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Thought leadership on the social Web: Six traits that draw people to your ideas
July 31, 2009
Copyright © 2009 PRSA. All rights reserved.
By Ryan Zuk, APR
The following Digital Dialogue column appears in the July 2009 issue of PR Tactics.
USA National cycling team member Mike “Meatball” Friedman is a thought leader according to his Generation Y followers. He blogs about his training, and also discusses topics that appeal to a wider audience — such as dating.
I was unaware of Friedman until recently. This past June, I delivered the keynote presentation for about 100 PRSSA Chapter presidents during their national Leadership Rally in Scottsdale, Ariz.
When I asked students about the personalities and brands that they regularly follow, Friedman was among the examples offered.
This began our discussion about thought leadership: looking at how people use social media and traditional media as forums to become subject matter experts and gain loyal followings. As we discussed, Friedman is comfortable blogging about topics important to him, and those with similar interests follow along, share comments and pick up some advice along the way.
Thought leadership styles include approaches that position people as visionary or innovative (i.e., Steve Jobs) and educational or supportive (i.e., Oprah Winfrey).
Students suggested automakers Ford and Chevy as two examples of brands exhibiting thought leadership.
I found this interesting considering the current turmoil in the automotive industry. However, the connection makes sense. Students preparing to enter the work force are likely considering their first “real” car purchase. Check out Ford Fiesta’s use of social media, as well as content promoting Chevy’s Volt.
What thought leaders do
One of my favorite thought leaders on social media is Jason Falls (@JasonFalls on Twitter), vice president, director of interactive and online communications, at the brand-building agency Doe-Anderson. He is also author of the Social Media Explorer blog.
Falls often discusses themes that bring in a high volume of reader comments, and he exhibits many qualities required for developing compelling thought leadership, including actively reading and responding to many of those comments.
When positioning a spokesperson, client or yourself as a thought leader, consider these six traits. Nearly every leader draws upon these to attract people to his or her ideas and promote them across the social Web.
Specifically, thought leaders are:
• Knowledgeable — They develop expertise on a specific topic and share it freely.
• Aware — They track trends in their industry and across business at large so that they can insert themselves into conversations, or start new ones, in a timely and relevant manner.
• Interesting — They are charismatic and have memorable ways of delivering their messages.
• Innovative — They create new ways of thinking about and solving problems, and highlight these ideas in their conversations, writings, media interviews and speaking engagements.
• Engaged — They start conversations, and stick around to facilitate and encourage them, often including a compelling call to action or question that helps spread their message.
• Accessible — They openly make themselves available to media, analysts, prospects, customers, fans and followers so that their ideas resonate and can be shared easily across the social Web.
I’m interested in more thought leadership examples and additional traits that you can suggest. Who or what brands capture your attention, and why? Have you positioned a person or brand for thought leadership? And if so, how? I’d enjoy hearing from you.
Ryan Zuk, APR, is a media and analyst relations professional and Phoenix PRSA Chapter member. Zuk can be reached at ryanzuk dot gmail dot com and @ryanzuk on Twitter. He also blogs at criticalmasspr.com.
Comments
Malcolm Atherton says:
Ryan- I'm not sure of the best way to state this trait, but those who I consider to be thought leaders are also well-grounded - even modest. No matter how accessible, engaged, innovative, interesting, aware, or knowledgeable someone is, I just cannot get behind someone that takes the position of being several rungs above everyone else on the "I'm important" ladder. Thanks for another good article.
Abbie S. Fink says:
As communications professionals we are often asked to position our clients as experts or thought-leaders. Seems simple enough, until you take into consideration some the traits listed above. And I wholeheartedly agree that each of the traits must be present in order to truly be a thought leader. It no longer is enough to have the knowledge, you have to be able to communicate it across a variety of mediums and do it in such a way that engages your audience and keeps them coming back for more.
Ryan Zuk says:
Malcolm, thanks for commenting. Good point - we're all in this together! - Ryan
Ryan Zuk says:
Abbie, thanks for your comment about merging knowledge and delivery. Definitely a required skill for engaging others in meaningful ways on the social Web, often times in multiple places with varying styles of engagement. - Ryan
Mike Johansson says:
Malcom Atherton's comment here gets it right: Humility goes a long way toward winning my following of a thought leader. I'd also add that the characteristic of "transparency" has a role to play. Anyone who is less than transparent - and I don't mean giving away company secrets, but just honest and open - will quickly turn off most potential followers of his or her ideas. Great article on a hot topic. Than you.
Ryan Zuk says:
Mike, thanks for your comment and for amplifying Malcolm's thought. Arrogance seldom gets the job done with any lasting impressions (good ones at least). And your addition of transparency is of course critical. - Ryan
Evan Strange says:
Right on Ryan! I think the point to remember is using SM and traditional media as a FORUM and not a lecture. You could have the best ideas in the world, but if you're preaching, then people will get turned off. Of all the six traits, being innovative is crucial. When you are done tweeting, posting, etc., ask yourself "has this been said before?" Great stuff Ryan, thanks for sharing!
Ryan Zuk says:
Evan, thanks for commenting. Good point noting "forum" over lecture. I'd add that everyone needs to offer each other a bit of latitude when initially conversing online since different folks have varied approaches to making their points. Yet, there's much to say about the power of brevity and clarity. - Ryan Putting those at risk for one moment... I should point out here that you attended the PRSSA Leadership Rally referenced in this article, and it has been interesting to see your own college intern use of social media progress (@INDairport on Twitter being a nice example).
Matthew Pugh says:
Nice article, Ryan. I think you've effectively captured what makes thought leaders, and in the process have demonstrated your own thought leadership.
Brandon Zeuner (bzkicks) says:
Hey Ryan, good piece. Though I am not a big fan of the "thought-leadership" term, I can appreciate the thinking behind this article. Perhaps I got burnt out of the countless "thought-leaders" who ran around in corporate thumping their chests about how they lead a category of thought. I love the "forum" concept and "no preach" clause. Great stuff, man!
Ryan Zuk says:
Matthew, thanks for reading. And I'm checking out the R2i SMASH tool you're working with which looks like an interesting way people can stream in social media info of interest - from thought-leader types and otherwise.
Ryan Zuk says:
Thanks Brandon. I understand what you mean - sometimes we beat up a term and it ends up on office bingo cards! And sometimes folks are guilty of the walk without the talk. Still, whatever you prefer to call it, there's a value chain for developing, sharing and acquiring knowledge and the social Web helps turbo-charges this. For example, I'd certainly consider your "thoughts" and interactions regarding social media as well as startup ventures quite valuable.
Steve Pawlowski says:
Hi, Ryan. I'd like to echo Malcolm's comments. In my mind, a thought leader is NOT condescending. I may not know much (or even anything at all) about a particular topic, but respect the fact that I'm here to learn. Twitter is a good example. Some of the most useful information comes from people who aren't above talking about the basics. Thanks for starting the discussion!
Ryan Zuk says:
Steve, nice additional thought regarding "attitude" and thanks for providing. It's true (echoing Brandon Zeuner's earlier comment) that you don't need to dub yourself an expert to offer helpful knowledge (although becoming said expert over time can have benefits). Helping others learn at even the most basic of levels attracts networking opportunities and relationships that can reward such efforts many times over. Glad to have you here in the AZ PR community and looking forward to meeting you soon.
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