are seeing what you publish. You've got to convince the algorithm and you've got to get people to watch what you do. It takes time, maybe 3 months to a year, so stick with it. It's not a sprint, it's a long haul.

Collaborations are great for smaller and beginning creators. If you have a creator you want to collaborate with, do everything you can to make the content creation process easier for them. Pitch the idea, write scripts, offer to record, bring talent, etc. Whatever you can bring to the table to help bring the content creation to fruition.

The best video format for audience engagement is live streaming. Think of it as hosting an event where, instead of a broadcast, you get to host and moderate a conversation between you, your guests, and the audience. You can frequently prompt comments, post a poll or ask questions. Audience members can post their questions in the live chat. And then you can bring their questions on screen and you, and your guests, can respond to them directly. People love this kind of interactivity and is an excellent way to move viewers into becoming loyal fans of your brand.

Thought leaders don't just broadcast; they actively engage with their audience. Respond to comments, participate in discussions, and ask for feedback. This two-way interaction not only strengthens your community but also allows you to refine your ideas and perspectives based on audience input.

If ANYONE comments on your video, answer them. Even a double tap will give them a heart, which means you've seen them, recognized them. You don't have to agree with what they say, but avoid entering into conflict. Prople on-line are like people behind the wheel of a car... they become super aggressive and impolite. So learn to be a public figure and don't be offended when someone is aggressively negative towards you.

The landscape of thought leadership is dynamic, so it's crucial to stay informed about industry trends, emerging technologies, and evolving best practices. Continuously invest in your knowledge and skills to ensure that your video content remains relevant and valuable. Learning and adapting demonstrate a commitment to staying at the forefront of your field.

Once you've built an audience, begin engaging with them regularly to determine what they want to see from you next. Don't be shy, ask them for feedback via comments, surveys, emails, or whichever method of communication works best. A good audience will guide you towards the content that they want from you if you just take a moment to ask them, instead of telling them what they should want to learn.

Utilize videos to position yourself as a thought leader: - Universal Communication: Break language barriers, reach global audiences. - Visual Storytelling: Tell stories that support your ideas, making your content memorable. - Practical Demonstration: Showcase your expertise through tutorials and demonstrations, allowing the audience to see your skills in action. - Interactivity: Encourage engagement with Q&A sessions or collaborations, creating a closer connection. In summary, video enables you to communicate effectively, reach diverse audiences, and showcase your expertise in a compelling way, solidifying your thought leadership.