You’ve heard the saying. How much you produce doesn’t matter as much as the quality of what you create. In the world of online content, this adage isn’t just hyperbole. The stats don’t lie. Over 1.1 billion pieces of content get published on social media each day.
It’s astounding to think about. But guess what? An analysis by Neil Patel revealed that 59.41% of all those posts didn’t get any engagement over a 30-day time frame. No comments, likes or shares. So, the output didn’t matter if the content didn’t speak to or gain traction with the intended audience.
As a modern brand leader aiming to build thought leadership, having zero engagement is your worst nightmare. It’s the antithesis of what you’re hoping to accomplish. The question is, how do you defy the odds when content is your vehicle? As someone who has built effective thought leadership strategies using online content, I’d like to share a few steps.
1. Study The Greats
Like celebrities, established thought leaders may seem like overnight success stories. But if you look behind the scenes, there’s a volume of hard work plus trial and error. And it’s why you can learn from their case studies, books and blogs. Many successful thought leaders also publish weekly email newsletters you can join.
Ann Handley and her MarketingProfs website are good examples. Her newsletter on marketing and copywriting tips has 42,000 subscribers and even more have subscribed to her website. She not only teaches industry professionals how to increase audience engagement, but she also demonstrates success through her content.
As you’re developing a plan to elevate your brand’s expertise, it doesn’t hurt to study what’s worked for others. While copying their exact blueprints isn’t the goal, understanding those blueprints helps you see the nuts and bolts. You can then start to piece together what type of thought leader you want to be and which content gaps are waiting to be filled.
2. Know Your Audience
A surefire way to be low on the engagement totem pole is to not know what topics your audience is interested in. Doing your research may not be steeped in ah-ha moments, but those numbers from Neil Patel suggest something’s amiss. Either content creators aren’t researching their audiences well enough or they’re relying on misleading information.
It’s not uncommon for content creators to latch on to what everyone else is talking about. They might also brainstorm without data to back up their discussions. When it comes to data, creators could misinterpret what they’ve collected. Furthermore, the data might be insufficient.
Data-based keyword research tools, such as Ahrefs and Moz, point you toward topics your audience finds engaging. You’ll discover how much search volume those subjects are getting, ranking difficulty and where other industry leaders have established authority. Topic cluster tools are additional data-based methods to research what your audience is interested in.
3. Publish Original, High-Quality Content
For your content to stand out and establish thought leadership, it must be unique. If you’re simply restating what others have already said, chances are your pieces will fade into the background. It doesn’t mean you always steer away from topics other creators are talking about, but you should be able to add something original.
Other tactics include arguing against a well-accepted opinion or status quo and taking a deeper dive into a subject. If you have expertise that can expand on a topic, go for it. You could consider outsourcing your content strategy needs to agencies that specialize in helping brands build thought leadership. Say your brand has original case studies and research. Content strategy agencies can help you transform those into shareable pieces of content that highlight how your company is driving products/services and business practices forward. As long as the subject matter matches what your audience wants to read and listen to, you can draw on your experience.
Remember surface-level content rarely ranks. With higher-quality pieces, your odds of getting noticed (and rewarded) by Google’s algorithm will increase. Quality is often linked with audience engagement. The more useful and satiating they find your content, the better.
4. Maximize Client Success Stories
Thought leadership is also about collaboration. Joining online conversations initiated by your industry peers can lead to future content development opportunities. It introduces your opinions and expertise to a wider audience, increasing your brand’s visibility.
Simultaneously, you can pay it forward by sharing your clients’ success stories. Do they have case studies you can publish on your website? Those case studies could demonstrate the effectiveness of your collaboration and joint approach to solving industry hiccups.
Even if you don’t have a full-blown case study, you could highlight your clients’ stories using other means. Think podcast and blog post interviews. Maybe you create a page on your website dedicated to your clients’ achievements. Whichever way you decide to go, get your clients’ input, and illustrate how they achieved their success.
Using Content To Build Thought Leadership
When using digital content to build thought leadership, the deck can seem stacked against you. With so much content vying for your audience’s attention, you wonder how you’ll get seen. But as established thought leaders have demonstrated, it’s possible with the right steps. I’ve found that learning from those who have come before me, understanding my audience, focusing on quality and sharing others’ success are critical. Now, it’s up to you to take them.
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