Thought leadership—in which business leaders and professionals produce content that’s not focused on marketing their businesses, but rather on providing insider insights, useful information and tips related to their industries—is gaining in both popularity and effectiveness. Thought leadership can help build personal and business brands by positioning the authors as reliable, trusted experts in their fields.
Many business leaders want to engage in this type of content, but they may have many questions: What should I write about? Where can I publish? What if I’m not a “polished” writer? How do I find the time? While it may seem like a complicated process, with planning and dedication, producing thought leadership content is within every business leader’s reach. Below, 10 professionals from Forbes Agency Council share tips to help you get started.
Members of Forbes Agency Council share tips to help business leaders and professionals get started on producing thought leadership content.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Plan, Create and Distribute
Start with a plan. It’s tempting to create content that is trendy or timely, but it’s more effective to write about topics that align with the problems you solve for clients. Leverage external writers when you don’t have the time or the skills in house to write. Don’t stop at content creation—distribute your content far and wide through social, email, digital advertising, media and more. – Natalie Nathanson, Magnetude Consulting
2. Educate Your Audience
If you plan to use content marketing as a lead-generation strategy, be sure to educate your audience and give examples of the results that your education has provided. People don’t care about you, they care about what you can do for them. Focus on this in your content and leads will reach out to you to see how they can work with you. – Jimena Cortes, Wizard Media
3. Ask Colleagues What They’d Like To Hear From You
Long-time business leaders often take for granted their unique perspectives and institutional knowledge that can be valuable to others in the industry. Ask people from different departments or levels in the organization what they’d like to hear about your experience. Those conversations often lead down surprising paths and generate topics for high-value content. – Kim Charlton, PMG (Pinnacle Marketing Group)
4. Write Down Five ‘Nuggets’ A Day
With any thought leadership, you need a clear perspective within a specific area—ideally something you’re either an expert in or very passionate about. The more you know about it, the more you can write about it. You’re typically dropping nuggets into your everyday conversation and you don’t even know it! Over the next few days, listen more carefully and write down five things you say. – Alisha Lyndon, MomentumABM
5. Stay In Line With Company Values
One thing that is always a challenge and an issue is when there is thought leadership commentary that is against the values of the company. It is super important that the thought leadership content is the same in tone, value and messaging. Without this key mandate, the company will destroy its credibility. – Jon James, Ignited Results
6. Think About The Questions You’re Commonly Asked
Everyone is an expert at something, and those are the things to write about. It is easy to trick ourselves into thinking we don’t have anything important or unique to share. But you have to remember that the things that you think are too simple are things others may know nothing about. Create content around the most commonly asked questions you hear and you’ll be giving people exactly what they are looking for. – Katie Harris, Spot On Solutions
7. Start A Blog
An easy way to create content is to develop a blog. This provides an opportunity to show thought leadership by writing about what you know in a relatively informal way. You can tap other leaders in your organization to publish frequently. Blogs contribute to search engine results and drive traffic to your website. Posts are also great for your social media, so that thought leadership can go a long way. – Robert Macdonald, Impact Communications
8. Look For A Writer Who Can Capture Your Voice
Find a writer who can develop content in your style. Does their writing sound like something you would say and in the way you would say it? If so, it can work well for the writer to interview you so they can hear how you speak and understand your word choices. Then, even if you don’t have the time to write an article yourself, it will still be your words, tone and ideas coming through loud and clear. – Katy Boos, Remix Marketing Inc.
9. Keep It Short And Simple
Keep it simple. People usually want the concise version—they don’t want to read a dissertation. With the average attention span decreasing, you want to capture your audience effectively to get your point across by relating to their thoughts or experiences. A well-written article unread doesn’t do anything for anyone. – Blake George, BMG Media Co.
10. Provide Real Life Stories And Perspectives
Remember what you can bring to the table that nobody else can—your own experience. Show what you have to offer by writing about what you know best and what inspires you. If you can provide real-life stories and perspectives from your firsthand experience, this content can truly set you apart as a thought leader. – Bernard May, National Positions
