3 effective ways to use social media for thought leadership

Social media provides many opportunities for thought leadership, but just logging in and posting a tweet every now and then is not enough. To be effective, you have to be committed. That means showing up and scanning, contributing and networking. Here are three tips to get you started.

1. Build your network.

If you want to position your company or yourself as a thought leader, you first need to start building a network. Do this by integrating social media icons into web pages and email templates. You’ll also want to start contributing to key conversations and posting content. On Twitter, manually follow strategic industry accounts, such as news outlets and professional associations. On LinkedIn, make sure you’re connected with key colleagues and partners in your industry.

Contribute to discussions and post content.

While it takes some time to build the network, it’s important to begin posting content so you are on the radar of others. Some industries have weekly/monthly Twitter chats with chat-specific hashtags. Explore those to identify opportunities to jump into the conversation. Begin engaging with key accounts, such as retweeting top bloggers in the industry or providing comments in response to others’ LinkedIn updates. If you find interesting articles, share them with your audience on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Create content and opportunities.

Once you have the basics of building a network and contributing to discussions down, you’ll want to have a plan for creating content. This is where you have the most potential to become a thought leader. Establish a plan for what content you want to cover and how you’ll generate that content. Content could be videos, blog posts, podcasts or infographics – whatever it takes to convey your point and keep your new audience engaged. Social media should be a vehicle for driving clicks to your content, which should be hosted somewhere where the viewer can learn more about your company or you.

No matter where you are in your journey to position yourself or your company as a thought leader, the process can be overwhelming. Axia Public Relations is here to help you along the way. Stay connected with us through our newsletter for more tips.

Julie Miller is a marketing and communications professional, working for more than seven years in the industry. She primarily works in the technology and education sectors and specializes in digital marketing and communications. Julie has worked with Axia since November 2015. Connect with Axia on Twitter @axiapr or tell us what you think in the comments below.