In a competitive world that is today’s economy, businesses strive to establish themselves in new markets or new markets they’ve created themselves. Their experience, competency and expertise have always played an important role in building their brands, but even more so when there are numerous niche markets and smaller target audiences. Now, corporate credentials are vital for both budding and mature brands, and thought leadership is needed to create, build and maintain a brand’s credibility.
Thought Leadership and Content Curation
As the markets change, so have the traditional methods for developing thought leadership. Where before, leading conversations and designing new concepts would suffice, now there is more depth and engagement required — aspects that content curation provides. Thought leaders who use content curation in their marketing plans can bolster their positions, engage with their brands’ audiences, and develop communities.
As Jay Palter describes it: “I think thought leadership is an inherently social concept. The community decides who its leaders are based on both the demonstration of vision and adding value to the collective understanding of an issue. Curating other people’s great content is part of the value-add that the crowd uses to ascribe thought leadership.”
Many marketers agree. In March 2012, 400 marketers were polled in the US and 85% viewed content curation as a means to establish thought leadership. Since content on the web has become formidable, both in numbers and quality, and creating content takes time and effort, content curation allows brands to keep a steady stream of content on their social platforms and websites. This allows brands to keep up-to-date with the latest trends and to start (or extend) a trend themselves.
More importantly, content curation help thought leaders build trust with their brand’s audience. Through commenting on another’s content, answering questions and sharing information, thought leaders become the experts in their field and, in turn, their brands become the hub for their markets. Corporate credentials are then bolstered by a thought leader, and then the community built around the thought leader.
That is why content curation now plays an important role in thought leadership: it brings more depth and engagement to a brand’s credibility. With social media bringing brands and people closer together, thought leaders are needed to facilitate conversation between the parties, and content curation allows for a smoother communication.
What are your thoughts on thought leadership and content curation? Comment below. We’d love to hear from you!