THOUGHT LEADERSHIP THAT DRIVES BUSINESS
Women will write and say, “I have a jewellery brand. How I can market myself?”
Traditionally, I have replied, “Set yourself apart by WRITING.” Write about the trends in statement necklaces. Write about what a piece of jewellery can do for a woman’s self esteem. Talk about the culture of jewellery through the ages. Write about something bigger than ‘Buy my jewellery.’
Huda Kattan is a great example of someone who thought bigger. Kattan left her job at Robert Half International and enrolled in beauty school. As a makeup artist, she had a bunch of tips and tricks she used on clients and she was eager to share them with others. To her, beauty was something painted as ‘inaccessible’ and she wanted to make it accessible. She was led by something bigger. Bigger than ‘hire me to do your makeup.’
She started with a blog. Then a vlog, taking the tutorials to video. Today, she is worth $1 billion dollars and has 3 million followers on Youtube.
Why?
Because she wrote. She took the thoughts out of her head. Put it down on paper. And emerged a leader.
So let’s say you want to start down the path of publishing thought leadership. What steps do you need to take to get started?
1. NICHE DOWN.
What are you the go-to expert on? Ask your friends. Ask your family. Chances are they already come to you for information on something you own. Go one step further. If asked to give a talk, name your talk.
WRONG: I have a jewellery brand.
RIGHT: I specialize in how Indian jewellery complements Western clothing
RIGHT: Power pieces you can wear to feel more confident in business.
2. START TALKING ABOUT IT
Pick the medium that best aligns with your talents. For me, it was video because I’ve spent 20 years as a TV anchor. So I’m doubling down on building my base on Youtube. If you are an artist, microblog on Instagram. If you want to share in a community of people who are writers, thinkers and learners, write on Medium (Hint: Medium helps with your SEO too)
3. DON’T KNOW WHAT TO WRITE?
Start engaging with other top leaders in your field. Follow them on Twitter, LinkedIn. Chances are, followers are asking questions. Use some of those questions as prompts for content to write.
