Leadership qualities are very important to achieving success in the business world today. Thought Leadership is a style of leadership where a firm or individual is recognized as the foremost authority in a select area within their industry. This results in the individual or firm becoming the go-to for expertise in that specialized area. Developing this style of leadership can be a huge advantage to a firm. Being recognized as a thought leader will ultimately establish you as a credible expert within the industry – which will of course lead to greater profits! Digital marketing and content creation play a huge role in thought leadership today – and yet, it’s sometimes overlooked by major individuals and firms.
Thought Leadership is One of the Best Leadership Qualities
Steve Jobs and Apple are great examples of thought leadership. This example of thought leadership proves that a company or an individual can hugely profit by being one of the first places a consumer will turn to for products or services. Apple is a leading company when it comes to innovation and expertise, and has managed to differentiate itself from its competitors. There are 5 strategies to follow in order to develop yourself or your firm as thought leaders so that you can profit significantly from the market. These 5 essential strategies are outlined below:
1) Confidence is Key
There are traditional ways of forming credibility among your audience like publishing content or conducting an interview through credible sources. However, acting confidently will automatically increase your credibility among your audience, this according to a study conducted by the American Psychological Association. Simply believing that you are the foremost authority and expert within your field and then conveying this confidence to others will increase your credibility. There is a famous saying that goes “confidence is key.” This outlines the fact that confidence will help strengthen relationships, communicate a message and gain credibility with your target audience. Confidence is something that we see among top performers with great leadership qualities.
2) Involve Your Audience
Why not involve your audience? Ask them questions or give them the chance to ask you questions. This will engage their curiosity. Author Adam Bryant interviewed 700 CEOs and asked, “What qualities do you see most often in those who succeed?” The answer was curiosity. It’s no surprise that Apple is one of the greatest companies at listening and engaging their audiences. They are always trying to figure out what their customers want – simply by asking them.
3) Reciprocity and Word of Mouth
When a company or individual can win the hearts and trust of the people, the masses will follow. In fact, 88% of consumers trusted online reviews as much as personal recommendations in 2014. This means that a company relies on the people’s belief to drive sales and increase its revenue. This is a key to developing a thought leadership strategy in your firm. It will distinguish you as the right choice to buy from. People’s opinions and beliefs often rub off on the people in society that are around them. Hence, a company’s reciprocity and Word of Mouth must be strengthened in order to increase credibility.
4) Honesty and Integrity
A company must always be honest and more importantly, it must be perceived to be honest in its actions. Through quality content creation you can prove that you are credible by actually offering the customer some value exchange. This valuable content will drive customer sales to your firm because they will see you as the experts who have already given them something. This again elaborates on the concept of reciprocity and when a customer feels valued, she will turn to your company over your competitors.
5) Controversy and Change are good
When you challenge the norm and conventional ways of thinking, it will encourage an alternative point of view for your target market. If this point of view and ideas are credible then you will start a movement of consumers towards your product. As mentioned above, Apple had done a fantastic job of this when they took a huge share of the cell phone market. When the iPhone took control over Blackberry, the social focus shifted away from Blackberry’s guarantee of privacy, towards the iPhone’s innovation and advanced features.
Thought leadership through digital marketing and content creation is the key to driving sales today. Many leadership qualities are outlined above and contribute to the effectiveness of your campaigns. We have the know-how when it comes to credible content creation and digital marketing which can save you both time and money. At Mirza Intl, we offer marketing services that drive success and thought leadership within your firm. Your marketing will be done faster, with less wasted effort and a greater return – which will help your business grow and keep you happy! Click here to book a consultation with us today.
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