You may have heard the phrase thought leader bandied about. It means someone who is a trusted resource in his or her field of expertise. Although some thought leaders contribute ideas to the community without any specific goal, many see the process as a great way to attract new clients. It's a method you should consider.

Anyone with specialized knowledge has the potential to become a thought leader. You can use a medium as informal as a blog that dispenses helpful tips; or on the other end of the spectrum you might want to offer white papers and survey results. But whatever your media strategy, David Meerman Scott has some solid advice for aspiring thought leaders:

Understand the purpose of thought leadership. You want to educate and entertain, not sell. "This type of marketing and PR technique is not a brochure or sales pitch," writes Scott. "Thought leadership is not advertising." So it's important that you don't write about your company—at all.

Cater to your audience. Address issues of interest to prospective customers. And present the information in an engaging fashion. Remember: This is about your readers, not you.

Promote, promote, promote. Alert carefully chosen bloggers, reporters and analysts with links to your material. Also, place easy-to-find links in online venues you control—even in your staff's email signatures.

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