Thought leadership has been a bit of a buzzword lately, but there's a good reason for it. Thought leadership is a way of promoting yourself as a leader or a brand by showing your expertise in a certain area. Think about it, if you were looking to make a purchase from a brand, would you choose the brand that can barely explain the product and why it’s going to help you or would you want to purchase from the brand that offers a thorough explanation of the product and the supporting evidence presented by themselves or someone who’s an expert in their field?

Thought leadership is something that takes time to grow and attain, so there is a method to growing your brand’s thought leadership strategies. Interested in learning more? Keep reading to learn what our industry experts have to say about implementing some different thought leadership strategies and methods for the benefit of your brand.

Marketing managers have probably recited this phrase in their sleep, and for good reason. Target research is important in understanding marketing goals, and thought leadership actually is a form of marketing. It’s a way that you’re setting yourself apart from the competition. Because of this, an understanding of your target audience and their preferences will help you develop your thought leadership strategies in a more 

“Understanding your audience for marketing purposes has already probably been a goal for your marketing team,” says Riley Burke, Growth Marketing Manager at Ohza. “Have a conversation with your marketing lead to learn what they know. They may be your best resource as you set a goal for thought leadership within your organization because they may already have the research and the resources to find the information you need.”

“Target research affects everything, so it’s no surprise that thought leadership strategies and target research are linked,” says Zach Letter, CEO of Wonder Works. “Look into what draws your target audience to your brand and evaluate if that’s what you want to be known for. Surveys, research, and focus groups are just some strategies you can use to study the potential areas of focus for your thought leadership strategy.”

Knowing how to explain your story, passions, research, and expertise is going to be important because you need to have others support your expertise. Finding sources to feature you and verify your knowledge excellence is one of the first big steps in becoming a thought leader within your industry. 

“Asking another brand or a news outlet of some form to feature you and your expertise can be intimidating but it goes a long way as a method of establishing yourself as a thought leader in your field,” says Matt Miller, Founder and CEO of Embroker. “You don’t have to jump straight to national news coverage. You can start small with local sources or influencers on social media to get the word out about your brand and the thought leadership you possess.”

“Featured posts and articles that show your expertise act like a reference when potential consumers look up your brand,” says John Berry, CEO and Managing Partner at Berry Law. “Look at how you can reach your target audience through other mediums by requesting to be featured on a variety of places to spread awareness of your brand but also to show your experience, expertise, and professionalism.”

Look into opportunities where you could share your expertise with others on a large scale through a speech or presentation. Today, these types of events take place virtually and in person so there are even more opportunities for you to share your expertise. Explore the possibility of being a featured speaker at a conference, panel, or convention within your field or during an event that is going to draw in a lot of your target audience.

“Speaking engagements are usually not our favorite thing to do, but as thought leaders we need to be out on the front lines representing ourselves well,” says Selom Agbitor, Co-Founder of Mad Rabbit. “Jumping into the spotlight and sharing your knowledge with everyone gives a face and personality to your brand while also allowing them to see the importance of why you’re passionate about your product or service.”

“While social media has a great impact, sometimes a good old fashioned presentation is the best way to reach your audience,” says Lori Price, Founder of PixieLane. “Practice pitching your product in a speech format so you can take that expertise to a speaking engagement and draw more people in. There is often time to meet people or answer questions after speaking engagements, which is a great opportunity to learn what you’re not answering in your presentation and you can grow before the next speaking engagement.”

This seems obvious given the title of the article, but as you are growing your expertise and presenting your information to others, you may find opportunities for growth that might be intimidating. There might even be situations that make you question why you’re pursuing the idea of being a thought leader in the first place. Don’t give up! Look at each challenge or setback as a chance to grow and become even more knowledgeable about your industry.

“Growth doesn’t always happen without setbacks,” says Max Schwartzapfel, CMO of Fighting For You. “There is a level of humility required for thought leaders if they want to remain leaders in their industry. New information, technology, and theories can derail your marketing campaigns and thought leader credibility. Knowing how to admit you were wrong or change your methods and strategies can take a lot of grit and perseverance but ultimately will help you in learning more about your field.”

“There’s a difference between being a thought leader and being someone that knows a lot about your industry. A thought leader has to stay ahead of the crowd,” says Elliot Schwarcz, CEO of Becca's Home. “This means that continuous growth is required through further education, research, development, and more. It’s not abnormal to feel pressured or overwhelmed by the amount of information you have to keep up with as a thought leader. Remind yourself of the end goal and your reason for starting this pursuit in the first place when you feel like motivation is lacking.”

While you’re probably already leveraging social media to promote your brand as a whole, it’s a great idea to also create a campaign that advertises your thought leadership through strategic planning and information sharing. Let people know what you’re learning and how you’re reaching for greatness through your research and thought leadership strategies.

“Social media is one of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal,” says Jason Wong, CEO of Building Blocks. “We use it to promote every other aspect of our brands, so why wouldn’t we use it to show others our expertise? Share information about the knowledge you’ve learned and start to set yourself apart from competitors who are solely advertising their products and services.”

“Using social media campaigns to inform your audience about your thought leadership experience can lead to more followers, more impact, and a more influential position overall,” says Michael Hennessy, Founder and CEO of Diathrive. “Use your current leverage and maximize the impact that you can have with your thought leadership strategies by sharing things with your current audience.”

Thought leadership strategies are great ways to advance your brand into the spotlight for their expertise and knowledge about your industry. There are many ways to go about becoming a thought leader, but ultimately you want to reach as many people in your target audience as possible with the knowledge that you have.

Start with social media and speaking engagements. Both of these platforms allow for very different absorption of the information by your consumers and they allow you to get the message out about your knowledge and your product or service. 

Taking advantage of your preexisting social media audience is a great way to start letting your current customers know that you’re advancing your knowledge by sharing things that you know they’ll find interesting because of your target market research. 

Remember that growth is required to maintain a position of thought leadership in your industry. Don’t be afraid of change, growth, or failure but learn how to navigate these waters with professionalism.