Thought leaders are considered to be experts in their field and informed opinion leaders. Being considered a thought-leader in your field will help boost your business and help you gain credibility and visibility.  Positioned as a thought leader in your industry helps your business gain credibility and visibility, and builds your personal brand.

Thought leadership is about leading the conversation and challenging your audience to think about the trends and issues in your industry. By developing and sharing your knowledge you can become a leading expert in your field.

Here are some suggestions for what you can do to help develop your reputation as a thought leader in your field:

Define your Niche Area.

Be clear with yourself what your niche area is. The first step to becoming a thought-leader is defining the niche topic you wanting to be an expert in. The topic should be relevant to your industry/practice area, your business plan, your experience and your target audience/customers/clients.

Be well informed in your niche area.

It is important to understand all aspects of your chosen topic and that you stay updated and informed. Keep up to date with news and the latest trends in your niche by reading key publications, research and blogs.

Write a blog on your niche area.

A great way to demonstrate your expertise (as well as keep up to date with news and latest trends) is to write a blog. As well as demonstrating your expertise blogs are a great way to share knowledge, encourage discussion and position yourself as a thought leader. You could choose to author a blog on your business website or blog, have your own stand-alone blog or become a regular guest blogger on relevant industry blogs.

Your choice will depend on how much time you can commit and where your target audience can be found. It is important to post regularly and engage with your readers by encouraging discussions and sharing experiences, ideas and any other relevant information.

Provide expert commentary in the media.

As well as writing blog posts (and guest posts) you might also provide commentary /expert opinion for mainstream media outputs. The media is always on the lookout for a great story supported by expert opinions and advice. Providing commentary to the media in an interview or news article is an excellent way of demonstrating your knowledge and expertise in your topic area.

Speak At Events.

As well as gaining exposure through writing, you may also choose to speak on your niche topic and gain exposure with your target audience through speaking at events and conferences. For experts there are plenty of speaking opportunities advertised – you just need to make sure that you plan ahead.

Network.

Networking can be an important tool for developing your personal brand and simply getting out there in among your target audience and your referrers, as well as building your reputation in your niche.

If you use social media, it is also important to use platforms such as Twitter and LinkedIn to network. These platforms provide a space for you to demonstrate your expertise to your audience. They also provide a way to connect with people in your industry and post relevant and interesting commentary or share articles that relate to your niche.