Building Thought Leadership

Building Thought Leadership

When building your thought leadership, consider leveraging external platforms and measuring their impact. As a busy professional, posting on social media may not be at the top of your priority list. 

However, there is considerable power in posting and engaging on professional platforms, such as LinkedIn.

Posting on these professional social media sites is a great way to expand your reach beyond just your company and the people you know. This is often the way recruiters find people for new opportunities. 

As a VIP Communications Pass holder, this article is packed with extra tips and tools to show you how to be a more confident communicator, including videos, downloadable tips, step-by-step instructions, and more! 

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VIP Communications Pass: Building Thought Leadership

1. Start Small

If you haven't posted or engaged on a social media platform, like LinkedIn, it can feel overwhelming. Many people are posting videos, carousels, and how-tos. Starting small is an easy way to gradually begin engaging with the social media landscape.

Consider the following:

• Sharing A Post - If you don't feel comfortable creating your own post, you can share a post from another creator that resonates with you. For example, suppose you work in HR and see someone post about what HR professionals really do, rather than what people think they do. You can either share the post outright, or you can share the post and give a few comments about what the post made you feel, or how you agreed or disagreed with what was said.
• Trending Topic - If you are comfortable sharing a bit of your expertise with a post, you can pick a trending topic in your industry and write a few sentences about it. For example, AI has become a highly relevant topic and is being integrated into many industries. You can share your perspective on AI and its impact on your industry. 
• Engage - Perhaps sharing a post or creating your own post feels too overwhelming, you can start even smaller by engaging with other creators. For example, if you see a post you really like or think is helpful, comment on the post with your thoughts. You can write something as simple as, "Thanks, this was really insightful!" When you engage with others, you show you care about what they have to say, and it will begin to boost your thought leadership.

When you begin to engage and share your thoughts and perspectives, you are establishing yourself as a respected figure in your field with an interesting point of view. This can make you stand out. 

 

2. Consistency

You don't have to post every single day to build your thought leadership. However, if you want to stay visible, you will want to be consistent. Consistency looks different for each person. There are many strategies and resources you can use to keep up your consistency that work for your situation.

Consider the following:

• Posting Schedule - A posting schedule is something you can use to keep you consistent. When you use a posting schedule, it eliminates the guesswork about what you need to create. For example, a weekly posting schedule could look like this:
  • Monday - Share an article with your thoughts
  • Tuesday - Share a recent win
  • Wednesday  - Share a how-to carousel
  • Thursday  - Share a recent struggle and how you handled it
  • Friday - Give a shoutout to someone you work with
• Scheduler - You may not want to share your posts when you create them. For example, if you create your posts late at night, it may not be the best time to share them on social media. However, almost every social media platform has a built-in scheduler, allowing you to schedule your posts for a later date. This will also keep you more consistent. You can review your scheduler to determine if you need to create another post or if you're all set.
• Make It Work For You - It's easy to feel overwhelmed, thinking you have to post every day or twice a day. This can prevent you from even starting. However, the most important thing to remember is to make posting work for you and your schedule. For example, suppose you don't have a lot of time to craft a post carefully; that's okay! Consider writing one post per week. Schedule your post for Monday. This way, your audience can expect you to share your perspective once a week, on Mondays. Then, if you have more time or more to say, you can add to your once-a-week posting. 

Consistency is key when building thought leadership on social media; it helps establish trust, reinforces your expertise, and keeps you top of mind with your audience. Regularly showing up with valuable insights signals reliability and strengthens your brand over time.

 

3. Impact

As you continue to post your thoughts, you may question whether what you are doing is really making an impact. There are several ways you can measure the return on investment, or ROI, of your time and effort.

Consider the following:

• Tangible ROI - Tangible ROI is measured in data, metrics, and engagement. You will know your ideas are making an impact when you start seeing people acknowledge your work. If you notice a particular share with higher engagement, you will want to study it. Consider how you wrote the post, or the time of day you posted it, and how you approached the topic. It may not be easy to decipher what made the post so likable, but try to narrow it down to what you think it was. This will give you more data to work with when creating future posts. 
• Intangible ROI - Intangible ROI is considered the long game. What you are aiming for is the ability to discuss your work and its impact in a way that feels natural. You need to give your ideas and perspectives. If you don't, your posts may seem generic and unengaging. Lean into what makes you unique, consider your background, your work experience, and interesting insights. When you do this, you will see your ideas start to gain traction.

As you think about building visibility and thought leadership, think about both the tangible and intangible ROI. If you feel good about your ideas and how they are helping others, keep going. 

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