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Selecting the right communications channels and tactics for sharing your knowledge and expertise continues to be a vexing problem for CEOs, innovators and entrepreneurs looking to build their authority or thought leadership … and truly stand out in a crowded marketplace. Too many succumb to the age-old problem of either having too many channels or using too many tactics and not picking the ones their customers or community are most likely to consume. Where to start … In addition to your website (which should be chock-a-block with really useful content and include an email list), you should in order [...]

Defining your expert niche or ‘zone of genius’ is easily the biggest challenge facing CEOs, business owners, entrepreneurs and pretty much anyone looking to build their authority or thought leadership. While most of you will have a pretty good idea of what your niche should be, given that it is usually dictated by the business or field you are in, here are a few prompts for those of you who don’t quite have a handle on what it should be. (Defining your niche will be key discussion point during Week 1 of the Build Your Authority in Six Weeks [...]

As we begin emerging from a difficult and painful period in lockdown, now is the time to reboot your business and truly stand out in a noisy marketplace. Establishing yourself as a powerful authority is hands’ down the best approach to differentiating yourself from your competitors, building credibility with your customer base … and accelerating business growth. Parker Public Relations has developed a highly effective six-week webinar series which is designed to elevate your authority - both on and offline. In our six week challenge you will: Map out your thought leadership strategy and action plan. Develop your personal [...]

It most definitely is. However … and there is a big HOWEVER attached to my response … the book you write should fill a genuine gap in the market, truly add value to your chosen readership audience and provide the catalyst for change or new ways of thinking. There is absolutely no point in churning out a business book that does not provide a valuable forum for advancing your thoughts and ideas and taking them beyond the confines of your company or community to the greater ecosystem. If your book fails on this front and is simply parroting what [...]

Yes and no is my usual answer. The concepts are often used interchangeably so it’s important to understand the salient differences. Generally speaking a subject matter expert (SME) is an authority in a specific area. They know their topic inside out, are widely read and can speak knowledgeably on their area of expertise.  Subject matter experts can be all manner of professionals – sales people, marketers, public relations, HR, you name it! While they may have some of their own ideas and views, these ideas are usually a mix of other people’s points of view, knowledge and know-how. Subsequently [...]

The two most asked questions I get from wide-eyed, would-be thought leaders, anxiously preparing themselves for their journeys into the unknown: What on earth do I write about? How do I constantly come up with goods? And my usual answer - look no further than your target audience. Let them be your guide! After all, they’re ones you’ll be writing for or talking to and whose lives you’ll be impacting and adding value to. They’re the ones you’ll be sweeping up and carrying along with you on your thought leadership journey. Do your thought leader intelligence gathering Regardless of [...]

What is that one thing you want to be known as a thought leader for? What is that topic you would be happy to write and speak about endlessly? And when I say ‘one’, I mean one. Trying to be an expert on a multitude of topics is a recipe for disaster. Opt for that one thing and dominate it! However, the big question is: how do you determine what that one thing might be? Where on earth do you start? Finding Your Thought Leadership Niche According to the experts, your thought leadership niche should be: That nugget of [...]

A similar background, same levels of education, similar industries, matching personality types … No, no and no again. The thought leaders I’ve worked with over the years couldn’t be more different if they tried. They’ve varied from financial and tech geeks educated in the state school system, marketing professionals determined to make their profession more ethical to people born with a silver spoon in their proverbial mouths who have a burning desire to support the underdog. They come from across the broad swathe of industries, are both introvert and extrovert, warm and giving and brutally direct and analytical. However, [...]

So please, please stop confusing the two. Content marketing is about creating and distributing relevant content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and well understood target audience. Think marketing personas. It’s about tapping into the minds and emotions of customers by understanding what drives their collective mindset and tailoring content which connects with them at a very deep level. Bottom line; content market is all about driving sales. Thought leadership on the other hand is another beast entirely. As Forbes’ leadership contributor, Davia Temin, so succinctly explains in her blog on the topic: “Thought leadership …. creates prestige [...]