CEO - as Chief Thought Leader
Thought Leadership as Branding Strategy
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Thought leadership?is the ability to influence an industry. ... When a?thought leader?speaks, people sit up and take notice.?Thought leaders?challenge the status quo, and begin powerful trends that others follow. Through their content and presence they command authority on industry-related topics
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We're entering a new era of consumer and industry engagement that focuses on company leadership. Within a dynamic industry landscape, CEO's across all verticals are stepping up to become the driving market force behind their brand, openly advocating for their company's values, culture, and intellectual capital. Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos – and there are growing list of rock star C-level execs in this new era.
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The?purpose?behind?thought leadership?content goes beyond brand awareness. It?aims?to establish richer, more meaningful relationships with the people you're trying to reach. According to Daniel Rasmus,?thought leadership?should “intrigue, challenge, and inspire even people already familiar with a company.
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What is a thought leader?
Thought leaders are the informed opinion leaders and the go-to people in their field of expertise. They are trusted sources who move and inspire people with innovative ideas; turn ideas into reality, and know and show how to replicate their success.
Thought leadership leads to?exposure for your ideas?both inside and outside your company – particularly with journalists, analysts, event organizers and conference hosts. It will give you?access?to people who can help you make things happen - leaders in your organization or community; innovators in your profession or industry.
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Define goals and align with strategy
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Thought leadership goals often reflect aspiration and ambition. They can be as lofty as increasing stock price, to creating upticks in perceptions about innovation or brand trust.
In order to select the best goals, thought leadership strategy should align with business strategy. If an organization wants to be known for shipping innovative products, it should first of all?ship innovative products. Then it should tell the story about that innovation. If an organization wants to be known as the best Internet of Things supplier it should offer products that work and share a market vision that gives shape to the nascent market and helps customers see them in the future.
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What Are the Basics of a Thought Leadership Strategy?
The goal of a thought leadership strategy is to raise visibility, increase credibility, and build trust. This is achieved through a number of means including publishing advice and guidance, sharing strategic visions for the market, your products and your customers, and aligning vision with the strategy to demonstrate its credibility.
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5 Pillars of a Thought Leadership Strategy for Business Leaders.
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Follow these five pillars of thought leadership strategy to create high-quality, value-driven content for your audience that will not only expand your brand recognition but generates leads.?
1. Message: Hone It
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There’s so much that you bring to the table, from your personal experiences to your professional resume—and bringing those two together to share a message only you could share, is key. Don’t repeat what others are saying, or be afraid to dive deep into a topic and offer your genuine insights. Step into your most unique message to create thought leadership content that resonates and has an impact.
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2. Mediums: Find your Outlets?
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Where does your audience live? Typically, guest blog posts and contributed articles are the most popular types of thought leadership content. However, don’t be closed off to other outlets that can help you reach your target audience. Here are a few options to consider.
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3. Consistency: Outreach Regularly
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·???????? To achieve consistent placements, you need to actively be doing outreach. It’s up to you to get responses, nurture those relationships, and then seek out new ones so you’re continually reaching new audiences.
4. Sharing: Once Featured, Promote It
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·???????? Once your article is featured, make sure to share it with your network via social media. I keep a running spreadsheet of all my published thought leadership articles. I promote each piece on social media several times. Not only does this show that I’m sharing my knowledge with well-known brands, but it helps fill up my social media calendar.?
5. Reflection: What’s working and what’s not.
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·???????? Just like any content marketing effort, you need to look at available metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess your effectiveness. Each month, just as you would gather your website or social media analytics, audit your thought leadership performance. A few benchmarks to look at include: Comments, “claps,” etc; Social engagement; Editorial feedback and Traffic
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The Benefits of a Thought Leadership Strategy.
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Thought leadership is a lot more than a white paper and delivers a number of benefits to the organization, including:
·???????? Create context for market plans and decisions.?
·???????? Build influence.
·???????? Increase earned PR opportunities.??
·???????? Develop sales.?
·???????? Build awareness for recruiting.??
·???????? ?Networking.?
·???????? Expands market perceptions.?
·???????? ?Demonstrates compassion.?
The best measurement for thought leadership is the shift from push to pull.
Early in the strategy, organizations publish, market webinars, send out PR announcements about research and try to generate buzz with social media. They also fill out speech request forms for conferences or buy sponsorships to ensure a speaking slot. If thought leadership works, then the requests start coming in for talks, quotes, placed articles in trade journals/web sites and other activities. When an organization gets recognized as a thought leader, the individuals and the organization start getting requests for deeper or broader conversations. The market pulls the organization into its dialog rather than the organization trying to push its messages into the conversation.
Your CEO’s “inner thought leader” is waiting to come out. Your company needs it to come out. So…what are you waiting for?
Optimizing logistics and transportation with a passion for excellence | Building Ecosystem for Logistics Industry | Analytics-driven Logistics
3 个月What steps can one take to establish themselves as a thought leader and gain access to influential individuals in their industry?
756k+ Instagram Views | 1m+ Impressions | Social Media Manager | I help busy founders create their brands that 10x their company growth
3 个月Sharing your unique perspective and expertise can help establish you as a thought leader in your field. This can lead to valuable connections and opportunities, both within and outside of your organization. Keep up the great work! #thoughtleader #leadershipstrategy?