Why The Worlds Most Influential People Are Investing In Thought Leadership
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Going viral is no longer enough. Neither is running a Facebook ad, riding a trending topic, or publishing an e-book.
These activities are just drops in the ocean. What really matters is building up the foundation of your digital presence effectively, with the intent to make it last.
Enter the marketing worlds hottest buzzword; thought leadership.
Forget the wave of self-proclaimed thought leaders who are over-saturating the phrase (to a point where Forbes bestowed it with the title of “most annoying business slang”). It isn’t simple jargon that anyone can just slap on a LinkedIn profile and start reaping the benefits.
Thought leadership encompasses people like Seth Godin, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk. There are also thousands of niche thought leaders that you’ve never heard of, leading the charge of innovation in their respective fields.
But what is a thought leader? And more importantly, why do they matter?
According to Jake Dunlap, founder and CEO of Skaled, a thought leader is someone who can draw on the past, analyze the present, and illuminate the future to make a real impact in their area of expertise.
Dunlap said the following in regards to thought leadership during a conversation with Business News Daily,
“They posses an innate ability to contribute to the conversation happening today while also being able to speculate on what is going to happen tomorrow. Rather than chime in on every topic, they set the pace for the industry, and offer intelligent insights and informed decisions.”
The key to thought leadership isn’t creating assets that are relevant right now. You want content that will last for 5, 10, 15+ years. Ryan Holidays calls this a “Perennial Seller”, or something/someone that eventually stands the test of time. Think “The Shawshank Redemption” or The Great Gatsby, but in terms of individuals.
While it’s not going to happen overnight, it is attainable for anyone with the right mindset, branding, creativity, and patience.
Setting The Pace In A Crowded Place
“Thought leadership is the ability to aggregate followers around ideas to educate, influence and inspire”- Jeanine Moss, innovative brand marketer
The key to establishing yourself as an authentic thought leader is to focus less on promotion and more on education. We’ve reached a point where anyone with an internet connection can access as much information as they will ever need. This means that being an expert in your field may not hold as much weight as it used to.
Thought leadership starts with determining what you want to convey and who it should be for.
Let’s say you own a boutique advertising agency and are trying to establish your persona online to attract more clients. The shortsighted approach would be to write an article boasting about how you’re an “industry disruptor” changing the digital marketing landscape as we know it. Remember, consumers aren’t dumb and have hundreds of blatant advertisements shoved in their face everyday.
A better approach might be to discuss trends shaping the future of advertising and how brands will have to evolve to remain relevant. This will provide the reader with interesting content while also framing yourself as a resource of knowledge on the topic.
Consider people like Tim Ferris, Ryan Holiday, or Jeff Bezos. Google any one of their names and the first 5 pages are loaded with content establishing each individual as an authoritative leader in their field. This didn’t happen from one viral blog post, but from years of building, creating, and executing.
And to be honest, this is incredibly difficult. These people were able to define their niche early on and grow, something I’ve struggled with immensely. In the past 8 months I have written about marketing, writing, culture, finance, college, entrepreneurship, jogging, hydropinics, and more. Depending on your goals this isn’t a bad thing. However, it has limited my authority in a single topic.
“Thought leaders do not become thought leaders by trying to be one; that’s an external focus that only satisfies the ego and blocks true enlightenment on any subject. A thought leader has a singular, internal focus on achieving mastery of a particular discipline.” — Sam Fiorella
In Conclusion
The worlds greatest trendsetters and influencers have invested heavily in thought leadership marketing to masterfully build their digital presence.
It’s become a form of currency; the more you diversify your content streams, the more valuable you become.
But thought leadership at its core is an investment in yourself more than anything else. It requires a deeper understanding of what you want to be known for, ditching a results driven mindset that yields short-term gratification.
“Success then isn’t something you’re after for a month or two. You want to be evergreen. To sell for decades. To be a classic. To make the backlist. To be a perennial seller. Because that’s where the impact is, in reaching people, and lasting.” — Ryan Holiday
Sure, racking up 10,000 likes on an article is great, but will that really matter in 10 years? You need steady and consistent growth with a stable audience that believes in you just as much as you believe in what you’re saying.
It’s time to start building your digital empire.
