leaders or opinion shapers in the society .
Some of them have very few followers on social media but a large audience will sit around the screen whenever they come on the news shows . This is an interesting idea because it means the speaker or thought leader has a following they may or may not be aware of .
In a scenario where a social media following is not the driver of the thought leadership , the speaker would be found to be bold , strongly opinionated or have an idea that is deeply rooted in a set of convictions . We may disagree with the ideas presented in thought leadership , but we may listen to learn .
A speaker who presents a contrary opinion in a persuasive way is likely to open up a new dimension of the issue and teach the audience something they may not have known prior to the interaction . Thought leadership is about being able to field a position and share new ideas about it , ideas that invoke reflection , discussion and even disagreements .
In marketing , thought leadership should therefore be pieces of articles that allow our organizations or executives to stick out above the others , just like we do in advertising . However , most of our thought leadership pieces are content marketing pieces , often written by influencers for our organizations and telling our audiences what our advertisements are already telling them .
With the growing demand for thought leadership writers , it is evident that business leaders know the impact that thought leadership pieces are supposed to have on the business , but many businesses still do not know or do not largely understand how to do it right . We start by asking for thought leadership pieces but end up publishing blog posts because we either have no new information or the corporation is afraid to raffle competition or present new information that the customer may disagree with .
In a world where the audience are flooded with soft fluffy information on every social site , as thought leaders in marketing or communication , we have to present bold pieces that our audiences can relate with .
The idea of a thought leadership piece is to invoke conversation , engagement , trial , and connect the organization with the
audience in a hearty manner . This is the only way a thought leadership piece can serve its purpose to raise the profile of the organization . It is the way a thought leadership piece differs from a blog post . There should be original research ideas , high number of views , engagement and even media mentions . It is like a selfdriven SEO article .
Take for example the ongoing discussions on the Covid-19 vaccines . The stories we read in the press quite differ in tone , language and content from the stories we read from the experts advocating for each of the vaccines . The smear campaign is on but the defense on the safety of the vaccines is interesting to follow .
The companies have thought leadership pieces on why their vaccines are safe based on expert research they have on the virus . While admitting that the mutation of the coronavirus is still unknown , they each present a case for the safety of their individual vaccines .
This has completely shaped the opinion and perception of people about the jab . Many people are now queuing in line to get the vaccine , coming from a point where the vaccine was a no-no to many people . That is the shift that a thought leadership piece should create . If they were only giving us information about their individual vaccines , there would perhaps be no shift in the uptake of the vaccines .
Back to the question of whether a thought leader is determined by self or by the audience . If you search for # thoughtleader on LinkedIn , millions of profiles will be generated . These are experts in their field who I believe are doing great work and keeping the world informed . An endorsement from their readers would add a lot of value to the validity of their label .
Thought leadership is not an easy thing to do , but with constant polishing and creating a story board , any organization or individual can become a thought leader . If a thought leadership article is required , the essentials of storytelling should still apply . Carry your audience through a plot , do not patch up the information new and old and expect the audience to see through it .
Be clear , concise and present your information in a way your audience will immerse themselves into your idea whether conforming or controversial to their own opinions so as to challenge your audience . Say something new , give your opinion , validate your data and communicate . Include SEO if you must , but whatever you do put some thought into it .
Diana Obath is a seasoned Public Relations and Communications Specialist . You can commune with her on this or related issues via mail on : ObathD @ gmail . com .