Building a personal brand as an industry expert is no doubt one of the best ways to draw attention to your business. But it’s not just about having new ideas—when trying to build your reputation as a thought leader and expert in your field, connecting with others should be high on your priority list. After all, sharing your thoughts and experience is nothing without an engaged audience to listen to it. So how do you balance connection and creating interesting content at the same time?
The members of Young Entrepreneur Council have a few ideas. As business leaders themselves, they have experience building up their personal brands as thought leaders and industry experts, and below, they share seven ways you can authentically connect with others while making the positive impression necessary to build a loyal and engaged audience.
Members pictured from left to right.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Get Into Podcasting
Do podcasts or live interviews. I just started getting into these lately, and I have to say it’s a great way to build a face-to-face relationship with the interviewee. It’s great cross-promotion for both of you since both parties of the interview will share it with their followers and audience. – Andy Karuza, NachoNacho
2. Attend And Speak At Industry Events
I would say get yourself out there as much as possible, be it social media, podcasts, magazines and more. One thing I find incredibly useful that works well is to attend startup and industry events and, whenever possible, speak there. The networking opportunities, connections made and visibility gained from being at such events are really valuable. – Robin Saluoks, eAgronom
3. Build A Strong Online Presence
Building an online presence through social media, LinkedIn and other professional platforms can help entrepreneurs connect with people authentically and establish themselves as thought leaders. By sharing content, engaging in conversations and building a personal brand, entrepreneurs can reach a wider audience and build their reputations as thought leaders. – Kelly Richardson, Infobrandz
4. Share Your Knowledge Through Written Content
One way to authentically connect with people and build your reputation as a thought leader and expert in your field is by sharing your knowledge and expertise through writing and publishing content, such as articles, blog posts or forum articles. It’s effective because it allows you to provide knowledge in a way that is easily shareable, which can help to increase your visibility and reach. – Kazi Mamun, CANSOFT
5. Serve And Support Others
Serving others is one approach to developing true connections with others and establishing yourself as a thought leader. This means actively looking for ways to assist and support others in your field and prioritizing their needs. Mentoring, sharing knowledge and resources and working together on initiatives or projects helps both your community and your reputation. – John Hall, Calendar
6. Create A Community
One of the best ways to build a reputation as a thought leader and an expert in your field is to create an online community. Creating a community around your area of expertise enables you to share your ideas with your audience and interact with other like-minded people. That’s what makes this method so effective as you build your reputation and learn to improve at the same time. – Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms
7. Offer Meaningful, Relatable Advice
The key to being a thought leader is to offer meaningful advice. This is best done through delivering content that offers unique insights and perspectives, rather than just conveying the same ideas as everyone else. Also, talk about your personal experiences. This helps people relate to you, which will make you appear authentic and relatable and you’ll make a positive impression. – Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
