As we approach the digital decade- a new era in the 4.0 revolution, online presence is becoming increasingly important for brands, founders, entrepreneurs, VCs and arguably anyone who wants to be seen at all. There is no dearth of digital marketing avenues, and it is becoming difficult to stand out in the digital noise.
One way to position yourself as a peer leader and stand out in the crowd is through thought leadership articles. Before we delve deeper into why these articles are so important and how they can help you and your brand, let us first explore what thought leadership means.
What is thought leadership?
In 1994, Joel Kurtzman, editor-in-chief of Strategy & Business magazine, said, “Peers recognises a thought leader, customers and industry experts as someone who deeply understands the business they are in, the needs of their customers and the broader marketplace in which they operate. They have distinctively original ideas, unique points of view and new insights.”
Today, in its simplest form and according to the Oxford dictionary, thought leadership refers to “intellectual influence and innovative or pioneering thinking”.
So, thought leadership would mainly entail creating and sharing content that taps into the experience, talent, and passion you have for your business or community. Pair that with extensive research and try to answer the biggest questions in the minds of your target audience, peers or even competitors on a particular topic.
Now that we have established what thought leadership means, let us bust some common myths around this. More often than not, I have come across young executives and even startup founders who believe that they are not ready to be writing a thought leadership article.
The fact is that anyone can be a thought leader- a startup employee, founder, entrepreneur, VC, researcher, academician, a government official, a student- anyone who has a point of view that speaks to a set target audience and answers their questions.
How to go about leveraging thought leadership articles for branding
Bryan Rhoads, former Head of Content at Intel, always says, “you have to win the internet every day.” And, thought leadership articles can help you do that. You can leverage this type of content to speak directly to your audiences, answer questions that matter in your industry, comment on trends and bring in your personal experiences and lessons you’ve learned. However, when writing a thought leadership article, you need to keep a few things in mind:
- Do not fall into the “unique POV trap”
Many aspirant authors of these articles keep waiting for that unique point of view that they think will help make their articles stand out. It is important to note that the audience isn’t necessarily waiting for something new and unique all the time. They are seeking value.
And, the fact that you are talking about something you have experience, expertise and exposure, automatically makes it unique because your experiences and takeaways are yours alone.
So, don’t wait for something “out-of-the-box” because you won’t have those ideas all the time. Just pick up that laptop and start typing on that one question you want to answer for your audiences today. A McKinsey & Company research proves that the 3 Cs of customer satisfaction are “consistency, consistency, and consistency.” So, keep writing.
- Video, visuals and audio are trending, but research says written content is king
Lately, with the rise of podcasts, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and of course, TikTok, a lot has been said about the importance and effectiveness of audio and visual content.
However, a report by Social Media Examiner reveals that 58 per cent, i.e., more than half of marketers prefer “original written content”, which includes blog posts, articles, and ebooks over visual content. So, if you have any doubts about the best way to establish yourself as a thought leader, know that written content is king.
- Be subtle, do not hard sell
Another extremely important rule to follow when writing a thought leadership article is to avoid sounding too promotional. The hard sell is a turn off for everyone alike- the media giving you the platform (because they want to add value to their readers over simply selling your product), as well as your readers seeking answers and insights.
You can use thought leadership articles to promote your brand but do not hard sell. Remember, a product feature is not thought leadership.
Here are some quick tips on how to promote your brand via thought leadership articles without sounding like a salesperson-
- Maintain a consistent tonality and voice
- Keep your brand’s key messaging and pillars in mind while drafting the content.
- Do not try to sell everything in one article- pick one challenge, explain why it is relevant to the people you are speaking to and present a solution.
At e27, we value thought leaders and our reader base. If you are keen on embarking upon your journey of becoming a thought leader in Southeast Asia, join our Contributor Program today.
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