THOUGHT LEADERSHIP IN THE FIELD OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Thought leadership means having a reputation in the market as an individual or firm with unique, innovative, and important ideas about the GR field , the forces shaping it, the challenges facing it, and the future awaiting it. As a GR Thought Leader, you or your firm will gain credibility in the market and become a trusted advisor and partner. Potential customers will gravitate toward your services. Journalists will seek you out for quotes. Analysts will call you. Industry websites will link to you.

What clients want is an expert they can trust, someone (or firm) who can demonstrate the knowledge and perspective to solve their problems. They need a Thought Leader.

Here’s how to be that GR Thought leader that the market will turn to for expertise:

1. Focus on your audience
The number one attribute of Thought Leaders is they are able to provide answers to questions their audience has. Questions about approaches to solving problems. Questions about technology trends. Questions about the GR industry best practices. Every industry is changing rapidly. Your audience has a multitude of questions that must be answered so they can make the right decisions about buying your services or setting strategic direction. Answer those questions.

2. Sell ideas, not services
Your audience knows you or your firm is in business to make a profit, but that doesn’t mean you should be trying at all times to be turning a profit. Before you can sell your GR services, you need to be able to sell ideas. Offering intelligent, well-reasoned, and useful ideas is what will attract your audience.

3. Identify a niche
In this day of extreme market segmentation and specialization, the generalist GR Thought Leader is dead. The specialist survives. Choose a niche that is important to both you or your company and your audience. Focus on that arena to develop thought leadership. It’s best if you can choose a niche that is not already dominated by another firm, so you can “own” the expertise. Putting your resources into one area of specialty means that you might have to sacrifice somewhere else. That’s okay because you’re choosing what’s most important to you and your audience. You’ll also be able to find targeted outlets—websites, e-publications, industry events—where you have a captive and motivated audience.

4. Give it time
More than most other initiatives, building a GR Thought Leadership platform takes time. Not only must you produce content to support your position, you must publish and distribute the content. You must participate in GR industry conferences and events. You must continue to repeat your position and perspective in order to be heard. All of this takes time—not days or weeks, but months and years. You don’t become a recognized GR Thought Leader overnight. The benefits are there, but they take time to accrue.

5. Educate and entertain
Your main goal is to educate your audience by being able to answer their questions and becoming a trusted resource. But you can’t do this with facts and figures alone. If you’re boring your audience won’t pay attention. In any communication today, there has to be some aspect of entertainment. The way to entertain is through stories: real-world experiences and anecdotes are the best ways to add entertainment to education. Get personal. Start sharing. Be human.

6. Don’t be a know-it-all
Being a GR Thought Leader doesn’t mean you know everything about GR. And it definitely doesn’t mean you can predict the future with absolute accuracy. Instead it means you have enthusiasm for the field of GR. You have a vested interest in your GR industry niche. You are open to the possibilities the future may bring. You are able to admit you don’t know everything and at the same time you refuse to abandon your quest to advance the knowledge base in the GR industry.

7. Commit to producing and distributing content
There’s only one way to build your reputation: content. Your target audience is hungry for information. GR Thought Leaders supply it. You should be pitching article ideas to relevant online publications in the GR industry and getting to know editors. You should also be moving forward with producing content on a regular basis in the form of blog posts, webinars, newsletters, white papers, videos and more. Distribute your thought leadership content on your website and through your social media platforms. Find a media partner with channels like e-newsletters, webinars, online events and banner advertisements that can help you distribute your content to a targeted and engaged audience.

Ask Yourself

• Are your writing and speaking styles approachable? Are your activities "of service," or are they all about you?
• What will you do to be more "discoverable"?
• How does your personal story impact the work that you do? Will you use your personal experiences to engage people to believe in and align with your ideas?
• Before you speak, post or send an e-mail ask yourself, "Would I like to read this on the front page of the newspaper?"
• What drives you? Where are you unstoppable?
• Who can offer you support ? What milestones will you celebrate?
• Are people in action around your ideas? What are the next steps you can take to build your credibility as someone who is making change happen