Thought leadership continues to boom. Executives want to build their profiles, secure new promotions, and set themselves apart from their peers. Companies, meanwhile, want to cement their reputation as recognised market leaders to drive growth.
In some ways, thought leadership has even superseded marketing in terms of importance for many firms. Audiences prefer engaging with real people who they can trust and seek valuable industry insights from rather than be bombarded with unoriginal corporate messaging.
However, amid the drive to become thought leaders, many executives and their companies often overlook various considerations. Some are niche details, while others are far more substantial considerations that can have even greater ramifications when neglected.
In this article, we will explore several considerations all executives must bear in mind when building their thought leadership profiles and why each consideration is so important.
Prioritising images and video content
Visual content should always be a priority for any thought leadership campaign. However, this isn’t always the case. There are many reasons for this: Executives don’t understand the value of visual imagery, they don’t like appearing on camera, or they don’t have the expertise to capture it.
Yet, failing to utilise visual imagery is one of the greatest errors executives and their companies can make. It can impact how credible you appear when someone looks you up online, whether media publications choose to feature your article, and how many people engage with your content.
Research shows that 80% of people remember what they see compared to 20% of what they read. Therefore, if you’re wanting to strike a chord with audiences, encourage them to purchase from your business, as well action change within your industry and the wider world, it’s important to prioritise visual content.
The best thing executives and their companies can do is consult a thought leadership agency like Profile, which specialises in multimedia production. These agencies ensure your thought leadership encompasses all forms of content to engage audiences across various platforms. They will capture high-quality images and video content from day one and regularly schedule shoots throughout the year to ensure your profile is always up to date.
Understanding how the media works
The media is vast. It is separated by regions, nationals and trades, podcasts, radio stations, and broadcast networks, besides the various intertwining roles of journalists, writers, and producers whose responsibilities are wide-ranging.
Pitching to these contacts takes time. And even longer for any content to be commissioned and published. Therefore, any pitch you write to entice journalists to cover your press release or interview you must be properly targeted, well-researched, punchy, and informative. It must detail all the value you can offer the publication’s audiences.
If the pitch is accepted, you need to abide by a publication’s guidelines and respect their time. After all, the media is one of the most time-starved industries that exists.
Once your content is published, don’t challenge the publication’s editorial decisions unless something untrue has been written about you or they have made a typo.
Most of the time, though, if a publication has cut your article or withdrawn some of your comments, they have usually done so for a reason. This might be due to their preferred length of content, whether you have strayed from the narrative of the story, or because someone else’s comments were more impactful. It’s rarely ever personal.
You also need to consider that media outlets work differently. Bigger publications may take longer to use your content while smaller trades will often publish your article within a day. Be mindful of this and limit your expectations.
After engaging with the media regularly, you’ll eventually get used to the process.
Prepare for criticism
At some point, thought leaders are bound to receive criticism. People will disagree with your opinions and may even be overly passionate about their point of view. This could happen in person, on online forums, or across your social accounts. In either of these situations, you must compose yourself.
Respecting your audience’s right to disagree with you and never taking criticism to heart is all part of the process as you build your profile.
If you want to respond to audiences, never attack them and thank them for their feedback. This shows that you are open to different opinions and are willing to learn from others. It also helps you avoid damaging your reputation so you don’t deter your audiences from following or working with you.
Meet people in person
The best thought leaders always value in-person engagement. Whether journalists or customers, consider attending in-person interviews and events to help your audiences put a name to a face.
Moreover, it will prove to your audiences that you’re passionate about the issues you campaign for, helping with your credibility, and boosting the numbers of people who might engage with you.
As part of your strategy, mention in media pitches that you are willing to discuss your thoughts in person, target speaker conferences to secure slots on panels, and attend industry events and roundtables.
On one of these occasions, you might even secure investment or establish crucial partnerships for your business, which can bring additional value in the long term. So, if your company pushes back on you attending in-person engagements, tell them otherwise.
