BTL 6: Listening and starting to engage 

It is time to start engaging with your audience via your chosen channels.

The first step in doing so is to listen. As the old saying goes, there is a reason why we have two ears and one mouth, and it is because listening is twice as important as talking or broadcasting. This also holds for thought leadership. You need to understand your audience’s issues, and know what other influencers and thought leaders are saying about your topic. Take a bit of time to listen and think before you leap in. There are some useful tips on listening for thought leaders here, including using tools and techniques such as Google Alerts.

It is a good idea to start to engage actively with others by commenting on posts, especially those from influencers and existing thought leaders. First, it is easy to do, and it doesn’t have to take much time. Second, it helps you to build relationships—and we know that thought leadership is all about relationships.

Not all content has to be original. Curation, or sharing other people’s content, is also a good way to add value. After all, if you found something interesting, there is a chance that your audience may do so too. You can either share individual articles, or a curated list.

There is, however, likely to come a time when you wish to make a point that requires original content, and our next email will discuss this in more detail.