“Thought leadership” is one of those phrases that makes people roll their eyes, mostly because it’s been attached to so much content with very little thought in it. A LinkedIn post that says “Consistency is key” is not thought leadership, no matter how many rocket emojis it has.
Underneath the jargon, though, there’s a useful idea. If you share how you actually think about the problems your clients face, the people who agree with you will want to work with you. That’s it. That’s the whole thing.
What it actually means for a small business
For a small business owner, thought leadership means being known for a specific perspective on a specific problem. Not knowing everything about marketing, but having a clear, explainable point of view on, say, why small service businesses shouldn’t start with paid ads.
It’s the difference between being heard and just being loud. Lots of people post. Far fewer say anything people remember.
Why it helps a business grow
- It pre-sells your work. By the time someone contacts you, they already know how you think and agree with it. Sales conversations get shorter.
- It attracts the right clients. A clear point of view puts off people who disagree with it, which saves everyone time.
- It makes you referable. “You should talk to her, she has a great take on this” is a much stronger referral than “she does marketing.”
- It supports better pricing. People pay more for a distinct perspective than for an interchangeable service.
How to find your point of view
You probably already have one. Some places to look:
- What do you find yourself explaining to clients over and over?
- What common advice in your field do you disagree with, and why?
- What mistakes do you see people make before they come to you?
- What have you learned from doing the work that most people don’t know?
- What do you wish your clients understood before you started working together?
Your answers to those are your material. The more specific, the better.
How to share it
- Write it down. Blog posts, LinkedIn articles, a newsletter. Writing forces you to clarify your thinking.
- Say it out loud. Podcasts, panels, talks, workshops. See Public Speaking for Business Owners.
- Use real examples. Stories from your own work (with client permission or anonymized) are far more convincing than general claims.
- Repeat yourself. You’ll get tired of your core ideas long before your audience has heard them enough to remember.
What to avoid
- Saying what everyone else says, just in a more inspirational tone
- Manufacturing controversy for attention
- Claiming expertise you don’t have
- Making it all about you instead of your audience’s problem
Where to start
Pick one idea you believe strongly about your field. Write it up in 500 words. Share it somewhere your clients will see it. Then do it again next week with a different angle.
If you’d like to share your expertise with the WEN community, apply for an expert feature. And for the visibility side of this, read How to Build Visibility Without Feeling Salesy.
