Do you run your own business and want to set yourself apart from your competitors? Do you want your future clients to see you as leading the way? Then it’s time to consider positioning your business, yourself and your services as industry leaders.
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 Lab.
Have you always fancied yourself to be a thought leader or subject matter expert but not quite ready to do that TED talk? Then here is a way to make that happen. This, by no means, is easy and you will need to invest in professional support. But the rewards will be endless, particularly if you are enthusiastic to grow your business.
Overall, your primary objective is to create trust and credibility. The three marketing suggestions below are all geared towards fostering this trust.
Thought leadership can create access to high-value decision makers. Almost half (47%) of C-suite executives said they have shared their contact information after reading thought leadership.
Below I’ve outlined a three phase thought leader marketing plan to ensure you are positioning yourself as a subject matter expert or your company is the “go to” in your industry.
Phase one: client case studies
I have broken this part of your thought leader marketing into four simple steps.
Step one
Collate and collect the data to write up some impressive client case studies.
Step two
Write and edit the case studies so they read well and contain the right storytelling element. My recommendation is to start with three to six. Make sure they feature on a dedicated page on your website, where people can find them. If you work with clients in various sectors, be sure to capture a range of ways you have successfully helped clients.
Step three
Pluck out testimonials from the case studies to splash across your website and design graphics to use across your social media channels. Remember: people love social proof.
Step four
Share your case studies far and wide. Include them in any tender material, quote and award submissions, digital marketing strategies and talk about them when you meet people.
Phase two: annual content strategy
Devise a complete annual or six month content strategy, tailored specifically for the needs and goals of your business.
Your twelve month content marketing strategy will provide overarching content goals, themes, ways to implement marketing activities to support the reach and promotion of the content and the content will be in alignment with SEO research and other analytical research to meet business goals and objectives in align with your overall strategic business plan.
A great content marketing strategy will undertake a website audit and look at and review the existing and potential challenges and provide practical recommendations to overcome them.
If you have a book or an ebook or are planning to write one this is the perfect phase to include it in and start promoting it. Here’s why you should write (or get someone to ghost write) a book if you are an entrepreneur.
Phase three: public relations campaign
The third phase focusses on spreading your message far and wide via the media. Having a third party confirm your leadership, especially the media, boosts your credibility and encourages people to believe that you are as you say you are. PR makes the perfect complement to all your digital marketing efforts.
A traditional statewide and national public relations campaign to position the business owner or senior executives as thought leaders and industry experts, whilst concurrently positioning your organisation as the “go to” business for the core services that you offer. If you service overseas clients, you might like to consider an international public relations campaign too.
So that’s your three phase plan to position yourself or your business a leader in your field. With these three key marketing activities you are ensuring that when people think of your industry, your brand name is at the forefront of their mind.
