The first question, of course, is what is thought leadership content? Simply put, thought leadership content presents you leading, authoritative voice in your industry. Its purpose is to inform, educate, provide insights and help increase organic reach.
As far as social media channels go, LinkedIn is probably the least exciting of them all. While LinkedIn might not be flashy, it is most definitely influential. The platform has quietly built a reputation for being indispensable in career development and the perfect place to build thought leadership.
By publishing effective thought leadership content, you can position yourself and as an expert in your respective industry. This not only strengthens awareness and visibility among your target audience, but it boosts credibility as well.
Through influential messaging, sharing your “why,” and forging genuine connections, you can deliver value and make a true impact. The goal is to utilize your passion and expertise to address the needs and challenges of your prospects. By doing so, you can create positive disruption within your industry – unlocking new opportunities for growth.
Publishing thought leadership content is not only a major reputation booster, but it communicates the type of quality and passion put into your work. We’ve compiled 5 key Tips to build Thought Leadership on LinkedIn.
5 Key tips to Build Thought Leadership on Linked In:
1. Create a Strategy.
Don’t try and build a reputation by publishing one article at a time. Make sure everything that you do supports a strategy. Think carefully through what you want to achieve on LinkedIn. Who are you trying to reach, what are your goals and what results are you hoping to achieve? Then create an action plan.
Consider:
• How often will you post on the platform?
• What the mix of original content vs curation will be.
• What types of content formats will you try?
• Strategies for who to connect with and how.
• How far your strategy for LinkedIn will relate to your larger content strategy.
Create a calendar / matrix to help you stick to your strategy.
2. Make sure your profile is up to date.
If you create content that someone just absolutely loves, their next step will often be clicking through your profile to learn more about who you are. The fastest way to lose credibility is to have a profile that looks unprofessional.
3. Build out your community.
Growing your network means more people will see your content and updates. And if they interact with your post, by liking or commenting, your content will spread to their connections as well. To gain the type of reach required to build thought leadership, you need a wide network of connections. But don’t go and send out hundreds of invitations to strangers.
Instead, be strategic. Begin by ensuring that you are connected to all the people you actually know – brainstorm old professional colleagues, people you’ve met at networking events, as well as old friends. Then identify influencers in your industry, as well as people in your target audience that are active on the platform. For anyone you don’t already know, send a personalized message.
4. Post consistently – and not just your own content.
This is where the action begins. Post articles that you have read and that you feel your audience might appreciate. Share insights and start conversations. Ask questions and mix content from your brand and your own articles.
Some best practices to get more traction for your updates:
• Use hashtags. Don’t use too many and overload your updates with hashtags, just add a few relevant ones to each of your posts to make it easier for people to discover your content.
• Tag people. If you have shared an article from another brand or person that features expert sources, tag the people who are involved! This will ensure that they will see it and it increases the chances they’ll interact with it and expand its reach.
• Join conversations already happening. Participating in relevant conversations and other people will start to raise your visibility on the platform, gain new connections and drive more attention to your own updates.
• Respond to comments. Any time people comment on something you share, make sure to take the time to respond. It will show them that you are listening and increases engagements on your posts.
• Create brief videos. Recording video introductions for content you share can capture more attention in the LinkedIn feed. A simple one- or two-minute video that takes 10 minutes to record can potentially lead to 10 to 20 times more engagement with your articles.
5. Publish content on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn has its own publishing platform that is available for anyone to use. Articles you publish on l
LinkedIn can potentially reach a lot of people in your industry, and will add to the strength of your profile.
When you publish your content on LinkedIn, be sure to share it on your other social media channels too. LinkedIn’s algorithm increases the reach of posts that get a lot of engagement.
Build your personal Brand
LinkedIn can grow your reputation, which helps to build more trust. By showcasing your expertise and insights, you show your audience that you are worth listening to and connecting with.