Do you want your brand to become associated with innovation, experience and creativity? We thought so. After all, it can lead to industry recognition, respect and a multitude of opportunities.
However, establishing yourself as a thought leader will be not be easy. It will require you to refine your brand, develop your skills and expand your professional network. However, if you are willing to work for it, you might become a recognizable, respected leader both inside and outside of the industry. Heres a few steps you can utilize on your way to becoming a Leader:
1.Refine Your Personal Brand Profiles
Social media plays a significant part in modern business, which is why it is so important to refine your online profiles. For example, you should restructure your personal and company brand’s LinkedIn or Twitter profiles to detail your as many industry accomplishments, experience and credentials. Thing to think about when refine your brand profiles:
- Make sure you have already defined your brand before your promote
- Make sure you have a specialty and focus
- Make your presence known online via popular social media
2.Write a Blog and work with mentors and influencers
If you want to become a thought leader, you will need to share your thoughts online. Therefore, you should write a blog that offers tips, advice, opinions and stories that will inform, entertain and inspire your audience.
We strongly recommend writing at least 30 informative blog posts before you begin promoting online. Once you have a blog archive, you can start heavily promoting your articles across many social media channels to attract readers and gain brand intrigue.
- Find a content management system or cms for your blog
- Find a topic that you have passion for
- Learning from others in the industry
Mentors and advisors have been there. They’ve struggled through the same trenches that you’re battling your way through now. Make it a habit to reach out to successful people and offer them your help, with no expectation of anything in return.
- Identify someone that you want to learn from
- Brainstorm a way you can add value to them
- Email them and deliver value for free
Related: 5 Reasons Why Mentorships Help Attorneys Advance Their Careers
3.Publish and Engage with Followers
Many people may like to share their own opinions on your blog topics, or simply want to congratulate you on a great article. You must engage with your readers if you want them to return time and again. So, say thank you when someone wishes you well done, aim to consider someone’s point of view when they share their opinions and answer a person’s question when they ask for your help.
- Be the first to break the news
- Ask and answer questions when every possible
- Be generous, promote your content to others
4.Publish and Grow Your Followers
Not only must you engage with your existing followers, but you should also engage with potential followers, too. So, communicate with people on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn by asking your own questions, saying well done on well-written articles and direct message industry associates.
If you are embarking with video marketing (which you should be), you might be finding it difficult to obtain a considerable amount of YouTube subscribers, because you are also competing against millions of videos every day. You could, therefore, take the easy road and buy real followers to boost your online integrity and profile – as members are more likely to sign up if you have a strong social media following because they will not want to miss out on the next viral video.
- Try to post consistently (at least once a day)
- Study and find popular quality hashtags
- Ask your followers to “tag a friend”
5.Innovate
You will only become a thought leader if you can inspire innovation in your industry. A brand must, therefore, look towards the future to provide predictions and do something completely different to its competitors. What’s more, a thought leader will comment on their journey and successes – and any mistakes made along the way that people can learn from in the future. It is important to drive change every day, or you will fail to become an authority in your field.
Do you have anything we have forgotten, please comment below: