Becoming a Thought Leader

How does becoming a thought leader impact your ability to get found via social media and on search engines?

What is a thought leader?

A thought leader is a person that has expertise about their industry. They have the ability to discuss industry topics in a knowledgeable way. For example, a lawyer can establish themselves as an expert on IP law if that is their topic.

The key is to choose a lane and share your expertise as yourself, not as your business or company. Being a thought leader is part of your personal brand. By sharing your expertise, it will help lead an audience on a path to become your customer. However, it is not about leading people back to your company, but being an expert in your industry space which helps you establish authority.

The information you give to others is valuable in and of itself. Your audience may not be aware that certain topics or issues exist. By becoming a thought leader, you can inform them of things they didn't know about and help bring these topics to light.

How does being a leader help your ability to get found on social media and search engines?

If your audience is searching for a certain topic or answers to questions, you will be found in that search and you will be seen as an authority.

An exception might be if you are a lawyer who likes golf and wants to become an authority on golf. You may want to use your personal social media platforms to talk about golf to your followers - not your professional or company platforms to discuss this topic. You could be confusing your audience as it's unrelated to your IP law business. It’s best to keep the two topics separate.

Advantage to why you would want to consider becoming a thought leader?

Becoming a thought leader will help create a level of expertise with your audience, establish trust in you, and lead them to becoming a potential customer. You are giving them knowledge they didn’t know they needed.