When Joel Kurtzman coined the term ‘Thought leadership’ in 1994, he might not have anticipated how it has been used to denote a varied range of businesses and entrepreneurs around the world. Mr. Kurtzman defines the term in a way that makes a thought leader a person who has ideas that ‘merit attention’ from people. However, as much as the term ‘Thought Leadership’ has been used by the people, it primarily denotes the most ‘popular’ or ‘revolutionalized’ ideas from certain people (or businesses).
Who is a Thought leader?
As Dorie Clark, strategist consultant for Google, Yale University, puts it, “A thought leader is someone who looks at the future and sets a course for it that others will follow.” You can see a raw and incredible example of thought leadership here – Kiran Bedi, who became the first female in India to join the Indian Police Services back in 1972. She had envisioned the idea of bringing prison reforms, mainly by making the inmates self-reliant and skillful. While posted as the IG of Delhi prisons, she introduced several reforms in the Tihar jail that revolutionalized the lives of several people, inspiring others and transforming a visionary thought into a reality.
For the sake of understanding the concept, another thought leadership example could be John F. Kennedy, who became the epitome of a thought leader in 1960 when he came up with the idea of enabling human beings to walk on the moon. To fulfill his vision, he had set a defined course, established new industries, derived a workforce, and let people follow the course to make the idea a reality.
While there are numerous examples of thought leadership, it is indeed challenging to become one. It doesn’t only takes a thoughtful or revolutionalizing idea to be eligible to come in the category of thought leaders, but also consistent efforts to set a course, devising methodologies and mechanisms to make the idea a reality. It must demonstrate your expertise in the field and willingness to work towards putting that knowledge and expertise to good use. People not only love thought leaders but follow their paths and visions, get inspired, and strive toward excellence. If you tick all the boxes of this checklist, nothing stops you from becoming a thought leader.
What does it take to become a Thought Leader in the 21st century?
Thought leaders are undoubtedly the experts in their fields who have formed well-informed opinions and are determined to work on them. But what is the determining factor for calling a person or a company a thought leader? To be considered a recognized thought leader takes time, skill, and tenacity. Ratan Tata, a great thought leader, did not become a thought leader overnight. He started with an idea and spent years refining it. He built a business that grew steadily in success over time. At that point, he was able to take on a thought leadership role and use his story to inspire others.
Today, to become a thought leader, you’ll need more than just a social media presence. You’ll need to show that you’ve got the necessary experience. Content marketing is one of the best tools of this century to become a thought leader that has influential potent. Becoming a thought leader would require you to begin research and development in your current field. You can start by writing informative and engaging articles and sharing them with the readers to gain feedback, build an authentic social media following, and gradually establish yourself as an expert.
Following The Social Media Content Marketing Trend
Gone are the days when thought leaders used to only spread their word (or ideas) through print or electronic media. In some cases, people got to know about their vision becoming a reality only after the latter came into the limelight. However, after the emergence of social media, the whole idea of communications and marketing underwent immense reformation.
In this era, becoming one of the best thought leadership icons requires you to use content marketing, social media, and other methods to convey your ideas and increase influence. In a nutshell, thought leadership is innovative thinking rich in information and insight. Thought leaders nowadays use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter to set a course for their idealized thoughts. They’re popular among people because they’re driven to push people’s minds to their limits, encouraging and even daring them to think deeply and differently.
How to devise an apt thought leadership strategy?
It takes a lot of dedication, hard work, and time to establish yourself as a trusted figure in any field. Thought leaders are constantly honing their skills and increasing their credibility, especially on social media platforms, to influence people to follow their great ideas.
As you develop your thought leadership career (either as an individual or a company), consider the following thought leadership principles and best practices of today’s successful thought leaders and endeavor to incorporate them into your strategies. Also, you can take inspiration from the thought leadership examples provided after each point.
Describe your area of expertise in detail
Clearly, defining your niche can aid in the development of your brand, the establishment of credibility in your field, and the elevation of your profile. For example, a content marketing company focuses solely on what it can deliver best—content—and brings novel ideas to the customers, helping clients to generate unique content and build marketing strategies as a result of the industry clout.
Thought leadership example: Check REI’s website to know how blog posts can be curated by experts and serve the needs of consumers.
Focus on the consumers’ needs
You can reach a larger audience by focusing on consumer accessibility and merging digital and physical spaces. Influencing people who want to expand their knowledge and occupy the digital space surrounding your products and services is a good idea to implement. You can start a blog on your website and generate informative and valuable content that your audience would consider ‘wise’ to follow.
Thought leadership example: Delloite’s research page that provides researched insights on consumer trends and needs.
Begin a conversation
Well, social media platforms are all about sharing your opinion, stories, and ideas to reach the masses. Contribute to starting a conversation on themes relevant to your industry. Understanding innovation, identifying with your audience, and providing insight, guidance, and encouragement to build trust are the traits that would make you a thought leader. This will assist you in developing a community conversation while also adding value to the community by bringing a fresh perspective (your perspective) to the conversation in a personalized manner.
Thought leadership example: Marie Forleo’s web series ‘MarieTV’ does a great job of creating unique and engaging content. She engages her audience in a conversation and provides insights into the most common questions.
Stay abreast of the current ‘trends’
The best thought leaders stay up to date on what’s going on in their fields regularly. This allows them to recognize and analyze market patterns and trends, leading to new strategies for achieving business goals. Following the latest industry news can also provide unique insights that a business leader can apply to the company’s benefit.
Thought leadership example: IBM posts unique and informative content on their website’s blog that follows the latest technology and innovation trends.
Is Thought Leadership Marketing a reality?
Thought leadership marketing is a type of marketing that aims to establish you as an industry expert and authority in the defined industry. The objective of thought leadership marketing is to provide an entry point to your business by branding yourself as an expert rather than creating sales-heavy content.
Your efforts to share your knowledge with your audience position you as a thought leader over time. Numerous thought leadership examples can inspire you to be one among them. Consider whether your company serves the general public or a specific group of people when developing content for your thought leadership marketing platform. It’s crucial to consider your audience first to create thought leadership content that is most beneficial to them. It goes without saying that knowing your audience makes providing authentic, effective guidance and assistance to them infinitely easier.
It’s not about selling right away when it comes to thought leadership. It’s all about allowing people to walk into your brand and look around. Your audience must know who you are before they feel comfortable giving you their hard-earned money, and this includes everything from your company culture to your social media engagement. That takes time and trust, as well as demonstrating value in their lives, i.e., convincing them that their investment is worthwhile.
