 "The truth is, a lot of people are trying to become viewed as 'thought leaders'
because they recognize that being a well-publicized, well-respected expert in
their field is good for business," Levy says."But most people have a hard
time figuring out how to do it on their own."
Levy, who works with corporations to develop thought leaders among employees,
says CEOs recognize that the wide availability of information on the Internet
has changed how customers do business.
"Customers are quite knowledgeable, and they get that way by using the
resources available online," Levy says. "It doesn't take long before they know
enough to spot a true expert -- someone with vision; someone with a strong track
record of success; someone who knows their field so well, they can tell you
where it's going, and where it should go."
When we had only the traditional media and its well-guarded access, our
thought leaders tended to be people who were already in vaulted positions, such
as elected officials, CEOs of major corporations and entertainment
personalities, Levy notes.
Today, thanks to the egalitarian nature of social media, anyone can become
one. But many people don't know where to begin.
Levy offers these suggestions for developing your reputation as a thought
leader:
Focus on one area of your business or
profession that excites you. Rather than stepping out as the consummate
expert on a broad range of topics, choose one slice of your expertise that
you enjoy -- that you love to talk about. The beautiful thing about social
media is that it caters to niche interests, which is a great way to start
building your following. The more focused you can make the space where you
want to be a thought leader, the easier it will be for you to reach your
audience.
Develop your own message and
share it in a distinctive style. Think about who your audience is and
what they want and need -- remembering that they don't care about you, they
care about themselves. Are there better ways to do something that everyone
has been doing the same way for years? Can you solve problems or foresee
trends that others seem to be blind to? Craft a message that will resonate
with your audience. Share it in a distinctive, authoritative voice. Don't be
afraid to show some personality. Do you need to be bigger, tougher, louder,
stronger, wiser? You don't need it all, but you do need to set yourself
apart.
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Create useful,
valuable content that people can use. Online, you can write
a blog; create video tutorials on YouTube; share nuggets of
information on the various social media sites. Write a book on
your topic! By constantly sharing information that solves
problems for users and readers, you begin developing a
reputation as knowledgeable, helpful and reliable. This should
be an ongoing process -- which is why you need to be passionate
about it! Thought leaders make it look easy, but they work at it
every day.
___
Mitchell Levy, thought leader architect and CEO at
THiNKaha, has
created and operated 15 firms and partnerships since 1997. Today, he
works with companies who are active in social media to leverage
their intellectual property and unlock the expertise of their
employee base to drive more business. He is also an Amazon
best-selling author with 18 business books, including the new
"#Creating Thought Leaders Tweet." Levy is a frequent media guest
and a popular speaker. In addition to the companies and joint
ventures he has started, he has provided strategic consulting to
more than 100 companies, has advised more than 500 CEOs on critical
business issues through the CEO networking groups he's run, and has
been chairman of the board of a Nasdaq-listed company.
[Text from file received from
News and Experts]
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