We've all most probably admired someone we view as a Thought Leader at more than one point in our professional lives. Some of those figures are household names, others are demigods in their own very specific subject matter, but they can still walk down the street to the corner store unrecognized. Did it occur to you, on the other hand, that the next great blogger is sitting one row or two cubicles away from you right within your team?
There have been some terrific posts and guidance in a number of Communities about the art and science of blogging, thought leadership, such as this piece on The Social Customer, and building your personal brand.
Blogging is one way to establish one's self as a thought leader; seeking invitations to blog in online communities or appear on webinars alongside a cadre of respected peers across your industry is another. Getting off your internal online properties and syndicating your blog in other channels can catapult your profile to new heights. Why not start now?
Vernacular for Thought Leadership Blogging:
- Stick to valuable information which is important to your readers with your unique expression of it.
- Stay away from product placement, product plugs, and blatant or shameless promotion
- Storytelling is valued, and if that story mentions your customer as an example, it has to be relevant.
- Labeling a customer as "an SAP CRM customer" (in my specific case) shouldn't be necessary - in most cases and with some further investigation your readers can glean that for themselves
- Demonstrate the business value of technology; in terms that resonate with business readers
- Become the trusted advisor to your audience and ask for their thoughts, feedback to engage
Syndication for your blog post:
- Online Communities - Use technorati, web search, or follow the influencers to guide you to the right communities for your subject matter. Work with our social media or influencer teams for more techniques - depending on how narrow a focus you require.
- Ex: Thought Leadership around the Loyalty topic may fit better on "LoyaltyOne.com" rather on the broader "CRMsolutions.com".
- Discussion Groups or Forums - Quora, Focus.com, LinkedIn Answers, Wikipedia - Be the first to write an entry "on topic"; many topics are not yet written
- Media Sites: Forbes, Bloomberg, HBR, etc. may have opportunities - speak with your media relations colleagues first to explore unused media credits, etc.
- Mainstream Social Channels - Twitter, LinkedIn, Slideshare, Wordpress (the most obvious place to start your own blog) are all examples of channels in which to demonstrate Thought Leadership
- Guest Blogging - Ask your influencers if they'll agree to let you guest blog on their site from time to time.
When you blog in a community, be sure to fill out your profile as fully as possible - that is where you start to build your personal brand - and your company benefits, too.
Readers will start to get to know you and your signature style - they'll "follow" you - and the next time you walk to the 'corner store' of your professional peer group, you just might be the one who is recognized.
How are you syndicating your blog posts? Please add your comments.
