How Long-Form Content Can Drive Thought Leadership
In today’s attention economy, it seems everyone is trying to be a thought leader. While that may make the space feel intimidating, there is plenty of room for everyone to establish the value of their expert opinion. The secret lies in strategy, because no matter how important your expertise is, it will only be recognized as so with a strong marketing strategy behind it.
Thought leadership is best achieved through long-form content, like writing monthly blogs, while bolstered by short-form content, like posting articles + commentary on LinkedIn. Having the short-form strategy is an important foundation because it helps your content get favored by the algorithms and show your audience that you are regularly active.
Once you have a regular cadence of meaningful yet bite-size content going out on your channels (such as social media or email), then you can begin to focus your efforts on developing a more thorough type of long-form content. There are many types of long-form content that you can leverage to demonstrate your thought leadership. For example, you can start your own podcast, become a regular guest on other people’s podcasts, author a book, engage in PR, develop a blog, or even a vlog.
That said, it’s best to pick one specific type of long-form content and really establish it before entertaining the idea of adding others. Quality over quantity is a good rule of thumb in this case (as in many others). If you try to explore too many growth avenues at once, you’ll likely run yourself into a wall and end up with subpar content.
When it comes to picking which type of content to pursue, be sure to carefully consider what makes the most sense for your brand, and more specifically, the audience you’re trying to reach. Defining your target audience is something that you should have already done, but if you want to make sure you’ve checked all the boxes, head to our blog, “Using Analytics to Understand Your Target Audience,” to learn more.
Of course, you’ll need to make sure you have the bandwidth and budget to invest in a long-form content strategy. It is an investment, but it does pay off. Building your personal brand is the best way to establish a trustworthy reputation and lay the groundwork for nurturing leads.
Once you’ve decided your plan of action, you’ll have to be strategic about what sort of topics you choose to cover. Obviously you will tap into your expertise, but the angle you choose to take is very important. Here are a few tips on creating your content.
Come with a fresh take
Establishing your niche will help set you apart from the competition. Odds are, there are a million other thought leaders in your industry, so you need to demonstrate how no one else thinks quite like you do.
Present clear, well-developed thoughts
The more specific you are on the topic at hand, the better. Go in depth and make sure to cut out the grey area. This will show that you’ve committed to fleshing out your opinions and seeing all points of view, leaving no stone unturned.
Be authoritative, but open minded
It’s important that you present yourself in an assured way, but without coming off as a know-it-all. No one knows it all, but you do know a lot, so you should be confident in what you have to say.
Welcome engagement
Discussion and debate are healthy ways to deepen your knowledge and develop an even more well-rounded perspective. Plus, questions and comments are a sign of an engaged audience, which means your strategy is working.
Thought leadership can be tricky to establish, especially when you’re just getting started. Here at Social Canvas, developing thought leadership for our clients is one of our specialties. We’d love to help you get your footing — schedule a consultation to learn more about this service.
Want to learn more about brand building and thought leadership? Check out this podcast episode where we dive deeper!
