Syed Balkhi — November 1, 2019 Whether you run your own business or you want to advance your career, presenting yourself as an expert in your industry is important. But it’s not enough to tell potential customers or employers that you’re an expert—you have to show it.
Thought leaders are “go-to-people” in their field of expertise, often asked to speak at public events or host webinars to share their insights. It’s hard to get speaking engagements right off the bat though. To work up to that level, you need to start demonstrating your thought leadership online.
Here are 4 easy ways to demonstrate thought leadership.
1. Be active on social media.
One of the easiest ways to demonstrate thought leadership is by being active on social media. On social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, you can connect with your ideal customers or people in your industry and share content with them via posts or tweets. You can even share other thought leaders’ content. For instance, if you see a great article on Business 2 Community that’s relevant to your industry, you can simply share it or retweet it.
Just remember to create a professional social media profile. You don’t want to use your personal Twitter account to promote your thought leadership while sharing memes at the same time. Keep your professional and personal social media accounts separate.
2. Share advice on Quora.
Aside from social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn, have you ever considered creating an account on Quora? Quora is a question-and-answer website where users can ask questions about various topics and other users can provide their answers and opinions. Anyone can join Quora and start answering questions so as you can see, this platform is another easy way to demonstrate your thought leadership.
Start by creating a free account with Quora and completing your Quora profile including a profile image and a short, engaging bio. Then, you can search Quora for questions related to your industry. For instance, if you’re in the health and fitness industry, search for the keyword “fitness” to find relevant questions you can answer. Be sure to be as helpful as you can in your answers and include a link to your website or social media profile. The more valuable answers you give on Quora, the more attention and traffic you can get to your other online profiles.
3. Start a blog.
Blogging is one of the best ways to demonstrate your thought leadership, promote your brand, and drive traffic to your website. In fact, according to SEO Tribunal, blogs can increase website traffic by up to 6X. Since blog posts are typically long-form articles, they can be a bit intimidating for beginners. But, don’t worry, you can write an awesome blog post with just a bit of practice.
First, brainstorm some blog post ideas that you think your audience would be interested in. One of the easiest types of blog posts you can write is a listicle. Plus, people love them because they’re so easy to read. For instance, if you’re a social media marketer you can write a blog post titled “10 Best Tools for Social Media Marketers” where you share your picks for the top social media tools. With a useful, engaging blog you can easily demonstrate your thought leadership and get more eyes on your professional website.
4. Use video.
Video is one of the most popular forms of content on the internet, so why not use it to demonstrate your thought leadership? Today it’s easier than ever to create a quality online video. All you have to do is bust out your smartphone and start filming. You can film yourself sharing tips and advice or you can vlog a day in your life to give viewers a sneak peek behind-the-scenes. Then, simply upload the video on YouTube and share it on your social media platforms. So, there’s no excuse not to use video to promote your personal or business brand.
Don’t forget about live video too. Live video lets people interact with you in real-time. So, it’s a great way to build a relationship with your audience and let people really get to know you. For instance, you can do an Instagram Live Q&A where your audience can ask you questions. Not only is this a perfect way to demonstrate your thought leadership, but if you own a business, live video is also a great way to increase customer engagement as well.
Over to you.
Even if you’re early in your career or you just started your business, with these tips you can become a thought leader in your industry in no time at all. Keeping all of your knowledge to yourself can only benefit you so much. But when you share it with the world, your career can reach new heights that you never expected.
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