Thought leadership is a term that is used a lot on LinkedIn.

Known as a great way to make your brand stand out in the online space and to build credibility, it helps with audience engagement and all those other good business things!

But, what is it exactly?

And how can you use it to achieve awesome online results?

We are delving into that very topic now. Let’s get started.

What Is Thought Leadership?

Thought leadership is a bit of a marketing buzzword. But what is it exactly?

Well, it is a known marketing strategy used to establish your business brand as an authority or expert in your industry. The goal is to be recognised as innovative and as a go-to source for all kinds of valuable insights and knowledge related to your field.

To be considered a thought leader, you should create and publish high quality and insightful content that shows how much you know your stuff! This published content should be engaging and create the opportunity for meaningful conversations within your niche.

Thought Leadership On LinkedIn

LinkedIn is seen as one of the main stages for thought leadership. As a professional networking platform, it is full of entrepreneurs, small business owners, decision makers, and business leaders. Because of this audience, LinkedIn is an ideal platform for sharing valuable insights.

Professionals gather on LinkedIn to engage in meaningful conversations about their industries and industries they are interested in. And with the ability to publish short snippets, long form articles, video and graphics, you can share your expertise in a format that suits your style and audience.

LinkedIn is a great place to showcase your skills and experience as you not only have your newsfeed, but you also have your profile where you can list your professional history, qualifications, and people can endorse your skills or give you recommendations. It’s a great place to build credibility and trust with your audience - the ultimate stage for thought leadership.

What Makes A Thought Leadership Piece?

You can display thought leadership across a number of different mediums and there are several key attributes that distinguish a thought leadership piece from other forms of content. 

They are:

• Unique Ideas: Anyone can peddle out a generic piece of content to fill their newsfeed. But, a thought leadership piece will be something full of unique ideas or a unique perspective on a common topic. Present new ideas or challenge existing ones to make people think.
• Deep Dive: Thought leadership does not gloss over topics, rather it delves deeply into subject matter, providing valuable insights that go beyond surface-level discussions. It can really help to have data and statistics to back up specific points that you might be making.
• Expertise: Demonstrating expertise is a key indicator that you are reading a thought leadership piece. Showing a high level of knowledge in a specific subject builds authority and credibility.
• Clear and Engaging: These pieces will be really well crafted, communicating complex ideas in a clear and concise way. The language will resonate with the ideal audience in an engaging manner.
• Provides Solutions: Identifying problems or issues within an industry is one thing, but thought leadership will offer effective solutions too. With potential strategies to implement, the piece will guide the reader through challenges and help them to make informed decisions.
• Longevity: A thought leadership piece will not be a flash in the pan, it will have long lasting value, standing as a content pillar in a marketing strategy. It may even serve as a reference for discussions or debates within your industry.

Tips For Creating Thought Leadership Content

Creating thought leadership pieces can be a highly effective marketing technique. They will help you to build credibility in your industry.

Here are some tips to get you started:

• Know Your Audience: In order to create great, engaging pieces, you need to know who you are writing them for. Determine which niche you are working within and who your audience is. That way, you can write focused content that is of interest to the right people and that addresses their needs and concerns.
• High Quality: Make sure these key pieces are high quality. They should be well-researched, informative, engaging pieces of content that offer a fresh perspective or innovative ideas.
• Mixed Formats: There is no rule that says thought leadership needs to be a super long article. You can mix up your formats depending on your topic or your audience preferences - try videos, infographics and case studies, along with your usual articles.
• Not Every Piece: Remember, that you don’t have to create an in-depth thought leadership piece every time you publish on LinkedIn or your other marketing channels. Save it for the big meaty ideas and space them throughout the year to maximise the benefits of them.
• Collaborate: Extend your reach by collaborating on content with complementary thought leaders. Find other businesses in your niche that have a similar audience and share your ideas to expand your network and reach new people.
• Use Trends: Trends become popular for a reason, so use that popularity to your advantage. Keep an eye on trends that are relevant to your industry and provide analysis and your own unique perspective on them.

Fit Thought Leadership Into Your Marketing

Would you like to master the art of thought leadership and use it in your marketing strategy? 

Then you are in the right place. Here at Face Up Now, I specialise in making complicated marketing strategies simple for business owners. 

I can help you plan and execute insightful and engaging pieces that will build your brand authority and credibility. Chat with me about how I can make that happen. Book a convenient time here.