thought leaders

I was flipping through work notes from my recent Fulbright project in Ethiopia, and the topic of personal branding using social media caught my attention.

Earlier this year, I presented my course “Branding, Content and Social Media” to faculty and staff in two Ethiopian universities.

Daily, I wrote an outline of the topics I expected to cover for each session so I wouldn’t forget anything.

For the personal brand topic, I actually wrote out more of a script. I don’t include this subject in my iTunes U course, but I wanted to emphasize the use of social media in personal branding for my Ethiopian students.

I thought I’d share my notes here:

Branding is not just for your organization. It also applies to you.

Your personal brand is similar to reputation – how others view you and how you show up in your daily life.

Are you a genius? Trustworthy? Responsive?

Do you do what you say you will?

One way to communicate your personal brand is to write a blog about a special project or a cool hobby. Since I work in higher education, I am always looking for faculty who can be thought leaders on an issue of importance.

If that person writes a blog, then we can tweet about it, promote it on our websites, or include it in e-newsletters. Expert blog posts can also be promoted to external media as a possible information source or future interview.

However, having a blog can be a big time commitment. Perhaps your experts can’t invest the time in regularly posting to a blog. One option is to pitch that expert as a guest writer on someone else’s blog. The key is to be a relevant voice and add value to the site’s followers.

What to write about? Perhaps there is a photograph that speaks to your expertise. Writing about the backstory for that image could be a great blog post.

Here’s an example: We have a great photograph of our American students and Ethiopian partners conducting surveys on perceptions related to rabies. Here it is:

The Ethiopian expert in the photo could write a post about what is happening and why, what she was thinking when this was happening, and the challenges of getting to and from the rural location.

Throughout my course, I focus on an organization’s use of brand, content and social media. My point here is that it can also apply to your personal brand.

From our recent trip to Hilton Head

I like the light that reflects off the sand at sunset. I like when my porch glows with the indirect light of a summer afternoon, filtered through the tree in my front yard. I even like the soft light of an overcast day.

Photographers know that reflected light can often be more effective than a bright flash. The same can be said for what thought leaders can do for their organizations.

What is a thought leader? I’m going to stick with a very basic definition: A trusted authority who is sought out for her or his expertise.

As communicators, developing your experts into thought leaders can be a successful strategy for promoting your organization.

Social networks, like LinkedIn and Twitter, provide a platform for your expert to bloom into a thought leader, reflecting their light on your organization.

This strategy isn’t without risk. It takes time. Your expert needs to be willing and committed to the work. Once successful, your thought leaders could leave your organization, taking their influence with them. Or she or he could step in a pile and become the source of negative coverage.

That said, the best communications plans have a mix of strategies. The risks of developing thought leaders are not enough to outweigh the potential benefits. We are lucky at Ohio State to have many brilliant experts who are leaders in their field. Our challenge as communicators is how to focus our efforts in a strategic way.

Here are three Ohio State thought leaders I recommend following:

Martha Gulati, College of Medicine professor and cardiologist

Bruce McPheron, dean of College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and an entymologist

Matt Stoltzfus, chemistry teacher in College of Arts and Sciences

The bottom line: Don’t rely on a flash bulb – videos that may or may not go viral, news releases, major events – as your only illumination. Enjoy the reflected glow of your thought leaders. They will help increase exposure of your organization’s ideas and innovations.