Using a Blog to Become a Thought Leader in Your Industry, Part 3
Patrick McFadden
In my last post , I wrote about how to market your content. That you must consider where the promotion of your thoughts and ideas are going to be distributed or shared. Content is King, but Marketing is Queen.
Once you’ve done that, it’s time to use the power of social networking. It’s time to start grabbing the attention and networking with influencers. Forming relationships is what social networking is all about. Make this you or your organizations “end game.” You’re here to make connections.
Using a blog to become a thought leader in your industry here’s how you can network with influencers:
- Become a detective. Research and s tart actively following industry leaders on social media.
- Biz and People. Develop two list, one of people who are industry leaders and another of businesses that are industry leaders.
- Hashtag. Make sure you’re following the hashtag of major conferences and events. This will give you more detailed information about whose speaking and actually attending these events.
- Narrow your options. Now it’s time to identify 20-50 people to start conversations and network with. Send them links to other articles that may interest them. If they write or record something awesome say so.
- Wow them. Create a blog post that says something like The 50 Top _______________ People on (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, ect.) Mention how great their blog post are. Connect them with other influencers. The goal here is to give more than you take. Also, make sure you also send them a link of your Top 50 post to share with their audiences.
If you do all of the above with excellence you or your organization will have current and potential customers indicating that your blog is a premier source of information in your specific industry, which is exactly what the you want.
Question: Do you have any tips for networking and starting conversations with influencers?
1. The Challenge: VMI was like many service providers — positioning their value around what they thought clients wanted : “Office furniture installation and assembly — let us handle creating your perfect workspace.” But the actual buyers — facility managers, project managers, furniture reps — weren’t looking for “perfect workspaces.” They were trying to avoid installation nightmares . Their real priority? ✅ Great installation days. ✅ No chaos. ✅ No missed deadlines. ✅ No angry phone calls from clients. 2. The Insight: After conducting stakeholder interviews under our marketing strategy consulting engagement , the Indispensable Marketing team uncovered critical feedback: “We need installers who maintain a professional site and follow instructions.” “We lose relationships when installations go badly.” “I need quotes back quickly or I can’t sell the job.” This wasn’t just about services , it was about trust, problem-solving , and professional reliability . So we reframed their differentiators not by what they did, but how they showed up : Same-day project quotes Problem-solving on-site Update protocol with clients Professionalism guarantee Lasting Impression Insurance 3. The Shift: We shifted the positioning from vague benefits to real-world, emotional triggers : Instead of: “Let us create your perfect workspace.” Now: “Get the perfect installation day, every time.” That subtle shift aligns with who’s actually buying (and who feels the pain when things go wrong). The end-user may care about the workspace. But the buyer cares about the install . 4. The Lesson for Others: If you’re selling a service, don’t describe what you do. Describe what the client wants to avoid or achieve — and who the real buyer is. Then, systematize what you’re already doing well and give it a name. Just like our team did with: “Same Day Quotes” “Lasting Impression Insurance” “Reliable Presence Protocol” 5. The Outcome Within weeks of updating their messaging and positioning: The company reported more qualified leads asking the right questions Furniture reps began referring them because they were “easy to work with and made them look good” They were shortlisted for larger, multi-phase projects due to increased confidence in their process But most importantly, they stopped competing on price — because they weren’t selling perfect workspaces anymore. They were selling peace of mind on installation day.
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