In tech PR, thought leadership requires more than innovative ideas. You also need an understanding of technology, as well as familiarity with hot platforms, so that you can pick the latest and greatest tools to effectively package and share your ideas with both media and influencers.
Basically, your musings on Twitter’s IPO should be shared—just don’t do it via MySpace. That’s embarrassing no matter how interesting the content is. There are more forward-looking platforms available today that you can use, with the platform serving as a reminder of your expertise.
Here are five of the most interesting, buzzed about tools for content sharing.
Medium & Svbtle
The brainchild of Twitter co-founder Evan Williams, Medium is a new publishing platform that emphasizes thoughtful, long-form content. What separates Medium from other standard blogging services, though, is the influential (btob) community that currently uses and supports it.
Thanks to Williams’ pedigree, media, business leaders and Silicon Valley’s Internet elite are all on Medium, either reading or writing. The interest in the platform is actually helping the content do well. Sure, it may be a niche audience, but it’s an influential one for marketing your own expertise. Svbtle is another publishing platform like Medium that’s similarly valuable for its influential community.
Here’s the kicker, though—for both Medium and Svbtle, reading is available, but writing is invite-only (makes shared content from either platform seem even more valuable—that you were accepted to be a writer indicates leadership). Invites are in-progress now (I just received mine!), so sign-up today.
Quora
Quora is a social Q&A platform that’s been around since 2009. You can answer any question posed by other users, or pose your own. But Yahoo Answers—a huge disappointment / mess—this is not. Quora is an actual value-add when looking at ways to highlight your thought leadership via content marketing.
You answer questions directly or via blog post – Quora has its own blog feature – which can build your online cred as an expert and, in some instances, generate leads. Moreover, though, Quora, like Medium, owns an influential, niche user base that you can interact with directly via questions and answers. This is key. There are other Q&A services out there, but they lack the insider chops that Quora has today.
SlideShare
LinkedIn’s SlideShare lets anyone share biz presentations and video. It also serves as a social discovery platform for users to find relevant content and connect with others who may share similar interests. The service has caught on beyond sharing, though and is literally seen as a content marketing channel.
The best part about SlideShare? Again, it’s all about community. SlideShare is a professional channel, with a who’s who of users in marketing, tech, advertising, etc. With it, you enable influence at scale and add substantial reach to your projects across a well-cultivated audience of btob professionals.
Facebook Notes
This might seem odd, but hear me out. Yes, Facebook has a micro-blog feature called Notes. No, you’ve probably never used it before (it’s buried in your third-party apps list). It’s actually, a strong, albeit basic, publishing platform. Many early adopters still use it, yet it hasn’t lived up to its potential.
So why should you use it? If you’re seeking to be a thought leader, you likely have an established following on Facebook, or at least you’re in the stages of building that following. What better way to connect with these followers than through Facebook, as opposed to new a presence elsewhere?
These are just a few of my favorite content-sharing services. Of course, there are hundreds of others. What platforms do you prefer?