A thought leader is recognized by peers, customers and industry experts as someone who deeply understands the business they are in, the needs of their customers, and the broader marketplace in which they operate. They have distinctively original ideas, unique points of view and new insights. Prospects, clients, referral sources, intermediaries and even competitors recognize such a person to be the foremost authority in their selected area of specialization, making them the go-to individual for that expertise.

Becoming a thought leader is a long-term process. It does not happen overnight. One needs to think honestly about who one is, examine what the audience is looking for and leverage their professional and personal successes and experiences into online content. To attain thought leadership, one needs expertise in a particular area, ongoing involvement in that niche, a clearly identified point of view, credibility, and a supportive following.

Positioning oneself as a leader in the field requires best-in-class content. Content which does not market one’s product or services as such, but provides information and insights which the audience finds useful. Such information automatically causes an association of the person with insight and authority. Over time, the audience grows to trust and rely on such a person, so much so that they feel honored using his products and services to solve their problems.

Finding a niche is essential for someone who seeks to develop thought leadership. It has to be something they are uniquely good at. They should develop a personal brand around that using their background, their qualifications, and their experience.

They need to develop quality content on a consistent basis in their unique voice for their selected audience.  The content should not attempt to sell anything but should provide great information that would solve some problem for their readers. Content must be published consistently to be effective. It can be in the form of blog posts, guest blog post, magazine articles, conference papers, white papers, industry surveys, and industry reports.

A potential thought leader should network actively. They can speak at events, in webinars and podcasts. They can interview other thought leaders and answer questions on social media. They should consistently make intelligent predictions about his industry. They can establish their authority by writing books.

In order to do all this, a thought leader should continuously be at the forefront of learning in their niche.

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3i Consulting writes blog posts, magazine articles, white papers and conference papers for Geomatics/GIS companies. www.3iconsulting.ca