Give Your Prospects Some TLC -- Thought Leadership Content

All entrepreneurs want to get their branding message out and attract more customers. But traditional hard-sell techniques no longer cut it with ever-more cynical consumers.
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All entrepreneurs want to get their branding message out and attract more customers. But traditional hard-sell techniques no longer cut it with ever-more cynical consumers. Today, you've got to leverage the concept of thought leadership -- and demonstrate your authority and credibility before you can expect prospects to even consider buying from you.

Thought leadership content is all about establishing and maintaining your reputation as the trusted, go-to expert among the people you most want to serve. And there are few people who know more about thought leadership marketing than Cheryl Snapp Conner, who has spent the past three decades leading PR programs for companies ranging from early-stage startups to Fortune 1000 organizations. Her thought leadership articles for Forbes are read by hundreds of thousands of readers. She's also the author of Beyond PR: Communicate like a Champ in the Digital Age.

Here is Cheryl's best advice on using content -- from blog posts to videos -- to position yourself as a true thought leader and leverage that positioning to generate more business.

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1. Learn how to share. Conner says the entrepreneurs who are hitting it out of the park are those who share valuable information with clients and prospects freely -- good storytellers and who give people reasons to engage with them. One thing I often see is that entrepreneurs hold information back -- they're afraid to share because it might mean some secrets get out. But I subscribe to the idea that it's best to give out as much as 90 percent of your value-added content for free. That's what really engages prospects and starts conversations that enable you to sell the high-end parts of your offering.

2. Offer expert insights, not sales pitches in disguise. The content you offer must be genuinely interesting to your target audience of clients and prospects. It must reflect their needs and answer their key questions. That means your content must provide expertise and insights on topics that your audience cares about. It cannot simply be a sales pitch in disguise. So instead of a one-page sales sheet that comes across as hype, think bigger: articles, research-based white papers, ebooks, even webinars supported with slides. These types of content will demonstrate your expertise in areas that customers are concerned about. That, in turn, will cause you to be seen as a trusted source of information. When it's time for prospects to buy, they'll come to you instead of the guy down the block.

3. Create great content. Of course, you're a business owner and (probably) not a seasoned writer. So how do you create this value-added content that will get people to "raise their hands" and explore working with you? For one thing, you need to give yourself a little time and a quiet space to brainstorm. Ask yourself, "What could I say that would serve my audience and actually help them?" Write down as many topics and ideas as you can think of. Don't edit yourself or worry about figuring out the details at first -- just get ideas down on paper.

Another of Conner's tips that many entrepreneurs overlook: Don't worry if you're not the expert. You don't have to know it all to be seen as an authority -- you just need to provide expert insights. "Interview other people in your field, such as strategic partners you work with, and share insights you learn from them," says Conner. "People appreciate being allowed to join in that sense of discovery that comes from learning something new."

4. Get help if you need it. You don't need to create thought leadership content all by yourself, nor should you try to. Collaborating with a freelance professional writer can be well worth the investment. What's more, it's a perfectly acceptable option. Always remember: Even if you are not the writer, you are the author -- the person with the experience, knowledge, connections and relationships that provide so much value to your clients and potential clients. The writer's job is to present that value and insight in the most compelling way.

5. Put yourself in front of the right people. It's no longer necessary to write for a national publication to generate buzz and be seen as credible. Today, there are more ways than ever to self-publish your content -- and get it in front of ideal prospects and clients as well as key movers and shakers in your niche market. Both Conner and I are huge fans of LinkedIn, which now allows users to post and upload a broad range of content. She points to one entrepreneur client of hers who posted his first column to LinkedIn and got 2,500 views in short order. Even better, many of those readers reached out to the client about working with him. "You wouldn't get that response rate even as a national columnist," she says. "And with LinkedIn, it's essentially free. You create the content, press a few buttons and it goes out to people you are already connected with in some way."

Another (often overlooked) way to position yourself as an authority is through your local media. Appearing on a local news broadcast, for example, can help you make a big splash if your prospective clients reside in your geographic area. And you'd be surprised by how much you can leverage local media appearances beyond a single region. Example: Upload your media clips to your website or Youtube, where they can be seen nationally or even internationally. "Your online clips have no limits on their shelf life," says Conner. "They can live on forever, and help you build your credibility on a large scale."

6. Use content to start conversations that convert prospects into clients. Start an email newsletter. Make the articles informative but relatively short and light. "More than half of your audience is on mobile devices, so they don't want to wade through material that's too deep," says Conner.

The most important step is to provide an invitation or call to action in each newsletter. That call to action will depend on your business, but it might include an offer for a one-hour consultation, a link to an ebook or white paper you have written, or an invitation to an exclusive webinar you've created.

Finally, don't overlook another key asset: your top employees, partners and team members. By allowing them to also publish and share their perspectives with your audience -- either directly on their own, or in your e-newsletter -- you further build out your brand and enhance your firm's credibility among prospects. You'll demonstrate the depth of knowledge that exists within your company, and you won't have to write all the content yourself.

Give yourself the tools you need to excel in your business and in your personal life. Check out the insights, tactics and actionable strategies from today's top entrepreneurs at AES Nation.

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