The Art of Thought Leadership

Perhaps you’ve heard that thought leadership is a great way to grow your personal brand and get more business. Maybe a content marketing agency has pitched thought leadership to you as a strategy. (Maybe it was us!)

Well, there’s a good reason for all of that. Thought leadership is just what it sounds like: People want to follow you for your great ideas and insights!

Easier said than done, right? We get it — it’s hard to put yourself out there. It’s not enough to put on your thinking cap. Even if you have good ideas, no one will hear you if you’re alone in the woods. (And we don’t recommend doing your marketing out there.) Thought leadership is two-fold: (1) innovative thinking and (2) motivating others with those ideas.

In this blog, we’ll explore the nature of thought leadership and how to build your personal brand with your great ideas. Read on to learn the tactics of thought leadership, how to create thought leader content, and why you should care.

What is a thought leader?

We define a thought leader as:

“A known business or individual who has distinct credibility in their industry with the authentic ability to help move an audience.”

Let’s break this down:

“Known”: You don’t have to be TMZ-level famous to be known. It counts if you’re well-known in your local community.

“Distinct credibility”: You know what you’re talking about and other people trust you for it. Your reputation is unique to your expertise.

“Authentic”: This might be the most important part. Thought leaders are honest, creative, and honest about how they’re creative. No copycats here!

“Move an audience:” As John C. Maxwell says, a leader is one who motivates others to do things. They show the way and inspire others to take it; they don’t just tell them what to do. Even the world’s greatest expert isn’t a leader if they’re missing this key characteristic. 

Why does thought leadership matter?

“Okay, I get it,” you say. “Well, I don’t know if I’m a thought leader (yet), and isn’t it just enough to know what I’m doing? Can’t I just run ads like a normal person?”

Well, sure, but consider this: our increasingly globalized world is flooded with content, much of it sales-y. They’re even adding ads to Netflix and Prime Video. And people don’t like it — especially when it’s the same crap over and over again. 

Thought leadership content can be a breath of fresh air. As long as your ideas are, you know, fresh. But we’ll get to that.

Here’s how thought leadership content can benefit your brand:

Increase consumer trust and customer loyalty 

Thought leadership isn’t about making sales, but it may boost them in the long run. Perhaps you’ve heard of the “Know–Like–Trust” marketing framework. Once people get to know and like you, they’re more likely to trust you — and, therefore, more likely to spend their hard-earned money on you.

Prove you have interesting and helpful things to say, and you’re that much closer to being trusted. In one study by Edelman and LinkedIn, 53 percent of decision-makers increased the amount of business they did with a brand after reading its thought leadership content (PDF).

For example, Neil Patel is one of the top thought leaders in the world of digital marketing. His books, blog, and social media content earned him a stellar reputation. He’s now a business consultant who’s acquired major tools such as Answer the Public and Ubersuggest. Neil can attribute his success to his approachable, forward-thinking personal brand, which he maintains through speaking engagements around the globe. 

“I think knowledge is the one thing in this world that is really priceless. The more I learn, the better off my businesses are going to do.”

– Neil Patel

Fun fact: Neil Patel spends about $30,000 on each of his ultra-detailed digital marketing guides, all of which are freely available on his site. Rather than trying to profit from his thought leadership content, he considers it an investment in his personal brand — and that helps him book well-paying speaking events and consulting gigs! It also brings attention to Ubersuggest and Answer the Public, both of which offer paid service plans. 

Improve your brand’s credibility

The marketing world has been invaded by bad players: unscrupulous companies making claims they can’t fulfill. Scammers masquerading as legit service providers. MLMs recruiting salespeople with promises of gold Corvettes, Bahamas vacations, and a date with Henry Cavill. 

This has made consumers very skeptical of anything they see online. At first glance, it’s hard to distinguish between scam ads and real opportunities. Sometimes, scammers end up looking more legit because all they’re doing is advertising. Meanwhile, talented companies are too busy to make spiffy ads!

So, thought leadership content can demonstrate credibility and show that there’s a real person behind the sales talk. 

Position your company, product, or service as an innovator

What really makes your brand and offering special? Have you invented — or reinvented — something? How do you creatively solve problems?

People are curious by nature. Tap into that curiosity. Show them how your way is unique. More importantly, show them how that uniqueness benefits them. 

Break through the competitive noise 

Let’s be honest: the vast majority of brands don’t use thought leadership. They don’t even use content marketing to attract people to their brands. It may sound counterintuitive, but you can set yourself apart from competitors by declining to compete. Rather than race to the bottom for the perfect pay-per-click keyword, see how you can capture people’s attention in a different way. (This isn’t to say that paid ads aren’t helpful. But sometimes, the best way to get ahead is on the road less traveled.)

That Edelman and LinkedIn study found that 48% percent of respondents purchased from a company after reading their thought leadership content (PDF). Not too shabby!

Improve your SEO profile

Gone are the days when you could toss a few great keywords into your blog and get those sweet clicks. Google, in their infinite wisdom, figured out that some people were gaming the system. They’d already started penalizing websites for black-hat techniques such as cloaking (i.e., hiding keywords by putting them in white text on a white background). But folks were still churning out articles that were little more than keyword fluff. Often, they’d plagiarize other high-ranking articles to do it. (Shame on them!)

In August 2022, Google made sweeping changes to its algorithm in what they called the Helpful Content Update. They said this was “part of a broader effort to ensure people see more original, helpful content written by people, for people, in search results.” To determine whether your content fits the bill, they recommend asking yourself:

• Would your target audience find the content useful? 
• Does the content “clearly demonstrate first-hand experience depth and of knowledge”?

Google reiterates that SEO should be secondary to creating people-first content. Focus on your key messages and providing value rather than worrying about the search engine bots — and Google will do the rest.

As a thought leader, you’re ahead of the game! Turn your expertise into valuable content, then make sure you’ve got some popular keywords. Google will help your people find you. Thought leadership and a good content marketing strategy go hand in hand.

What is a thought leader vs. an influencer?

At first glance, thought leaders may seem a lot like influencers. Both tend to have good social media followings; people want to hear what they have to say. Many brands hire influencers to promote their products. It’s the middle ground between a theatre student acting in a commercial and Jennifer Aniston being Aveeno’s spokeswoman. 

But the difference lies in the word itself: Influencers, well, influence. They’re not showing their expertise in a field or generating new ideas. They’re using their social caché to promote someone else’s brand. That’s totally valid, but thought leaders leverage their knowledge to grow their own community. 

Consider this, too: Influencers and spokespeople typically don’t work in the field they’re endorsing. For example, an activewear company may approach a well-known athlete to promote their brand. A thought leader would be the owner of the company who shares their unique instincts into what makes activewear effective/sustainable/attractive/etc. They’re recognized for their expertise in their field.

There’s an important lesson in this difference. People feel constantly sold to, all day every day. They know that their favorite influencer’s gushing endorsement is a sales pitch in disguise.

Your thought leadership content should NOT seem like that. In fact, you might not even mention your company at all. Let your ideas shine and your business take a backseat.

The 3 types of thought leaders

Now that we know what we’re talking about, let’s decide what kind of thought leader you can be! Expertise can take many forms. Are you like Neil Patel, who can geek out on a subject and help newbies understand it? Or bestselling author, Dr. Brené Brown, whose values of self-acceptance drive her empowering TED Talks? Or more like Ryan Reynolds, who uses his quirky self-effacing humor (we can relate) to pitch his low-cost, no-contract cell service, Mint Mobile? 

Industry thought leaders give an expert, often nuanced perspective on their field’s news and trends. They do more than rehash headlines: they help their audience gain helpful insights and apply them to their lives. Or like Brené Brown, they offer a broader vision and values to empower people across industries. 

Organizational thought leaders bring a unique vision and ethos to their companies. They help their customers realize those key values, both by listening to their ideas and using their products. Consider how Steve Jobs leveraged his vision for Apple to launch the personal-computer revolution. 

Product thought leaders like Ryan Reynolds focus on being the best solution for their customers. They seek to bridge gaps, fix problems, and perhaps even shake up their industry with powerful new ideas.

Figured out which type of thought leader you want to be? Don’t feel beholden to one or the other. For example, Steve Jobs was arguably both an organizational and a product-oriented thought leader. 

How to establish thought leadership

Now that you have an idea of your thought leader personality, you can start building it. Like any recognizable brand, thought leadership comes with time and effort. Remember, you’re shaping how other people perceive you. With that in mind, here’s how to build your thought leadership strategy:

Be Specific:

Who do you want to reach? No one can be an expert to everyone. Even if you’re widely regarded as a thought leader, your content simply won’t resonate with everyone. As with marketing, don’t cast a wide net. Ask yourself, who would really love to hear my ideas? Who would be willing to sit and listen to me talk about them for an hour? 

Be Smart: 

Thought leaders are thought provokers. Don’t just put out “information” or share the latest fancy white paper that came out. All that proves is that you can read. Share your thoughts on it. Explain why it matters to you — and, more importantly, why it matters to your audience. Does it bring up any burning questions? Does it fly in the face of the status quo? Boldness is a vital quality for thought leaders! Remember, when teenage Steve Jobs showed a prototype Apple computer to a Stanford engineer, he was told, “You’ve got to be joking.” This didn’t deter Jobs, who relentlessly pursued investors and debuted the world’s first fully assembled personal computer, the Apple II, at age 22.

Be Connected:

If a tree falls in the forest and no one’s around to hear it, does it make a sound? Arguably not, because those vibrations only become “sound” in someone’s ear. It’s the same for thought leadership. You can write the most brilliant content on your laptop, but it has no impact if no one reads it.

So, get out there! Make connections. Find people who want to talk to you. And listen to what they’re saying, too. Leadership is ultimately a form of conversation. If you want it, you start it.

Thought Leadership Tactics

As mentioned, thought leadership content should never be sales-y. The goal is to show you know your stuff. So, save the whitepaper for purchase and your lead magnets for other campaigns. Thought leadership content should be freely available, with no commitment expected from the reader except time.

Here’s where you can publish your brilliant ideas:

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is like Facebook’s more professional cousin. It’s where you can share articles, videos, and other content about your industry, the working world, the latest issue with Slack, and so on.

LinkedIn boasts more than 300 million monthly active users. More than half are between the ages of 25 and 34 (58.4%). About 63% of LinkedIn users access the network weekly, and 22% daily.

It’s worth noting that everyone and their mother try to establish thought leadership on LinkedIn. You see a lot of people hopping on trends and writing buzzword-filled posts. Don’t do that. Be authentic. As the adage goes, write what you know. If it happens to align with a trending topic, great! But your first priority should always be providing value to your ideal audience. They want to hear from you no matter what the hashtag of the day is.

Blogging

A blog is a great way to post timely responses and articles as well as “evergreen” content. You can blog on your website, or use any of these self-publishing platforms that could extend your reach:

• LinkedIn (see above)
• Medium
• Vocal
• Substack 

Web Content

In addition to blogging, make sure your website puts your best face forward. Take down those “Lost” fan theories and publish your in-depth industry guide. That’s how Neil Patel staked his territory in the world of SEO.

For example, let’s say you’re an aspiring thought leader in smart-home automation. Your website could feature your research on smart-device trends, walkthroughs for popular brands, and so on.

YouTube

People loooove video content; it’s an easy way to hear cool people’s ideas and insights. If you haven’t (yet) been booked for a TED Talk, YouTube is an awesome first step.

YouTube has an incredible 27 billion monthly active users. Videos’ highest reach is for people aged 15-35, and most people spend about 30 minutes on YouTube at a time. This means that unlike on social media, YouTube is where you can go more in-depth and truly show off your expertise.

Publish tutorials or how-tos, give a video demo of your product, take people behind the scenes of your industry, create a mini-documentary about a key topic…the possibilities are endless!

Speaking Engagements

Last but not certainly not least, you can give a talk or presentation with your expertise. This is your moment to truly captivate people’s attention and motivate them toward a brighter future. All of the thought leaders we’ve mentioned in this blog are known for being great speakers. It’s a skill that takes some time to refine, but well worth it!

Consider where you could book a speaking engagement:

• Conferences or conventions for your industry or related industries
• Professional meetups and networking events
• Fundraisers and galas
• TED Talks and other topic-driven conferences
• Commencement ceremonies
• Guest lectures at educational institutions

Do some research to see which events tend to book speakers from your industry. What gaps can you fill in? Which topics can you dig into? Where can shed a new, unique light?

(Psst — if public speaking gives you hives, we offer coaching to help you shake off the nerves!)

Go forth and lead!

Phew, you made it to the end! We knew you had it in you. You’ve got the grit, patience, and creativity you need to be a thought leader. What are you waiting for? Start making some awesome content. 

And if you need us, we’re here to help you build your thought leadership strategy. Reach out any time.