PR for People Monthly August 2012 | Page 4

Cover Story: How to be a thought leader

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Want to be a thought leader? No disrespect intended, but you actually have to think like a thought leader! You can’t just go into Linked-In and nab someone’s summer reading list and make it your own. You have to read vast volumes of books and articulate strong key concepts in your own words. To be a thought leader, you really have to do your own thinking!

Research your expertise. Be more than a walking Wikipedia to the business issues and marketing trends that impact your business. Remember, real libraries still do exist. When was the last time you checked out an academic or white paper in your field? Go beyond using Google for research, but do use Google & Giga alerts, twilerts and rss feeds as filters to stay current on all the news impacting your business.

Define your key influencers. Who can make or break you? Do more than make a list of the who’s who in your industry, the usual top performers, experts, and key media who cover issues relevant to your industry. Make a list of people who are so famous in the field that they really do not have the time to get to know you. Then find a way to be introduced to them. (A good PR person will make the connection for you.)

How will you stay in touch with your key influencers? You have many ways to communicate to key influencers: by email, social media, mobile, traditional letters, or face-to-face meetings. Do not waste this opportunity to demonstrate your thought leader prowess by using the same overused quotes of famous people like Albert Einstein, Gandhi or Mae West. Want to be a thought leader? Then you should be clever enough to come with an original quote or two.

Write good content. If you feel you must be thought of a thought leader and you cannot write well, then hire a good writer. Don’t create the same old tired content that has already been said a thousand times. Create articles that are informative, present a new perspective, and shed insight on developments that are relevant to your business. Publish your content. Publish your original articles on business networking sites and media outlets that want your innovative content.

To blog or not to blog? That is the question. I am very cautious about advising clients to blog because you need to consistently turn out good content. If you are not a writer, then do not start a blog. According to

Photo by Zephyrance Lou

How to be a thought leader or look just like one