October 24, 2022 Content Chat Recap: What It Takes to Create A Successful Thought Leadership Program How To Create a Thought Leadership Program

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October 24, 2022 Content Chat Recap: What It Takes to Create A Successful Thought Leadership Program
October 31, 2022
by Alek Irvin Leave a Comment
A brand thought leadership program can be a great way to organize your content pillars and activate subject matter experts to engage your ideal communities. Building a successful thought leadership program, however, is a uniquely challenging task—and it starts with finding and differentiating your thought leaders.
In this #ContentChat recap, we help you learn how to build a thought leadership program, with a focus on getting things started and measuring your results. Read the full recap below to learn:
How to choose a brand thought leader
Thought leadership activities for getting started
Common mistakes to avoid as a thought leader
Q1: Let’s start with a common definition: What is thought leadership from a content marketing perspective?
From a content marketing perspective, thought leadership content is created by or with a subject matter expert who has a unique perspective and experience to share on a topic. Not all content is thought leadership content—you need an actual expert to share their insights for it to count as thought leadership.
A1a: Thought leadership content is created by or with a subject matter expert who has a unique perspective and experience to share on a topic. #ContentChat https://t.co/PC7C16HVY0
— Sweepsify (@Sweepsify_) October 24, 2022
Create thought leadership content using experts both inside and outside of your business.
Ab: I also think thought leadership content SHOULD come from both inside and outside experts of your business #ContentChat
— Amy Higgins (@amywhiggins) October 24, 2022
Anyone can be a thought leader—in Q2 we’ll explore what qualities make for a great thought leader.
One type of thought leadership I think of is Paradigmatic Thought Leadership, which becomes a new filter through which people see the world, in a manner that leads to new value creation, behavior change, and so on. Also, Informed Opinion Thought Leadership. #ContentChat A1a
— Carlos Abler (@Carlos_Abler) October 24, 2022
So, say a hopesmith with a unique take on how to live a hopeful and joyfilled life?
Or a faith-based vlogger that sees things in a simple way? #ContentChat
— Kathryn Lang – hopesmith and dream ignitor (@Kathrynclang) October 24, 2022
Q2: Who should or shouldn’t serve as a brand thought leader? What qualities make for a great brand thought leader?
Your CEO or C-suite executives may not be your best thought leaders.
A2a: While many brands exclusively promote the CEO or the C-suite as thought leaders, they aren’t necessarily your best_or only—options. #ContentChat https://t.co/CkkuETSrF8
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 24, 2022
Your thought leader should be able to discuss your industry as a whole without only talking about your product or company.
A2: If they ONLY want to talk about the product and not address the current trends or problems people are trying to solve for – they should not be a thought leader.
product leader does not always = thought leader #ContentChat https://t.co/EAvrfvANDW
— Amy Higgins (@amywhiggins) October 24, 2022
A2: Someone who is invested in the vision of the thought and that truly believes in it could make a strong brand thought leader. #ContentChat https://t.co/nxfLL94H9Y
— Kathryn Lang – hopesmith and dream ignitor (@Kathrynclang) October 24, 2022
Social influencers are not the same as brand thought leaders.
A2: The loudest voice in the room isn’t necessarily the best one to promote a brand. This is a lesson retail brands keep failing to learn.  #ContentChat
— Amy Higgins (@amywhiggins) October 24, 2022
Map your thought leadership platforms on a chart so everyone can get an at-a-glance look.
A3c: It can be helpful to document all of this in a chart that shows everyone at-a-glance, and then create individual thought leader profile sheets for each person. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 24, 2022
Read Erika’s article to learn more about how to build a thought leadership platform, and use our thought leadership one-pager.
A3d: For a deeper dive into this topic, check out this blog post.⁰ #ContentChat ⁰
How to Create A Thought Leadership Platform that Earns People’s Trust⁰ https://t.co/GtYo7DepLt
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 24, 2022
Follow your thought leaders to monitor their activity and coach them on ways to improve.
A3: Usually follow them everywhere. I like to see if they are actually creating unique content for each platform. #ContentChat
— Sweepsify (@Sweepsify_) October 24, 2022
Q4: When getting started with building a thought leadership platform, what are the most accessible opportunities to pursue?
Start building a thought leadership platform on owned platforms—webinars, blog posts, and short video content are great places to start.
A4: It’s easiest to build your thought leadership base on your owned platforms. Webinars, blog posts, and short video content are great places to start honing your thought leaders’ approach. #ContentChat https://t.co/qKLTKp18aw
— Alek Irvin (@AlekIrvin) October 24, 2022
Q5: How do you balance multiple brand thought leaders? Do you divide them by topic, activity type, or something else?
Pair your thought leaders with the right opportunities for them, based on their preferred topics and activity types.
A5a: Yes to all of these! It’s critical to match your thought leaders to the right topic and content type. Some may be natural writers, while others love an audience. Pair people with the right opportunities. #ContentChat https://t.co/aZgMhrxc94
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 24, 2022
Find ways for your thought leaders to collaborate, but it helps to identify 1-2 people as your ‘primary’ thought leaders for a given topic.
A5b: If you have multiple people who’d be a good fit for the same opportunities, find ways for them to collaborate. They can learn from each other and possibly even co-present to make each person’s profile that much stronger. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 24, 2022
Q6: How can you safeguard your thought leadership program from facing a setback if your thought leader changes companies?
Develop a group of thought leaders to protect your thought leadership program from facing a setback if someone leaves.
A6a: It can create a void if you’ve put all your thought leadership efforts behind one person who then leaves your company. That’s why it’s better to develop a group of thought leaders. #ContentChat https://t.co/18QAFYs3Fp
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 24, 2022
Pair each primary spokesperson with an up-and-coming internal subject matter expert that can support that thought leadership pillar.
A6b: If you do have a person who has brand evangelism and thought leadership as a core part of their job, pair them with up-and-coming internal subject matter experts. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 24, 2022
Ensure that all work created is owned by the brand, not the individual thought leader.
A6c: Also, make sure that when you develop brand thought leaders that the brand—not the individual—is the legal owner of the branded assets such as the email list, podcast, YouTube channel, etc. Otherwise, you’re only renting their influence. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 24, 2022
Q7: What metrics or KPIs should you track to measure the success of your thought leadership program?
If possible, track your brand share of voice using tools like Meltwater or Cision.
A7a: If you have @Meltwater , @Cision , or another tool that can track your brand share of voice over time, that’s a great KPI to track. #ContentChat https://t.co/L6L9sINA28
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 24, 2022
Other thought leadership KPIs include the audience size reached by specific activities, boosts to your domain authority or placement on sites with a high domain authority, web traffic, incoming links, and social shares.
A7b: If you don’t have the tech to measure thought leadership’s impact, you can still track:⁰
1. Audience size reached
— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) October 24, 2022
Thought leadership takes a long time to build. The ROI may not be clear, but stay consistent and you should see your engagement increase.
A7: Remember that #thoughtleadership takes a long time to build. Stay consistent with your activities, even if the direct ROI isn’t clear. Over time, your thought leader should see increased social engagement and more opportunities open. #ContentChat
— Alek Irvin (@AlekIrvin) October 24, 2022
Q8: What are the common mistakes that people make when trying to become thought leaders?
Erika often sees three big thought leadership program mistakes: Appointing a brand thought leader who doesn’t have time to partner with the content team, expecting someone to be a thought leader for a topic they are not well-versed in, and forcing people into an activity (like public speaking) that they are not comfortable with.
A8a: There are three big mistakes I frequently see with thought leadership programs. #ContentChat https://t.co/Bfj2OXn9rN