Are you looking to build your thought leadership and expand your audience? Refine your personal brand and offer wise words to those who could benefit from your knowledge and experience?
Becoming a leading expert in your field is a continuous, ever-evolving cycle. Expanding your influence and maintaining your relevancy requires work, finesse and flexibility.
To effectively build your Authority and monitor your progress, it’s important to know where you stand today.
Building Authority: A Marathon, Not a Sprint
When you train for a marathon, experts suggest starting with a base level of conditioning before embarking on a rigorous training regime. Running twenty miles in your first week of training might result in crutches, not triumph.
Authority building isn’t altogether different. It takes a while to build your authority and requires continuous training to maintain it. For example, training exercises might include writing blog posts, networking on social media, and speaking at local or national events.
Setting short-term and long-term goals for building your Authority is like a marathon training schedule.You need distinct milestones to ensure you’re making progress to survive, thrive, and finish strong.
But first, you need to identify your level of conditioning.
Essential Metrics for Building Thought Leadership
You may already have a good handle on where you stand on the thought leadership spectrum. If not, consider the following metrics and assessments to guide your authority-building journey.
Detailed Metrics
Below are a few measures you can measure and track on your own:
- Website Metrics: Unique visitors, page views, average session duration, and bounce rate.
- Social Media Metrics: Followers, engagement rates (likes, comments, shares), and reach.
- Content Performance: Number of blog posts, blog views, comments, and shares.
- Email Metrics: Subscriber count, open rates, click-through rates, and conversions.
- Speaking Engagements: Number and quality of speaking engagements, audience size, and feedback received.
Assessment Tools
There are well-known tools and platforms for measuring these metrics, such as Google Analytics for website traffic, Hootsuite for social media, and Constant Contacts for email marketing.
Here’s a great assessment for you to take to determine your current level of authority. Don’t despair if your Authority score isn’t as high as you’d like! After all, long walks start with one step.
Moving Along the Authority Curve
Building your Authority may feel like an uphill climb, but our Authority maturity model helps provide some guidance.
Emerging
Early in your career, focus on building your experience and credentials while refining your purpose, mission, and platform.
Tips:
Focus on building a consistent online presence
Create valuable content
Network with industry peers
Tactical
As you continue to build your thought leadership, engage regularly with followers to discern the value you offer. This is the perfect stage to test and learn—to determine what best piques the interests of your audience.
Tips:
Engage actively with your audience
Ask for feedback
Start experimenting with different content formats (videos, podcasts, etc.)
Operational
At this stage, you are a recognized leader in your field. Your audience perceives you as a thought leader with something to teach. Use additional channels to expand your authority.
Tips:
Implement a fine-tuned content calendar
Leverage guest blogging or podcasting
Participate in industry forums and groups
Bonus: Write your first book
Strategic
Your personal brand actively helps achieve your goals. Whether you are growing a business or building a legacy, consistently expand your influence in a strategic and thoughtful way, using a variety of building blocks to do so.
Tips:
Create and share in-depth case studies
Host webinars
Collaborate with other thought leaders
Differentiated
At this pinnacle stage, your ‘voice’ commands a high price, and your presence is in high demand. Do more of the same to maintain your celebrity status.
Tips:
Publish a second or third book
Secure high-profile speaking engagements
Consider media appearances or interviews
Where To Go From Here
Measuring your level of authority helps guide your next steps in growing as a person and professional. Invest in yourself through industry books, seminars, and professional development courses. Build a strong network of peers, mentors, and followers by joining industry associations and attending conferences. Stay adaptable and open to feedback as the landscape of thought leadership changes.
It’s never too late to build your Authority, no matter your current level. Step up to the start line and go!