A lot of business executives are interested in being seen as thought leaders. However, I get the feeling that some don't really have a firm idea of what thought leadership actually is.
I've even heard this from people in the marketing industry. "Our client isn't interested in SEO. They don't want more leads; they want to establish thought leadership."
If you have no way to measure thought leadership, how do you know when you have become a thought leader? Determining thought leadership often seems to be akin to the old pornography test - "I'll know it when I see it."
This is dangerous ground for marketers, because you are promising something that you can't quantify. It is our responsibility to help clients understand what thought leadership looks like. We have to build the picture of success and have the metrics to prove our case.
"The inspired reader will initiate the sharing of content."
- DANICA LO, editor-at-large, Glamour magazine
It's not enough to say, "Here's some content, now you are a thought leader." We have to prove it. Otherwise, you are leaving up to the client to decide if you succeeded or not based on their own thought leadership metrics - like whether someone at a party they talked to has heard of their company.
Measure #1: Social Shares
Are people clicking those share icons on your articles (and I'm assuming you do have share buttons on all of your content)? That is a clear sign of thought leadership.
"People who take time to share your content are taking time to read it and understand it," says marketing consultant and author Mark Schaefer. "They are becoming advocates. This is different from a like; sharing is raising a hand and saying 'I believe in this.'"
Sharing is about motivation. You can't ask for it; your content has to elicit it. That's why it's a good metric.
"The inspired reader will initiate the sharing of content," Danica Lo, editor-at-large for Glamour, said at an SXSWi 2015 session. If your content isn't being shared, it's not resonating with readers and isn't leading any thought.
It's also important to understand that your own website may not be the best place to establish yourself as a thought leader.
"It doesn't matter where content lives," says Jonah Peretti, CEO of Buzzfeed. "The old internet model is built on banner advertising, where we spend huge amounts of money pushing out links back to our own site. What if we pushed out content instead?"
Here's an example. I posted this article on my own blog first.
Not a ton of shares (as you can see in the Moz Bar at the top) - two tweets and 17 Google+ shares. But, when I submitted the article to Social Media Today, there was much more activity.
The same piece racked up 88 Facebook shares, 529 tweets, 17 Google+ shares and 110 shares on LinkedIn (at the time of this writing). Now we are starting to see some thought leadership, but I had to get outside of my site to get it.
So, when you are thinking thought leadership, start with shares - shares across networks - and don't be afraid to get out of the shelter of your own website.
Tracking a ratio of views to shares for each published piece can help you start to see which articles are really inspiring people to take action.
Measure #2: Comments
"Comments are an important measure of engagement," Lo says. "It is the next bridge to engagement - they care enough to comment."
Keep track of posts that generate comments. These are topics that are inspiring conversation.
People don't just comment to hear themselves talk. They want to be recognized, so it is not enough for you to simply read comments people leave on your content. Reward commenters by responding, showing them that you are listening and that you appreciate their contributions.
Measure #3: Republication
The article I put up on Social Media Today was next picked up by Ragan PR Daily.
There weren't as many shares on Ragan, but a lot more than I had on my own website. Beyond that, the Twitter posts from PR Daily and Mark Ragan promoting this article were retweeted dozens of times.
When other publications pick up your article without you submitting it, that is a good measure of thought leadership. It means another publication considered your content good enough to share with their readers.
Measure #4: Backlinks and Media Citations
Backlinks can be an indication that somebody cited your article in a blog post or article. Download the free MozBar plugin and you can see the number of backlinks coming to every page on your site.
This is a great measure of thought leadership. If an article has zero links coming back to it, it's not exactly leading anything, is it?
If your article does have links, Moz's Open Site Explorer can show you exactly where those links are coming from.
Are bloggers linking to you? That's great!
Do you have any links from industry-relevant websites? That's great too - it means your content is seen as being valuable to the industry.
Are major publications linking to your post, like Forbes or the New York Times? You've hit the jackpot of thought leadership.
Measure #5: Requests for Interviews
When you write articles, you try to find experts on the topic to interview. If requests are coming in to interview you (or your CEO) for articles, that's a good sign that your brand is seen as a thought leader.
"If it's not seen, [content is] like the best movie script in the world that sits in a vault."
- MARK SCHAEFER, author, marketing consultant
This doesn't happen by accident. If your CEO is not being asked for interviews, they have not established themselves as a thought leader. Beef up their credentials by encouraging them to write pieces for other publications - including op-eds and letters to the editor - and encourage them to get involved in social media.
How to become a thought leader today
Using these five measures, examine your content and see if you really qualify as a thought leader.
"Brand power isn't coming through content; it's coming through content transmitted by friends," Schaefer says. "There is no value to content unless it moves. If it's not seen, it's like the best movie script in the world that sits in a vault."
It's not enough for you to be an expert, and it's not enough to have great content. You have to take some action as well:
- Find content that reaches an unsaturated niche - something that cuts through the clutter. Think about the questions you answer about your service everyday. Which of these would be good topics for content? Use tools like BuzzSumo to see content gaps you can fill.
- Create an aggressive strategy based on keywords. According to Schaefer, SEO is huge again because tons of companies are getting on the content train. You have to optimize to make sure that your content is coming up at the top of search results.
- Think outside of your own website. If you want to be a thought leader, content distribution will be more important than amassing views on your site. Put the content in the place where it has the best chance of being seen.
- Optimize your content for sharing. Put social share links in multiple spots on every piece of content.
- Nurture the audience that ignites. Find that elite two percent who are actually sharing your content. What content drives them? How can you recognize them and create even more sharing opportunities?
- Get involved. If you, your brand or your CEO want to be seen as thought leaders, you have to create a culture of sharing and engagement. You have to get out there and interact. Be active on social media, write op-eds and letters to the editor and respond to comments on your articles.
- Find other experts. Your company does not house the only experts in the world. If you want to get your content shared, interview leaders in your industry - people who are active on social media and who will share the finished article with their followers.
Experts can also help you penetrate local markets. If you want to target the Houston financial market, interview Houston-based bloggers and financial experts for interviews.
The title of "thought leader" has to be earned. It is time to stop talking about it and start achieving it. Start measuring your influence today and making the necessary steps to ensure that your brand can earn that designation.
Image Credit / Shutterstock