It's one of the new marketing buzzwords: thought leadership. So that it doesn't just remain an empty word, we'll now explain how you can position yourself as a thought leader and use the whole thing for your PR strategy. But before we start, we should briefly clarify what is meant by it, so that we are on the same denominator.
Thought leadership means being an opinion leader and at the same time having a particularly high level of expertise in a specific area.
Read correctly. The term "leader" is already included in this word. Because a leader is defined by his followers, and that's what matters. Just because you're an expert in your field doesn't make you a thought leader. You need a community that believes and is convinced by you.
Examples of thought leaders are Elon Musk with Tesla or SpaceX and Steve Jobs with Apple. There are various prerequisites for becoming a thought leader. One of them is certainly vision, the other is your own personality. It's not about pleasing everyone. It is much more important to be authentic, to show your own personality with rough edges and to stand up for your cause.
Stop. Short break at this point. When we talk about influencers, we mean the word in its original form. If you now think of fitness exercises with Pamela Reif as a comparison, you won't understand the next paragraph.
As already indicated, it is important that the person you want to place as a thought leader for your startup, for example, is also capable of being one. This is because the candidate should be willing to act like an influencer. That means being qualified as a speaker and for panel discussions, and having an appetite for sharing something personal about themselves. It should also be someone who stands for the company. So preferably someone from the founding team or the CEO.
It is also important that the thought leader is not a flag in the wind, but also stands by his opinion when he receives criticism. That's why you need someone who has enough self-confidence and courage. Someone who is able to inspire his community. You don't have to please everyone, after all, you don't want to become the next chancellor. Focus on having a strong voice in your relevant environment - because that's what it's all about!
Before we get to the keyboard of thought leadership actions you've been waiting for, we'd like to briefly summarize the benefits of thought leadership:
With thought leadership you create attention for the person, but also for the company. At the same time, you can use this attention to cast your topics and give them relevance.
Thought leadership is a lead magnet. Because now the company no longer just stands for itself, but your target group realizes that a strong personality is steering the business. This creates trust and supports lead generation.
A thought leader has followers. Engaging with the community is very valuable, as it's not just about placing your own opinion, but also getting honest input. You can also actively engage your followers and ask them for feedback on the product or suggestions for updates.
As your presence grows and your authority increases, you become relevant to potential business partners and can expand your network to build collaborations and partnerships and attract new customers.
You've probably already guessed: the bouquet of PR activities for your thought leadership strategy is large. But to get to the point, here are five concrete examples to help you become a thought leader:
