{"id":25982,"date":"2018-07-10T11:07:08","date_gmt":"2018-07-10T09:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mention.com\/blog\/?p=15208"},"modified":"2018-07-10T11:07:08","modified_gmt":"2018-07-10T09:07:08","slug":"become-a-thought-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mention.com\/en\/blog\/become-a-thought-leader\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Content Marketing to Become a Thought Leader"},"content":{"rendered":"

Being a thought leader in their niche is the dream of many small business owners.
\nHowever, the path to the top is comes with many obstacles and a harsh climate.
\nIt’s like trying to climb a mountain peak at the same time as all of your competitors. The twist? Not all of you started climbing at the same time.
\nAs someone who is starting the back, you know you have a lot of catching up to do. What will help you move forward faster than your competition?
\nIt comes down to experience, tools, and effort.
\nExperience =<\/strong>\u00a0the depth of insight and knowledge you have on your industry.
\nTools =<\/strong>\u00a0blog, content marketing, social channels.
\nEffort =<\/strong>\u00a0time and work you are willing to put in to stay on top of news and drive trends in your industry, as well as nurturing relationships with influencers and relevant media outlets\/
\nTo become a person (or a company) recognized as an authority in a specialized field, and whose advice is highly sought after, you must first prove that you are worth listening to<\/strong>.
\nOne of the best ways to do that is to build an audience to increase brand trust and awareness. And your best wingman for the job? Content marketing.
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Why Content Marketing?<\/h2>\n

Simply put, you need an outlet through which you or your company can share your experiences and insights. Publishing content (in whichever form) is one of the best ways to do exactly that.
\nHowever, even though this isn\u2019t an exact science, not everything can qualify as thought-leadership content<\/strong>, and not every content marketing method is suited to accompany you on the quest to becoming a thought-leader in your niche.
\nIn this blog post, we’ll take a look at what type of content and marketing techniques work best as though-leadership content and why.<\/p>\n

1. Ultimate guides and in-depth how-to posts<\/h2>\n

Your journey has to begin somewhere.
\nUltimate guides<\/a> and in-depth how-to posts can present a strong foundation and an excellent starting point.
\nThey allow you to display the full depth of your knowledge and expertise as you are not limited to a certain word count. Additionally, this type of content usually ranks better for SEO<\/strong> which means it has a higher chance to reach your target audience.
\nBe sure to focus on topics where you can give an insightful advice, which usually boils down to writing about something you have experience with. People tend to recognize when something is just a rehashed overview, so create content that has value and brings a fresh perspective.\u00a0<\/strong>
\nA good example of content in this category is Point Visible’s\u00a0complete guide to target audience<\/a>. It’s a comprehensive guide on target audience research, written by our strategist who share their expertise and best practices on the subject.
\n\"thought-leadership-pointvisible.jpg\"<\/p>\n

2. Controversial content that lets you stand out<\/h2>\n

Controversial content has one main purpose: letting your voice be heard.
\nIf you’re yelling out the same thing as everyone else, as someone fairly unknown, you’ll rarely get the chance to climb up to the stage and be given the microphone.
\nWhile controversial content can let you stand out<\/strong>, it can be tricky to successfully pull off. There are two things you need to watch for:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Being too \u201cclick-baity\u201d<\/li>\n
  2. Stating misleading and\/or incorrect data and information<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Remember, it isn\u2019t a click-bait if you can deliver on the claim. However, if you were trying to lead your audience to something other than what they expected – it simply won’t work in the long run.
    \n\"thought-leadership-car.jpg\"
    \nA perfect example of controversial content is     this piece<\/a>\u00a0from Mark Schaefer that discusses how content marketing isn\u2019t a sustainable strategy for everyone. With over 2000 posts written (positive and negative) in response to this article and over 400 comments, it’s an article that brought a massive amount of attention.
    \nControversial content needs to bring an original perspective to a subject that has been much discussed. So go ahead and disagree! It might just bring your the content engagement you need.<\/p>\n

    3. Publishing research and case studies<\/h2>\n

    A great way to prove that you are someone worth listening to is to show it with results<\/strong>. If you are as good as you claim to be, this is the best way to do it.
    \nPublishing your own research shows that you are capable of staying at the forefront of your industry. It leaves the notion that you have unique insights and that your opinions are based on proven facts<\/strong> and experience.
    \nA good example is this     research on the importance of various ranking signals<\/a>\u00a0done by SEMrush. They analyzed 600,000+ keywords and identified trends that they found in the top ones. This demonstrates their expertise and\u00a0 proves their thought-leadership on the subject.
    \n    \"New<\/a><\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n    The value of case studies<\/a>\u00a0has also been widely discussed. These are essentially testimonials of how your best customers use your product so they can be very powerful pieces of content.
    \nWhen creating case studies, be sure to include quotes about which specific features of your product helped your client to solve their biggest challenges.<\/p>\n

    4. (Live) video content<\/h2>\n

    While becoming a known name in the industry by writing superb content is great, becoming a known face<\/em>\u00a0can be equally as important.
    \nAnd what better way to present your face to your audience and build a connection with them than through video content.
    \nFor starters, you can create a Youtube channel and start inserting clips into your posts<\/strong>. Later on, the video can be the sole focus, and the text can be in the supporting role.
    \nA good person to look up to in marketing space is definitely Brian Dean.
    \nAnd here is one of his videos where he is talking about an advanced SEO strategy, something many would consider to be a thought-leadership content.
    \n