Thought leadership is an often-overwrought term, presumably reserved for only the upper-echelons of the C-suite, prominent celebrities or academics.
But the truth is everyone in your organization can be a thought leader. All you need to do is empower them to share what they already know better than anyone else – your industry, your brand and your product.
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According to LinkedIn, employees who use social media in their sales process are 51% more likely to reach their sales goals. And 78% of those employees outsell their peers who don’t use social media. And TopRank Marketing estimates that employee posts get eight times the engagement of regular brand posts, with a whopping 561% more reach. That’s a lot of opportunities to drive demand (and none of it will hit your marketing budget).
This should come as no surprise. Your employees can connect with customers in an authentic voice that strengthens relationships and elevates your brand, exponentially boosting your market presence.
Thought leadership, however, is more than just posting some content on social media. It’s a mindset – an act of empowerment as much as a marketing tactic. By helping employees leverage their expertise, amplify their voices, and create their personal brands, you’re demonstrating your trust in them just as they build trust with your customers.
Putting your employees in the driver’s seat
Chances are many of your employees are already on LinkedIn, Instagram or other social media platforms, even if they’re not active users. Regardless of their current social media skill set, almost anyone can be coached on how to grow their personal brands for mutual benefit. All it takes is a commitment from the top and permission to engage on behalf of the organization.
Here are a few ways to nurture a personal branding and thought leadership mindset among your team:
Internal workshops
Host engaging workshops that focus on key principles of personal branding and thought leadership, such as having a professional yet still human tone, researching interesting topics, or following and connecting with peers in your industry. Record and archive these sessions so employees can revisit the material and reinforce their learning.
In-house news feeds
Create an exclusive in-house channel – whether it’s a newsletter, a dedicated Slack group or another messaging service – where you share valuable insights about the business from both internal and external sources. Think eye-catching stats, intriguing industry trends, and easily digestible key takeaways. This will provide your team with relevant and shareable content that they know is already approved.
Social media marketing sprints
When you release a major piece of IP like a white paper or host a webinar, don’t leave the promotion to just the marketing or sales team. Encourage everyone to participate by creating a social media kit and sharing it with your team, showing them how to style their posts in their own voice.
“A single share from an employee can reach hundreds — often thousands — of qualified people you might not otherwise come by,” said Lauren Smith, senior content marketing manager and editor-in-chief of studioID’s Springboard. “Go the extra mile to make sure your kit includes everything: from creatives, to sample copy, to an FAQ, and even an elevator pitch. Make it easy to talk about and share, and watch as your engagement takes off.”
A few best practices to get started
An employee’s personal brand should be just that – personal. Here are some basic guidelines for posting thought leadership content that should work to your team’s advantage:
- Connect with people and organizations that add value: From friends and family to colleagues, clients and respected industry influencers.
- Listen and engage regularly: Don’t wait for something to promote or pitch. Your team should comment, like and share relevant content whenever possible so your niche community will see them as active participants.
- Add their POV: This is key. Simply sharing a post or a link to an article without adding perspective eliminates the possibility for two-way dialogue.
- Continue to revisit and evolve your social media policy: Social media policies usually focus on what employees can’t do instead of what they can accomplish. While brand reputation management is paramount, a social media policy that encourages employee participation and provides best practices or guidelines will foster a culture of participation.
Individual brand building helps everyone in the corporate marketing and sales equation. The more you can help your team build their presence and get noticed for their subject matter expertise, the greater the potential return on your efforts.
Remember, your employees are walking, talking billboards for your brand. If they feel unfulfilled or undervalued, they may not want to participate in thought leadership, or worse, decide to make negative comments.
Employees, like all of us, want to feel valued. When you encourage your employees to build their personal brand alongside your corporate brand, you embolden them with confidence and a desire to support and drive your company’s growth. Most of all, your target audience will notice and respond.
For more ways to build company brand awareness, visit Informa Tech’s Solutions portal at informatech.com/solutions.
