Building your company company reputation requires engaging prospects in conversations that are not strictly about your brand.
Forget about sales language and talk about what’s going on in your industry. Write about new research or industry trends. As a matter of fact, you can conduct your own surveys and release the results to the media. Of course, you may need the help of a professional company with this. But if the data is solid, and you have added your expert insight to the findings, the media will look to you for more information. As you become a recognized authority and develop your company reputation, your customers will look to you for leadership as an industry leader.
Your company blog is also a great place to establish yourself as a thought leader. Keep up with the news. Don’t just pass it along either, but think about its relevance to your customers. Again, provide your insight, based on the facts. That’s thought leadership.
Offer real solutions to problems. You know the challenges facing your prospects – make it your goal to articulate solutions they can use.
In Jon Miller’s article in FutureLab, he recommends joining the speaker’s circuit. There are plenty of opportunities to reach out to potential customers at conferences, meetings, and conventions. You will not only be positioning yourself as a thought leader, but building relationships along the way.
We have experienced positive results in building thought leadership campaigns, and we will be sharing specific strategies in upcoming entries. For now, if you are just starting out, establish a goal you can reach, such as a commitment to collect information for a specific blog topic. Set a deadline for completion of the goal, and meet it. Then go on to the next (bigger) goal. Developing thought leadership is an ongoing process!
