Thought leadership is defined as expressing ideas that show you have expertise in a specific area or topic. Many business executives strive to become thought leaders in their respective industries. Learning thought leadership for a personal brand takes a lot of dedication, patience, strategy, and education.
The growth of online channels has made it easier for individuals to use their personal brands to become thought leaders or experts. And in return, it builds online audiences and eventually increases revenue potential.
Top Thought Leaders Across Industries
- Steve Jobs for innovation and technology
- Seth Godin for marketing and leadership
- Brene Brown for authenticity and vulnerability
- Oprah Winfrey for philanthropy and media
- Richard Branson for entrepreneurship
The majority of these leaders have done at least five of the things listed below, if not everything. But they have one thing in common. They all have a solid personal brand that they are willing to share.
Your personal brand sets you apart based on your knowledge, skills, and experience. Thought leadership for personal brand is achieved when you consistently share your expertise, insights, ideas, and perspective with others.
Following are 11 ways to build thought leadership with your brand:
1. Find out what you want to be recognized
To guide you in finding your niche, ask yourself the following questions:
- How do you want to be famous?
- What are the keywords you want others to associate with your name?
- How are you different now compared with your previous experiences?
- What new insight are you into the current situation?
2. Talk about it
It’s good if you are familiar with a particular topic or if you are the best in a specific field. However, it doesn’t help you or anyone else if you don’t talk about it. There are many opportunities and platforms for our voices to be heard and add value to other people’s lives. So, think about how you could use your own platform or the existing ones to share your ideas with others.
3. Build Your Online Presence
Being active online provides an immediate podium and visibility. In addition, it’s an opportunity to grow your reach and your online audience while delivering value and creating impact. Be online, make a post, record a video, connect and collaborate. With lots of online platforms to choose from, it’s better to start with the one that you are most comfortable with. Then, start sharing.
4. Write a Book
Writing a book can strengthen your credibility. It serves as your foundation by putting together all of the knowledge, skills, and experience into a manuscript. You can use a publishing house or self-publish your book.
Naomi Garrick, a contributor at Entrepreneur magazine, wrote her first book, “A PR Chick’s Guide To Building Your Personal Brand” in 2018. It paved the way for her career as a personal branding coach, trainer, and international speaker. Moreover, it led to numerous revenue-earning opportunities.
5. Start YouTube channel or a Podcast
Starting a podcast or even a YouTube channel is another way to share your insights on a particular topic in your industry. You can invite other industry experts and become the preferred channel for content you want to be famous.
6. Be a Guest
If you’re not yet comfortable hosting a show, you can start by being a guest, a panelist, or a moderator in other people’s shows or events. Prepare your speaker kit and bio and pitch your topics to relevant shows or events.
7. Create Your Website
A personal brand website is another way of building thought leadership. Create your own website that speaks to your expertise and your main topics of interest.
8. Host an Event
Since many events are still held virtually today, this is a great time to try hosting your own event. It’s a great way to create something around your topics of interest. The event could be in the form of a mastermind, retreat, coaching group, symposium, or webinar.
9. Write About Your Key Topics Online
Start writing about your critical topics on our social media channels. Or, you create a blog or newsletter that will attract the interests of your target audience.
10. Launch a Product or Service
Create something that supports your idea. This could be workbooks, courses, tutorials, a customized program, etc. Think about your audience’s needs and think about the products or services that could support them with actual results. Doing these will also consider you a thought leader or expert.
11. Think Different
Steve Jobs put it perfectly when he stated, “Think different.”
Think about how you could stand out in your field and why someone should trust you and your product or service.
Conclusion
Oprah has the right to be the queen of personal branding. According to Forbes, she is perpetually improving her brand with an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion. By being honest, she has inspired millions of people to be their best version of themselves. You don’t have to Oprah or Seth or Richard Branson to achieve thought leadership for personal brand. It is a matter of continuously enhancing your digital presence and staying genuine and credible!
