Danny Brown

podcaster - author - creator

Insights

The Problem with Thought Leadership

I have a problem with the term “thought leader”.

According to Dictionary.com, “leader” is described this way:

– noun
a person or thing that leads.
a guiding or directing head, as of an army, movement, or political group.

We all know what a thought is, so no real need to go to a dictionary for that. So, put the two of them together to get thought leader, and we’re basically saying someone that leads an army just by their thoughts alone.

Since we’re not living in The Matrix yet, this is where my problem with the term thought leader comes in, and offering someone that title.

We don’t lead people’s thoughts.

People aren’t so dumb that they need someone to lead the way to have a thought. People don’t need to be taken by the hand and led to a big Thought River where they’re then instructed to drink from it by the almighty Leader.

No. People have their own thoughts every single day. Some make it into an action stage. Some don’t.

But they’re not led to that place, or that revelation. They’re not waiting in a holding pattern until the next megastar blogger or speaker or author or celebrity comes along and leads the way.

To lead is to direct. How do you direct any thoughts but your own? Besides, thoughts are intangible until put into action. If there is any reaction from someone else’s thoughts, then it’s after the intangible has become tangible.

A reaction to an action. So it’s more thought reaction than thought leadership.

I read two great posts today about “thought leadership”. Both spoke about some of the people and thoughts that are meant to have us nod sagely and proclaim them as thought leaders.

Geoff and Doug both make bang-on points about why this type of thinking is bogus, and why thought leadership is a conflict in terms just waiting to happen.

You don’t need to be led. No-one does. At least, not when it comes to thoughts. You might need to be led in a new job until you’re familiar with the set-up, or how to please your new partner in bed until you know what makes them tick.

But thought leadership? Something doesn’t sit right with that term.

If anything, it should be thought breedership. There’s a ton of folks offering their thoughts on a variety of topics, and they (rightly so) inspire you to action.

But they don’t lead you to action.

Maybe we should be talking thought breedership instead. I guess the problem is, because everyone can breed thoughts in others, it might just upset those that want to be known as thought leaders.

And we couldn’t have that now, could we?

image: AsGood

Don’t Be a Twat Pirate

One of the great things about Twitter is the abundance of chats that the platform has encouraged.

From the likes of #blogchat (one of the best chats on Twitter, period) to #gno, #SMsafety and more, there are a ton of great weekly chats that see some of the best tips and exchanges of ideas anywhere.

Or, at least, mostly best tips and exchanges.

Because one thing that seems to be growing in abundance along with the popularity of the chat itself is the hijacking by certain Twitter users, who offer “tips” that turn out to be nothing more than links to posts on their blogs.

I call these folks Twat Pirates – TWitter ChAT hijackers (or pirates).

Now, don’t get me wrong. The great thing about Twitter chats is the opportunity for participants to meet new people, and therefore gain awareness of what their own stuff is about.

But at the same time, most chats usually offer a chance to promote yourself, either at the start or the end of the chat. So where’s the need to constantly throw in your own links and say, “Oh, this is a great article”, or, “You might enjoy this post, it’s really relevant”?

We all like to think we’re helpful. We all like to think we can offer advice to help awareness of us grow, while helping others at the same time.

But as Troy Claus (who made me think more on this) said, there’s a good way and a crap way to do this.

The good way is to maybe say, “Hey, I wrote a post about that, I can send you the link if interested.”

Or, you can be a Twat Pirate instead.

Choice is yours – which one do you want to take?

(Note: I had some emails asking if I knew what twat meant in slang terms. Being from the UK originally, yes, I do, and the choice of term was deliberate.)

image: ZakVTA

Business Lessons from Theme Parks

Business lessons from rollercoasters

When you go to a theme park, do you spend time waiting on the best rides and rollercoasters? Or do you bypass them and go for the more sedate ones with the lesser crowd? Or don?t you go for the rides, more the experience of an enjoyable day out with friends and family?

If you?re like me, you?ll happily wait for an hour (or more) for the fastest rollercoaster, or the one with the biggest drop, or any of the other thrillseeker-type rides. It?s a no-brainer, and if I have to wait to enjoy it, so be it.

Yet is it really a no-brainer?

Think about why you want to ride that rollercoaster, or go on that attraction that shoots you 150-feet in the air before bringing you crashing down to earth in a matter of seconds.

Is it because of your adventurous side, or is it because of the way the ride has been sold to you? Are the words ??death-defying?, ?ultimate thrill ride? and ?your fear is all that stops you? the real reason that you?re in the park?

Theme park operators are some of the canniest minds in marketing.

They know how to reach their target audience and they know exactly which buttons to press to get that audience into their parks. And with theme park technology advancing at such a fast pace, hitting your mark is what separates the must-visit theme parks from the sympathy stop-off when there?s nothing better to do.

Own Your Theme Park

How are you communicating with your target audience?

Do you offer the most exciting rides and the reason why customers should choose your business over the competing one? You need to make sure that your customers are happy to stay in your line ? you need to offer them an end result that blows them away.

You may not have the fastest ride; you may not have the biggest; but if you have the best (or at least the best in the eyes of your customers) then you?ll fill your theme park up regularly. So, how do you make your ride the star attraction?

Offer choices. A theme park would be nothing if there was just one ride, no matter how exciting it was. The ones with the most visitors get them for a reason ? choice.

Your customers are no different ? but are you catering to them, or excluding them? Do your products cater to left-handed people, for example? If not, you can knock 10% from your potential sales figures immediately. Are you excluding minorities? Are there different sizes or designs for the same product? If not, should there be?

Look at what you offer and ask yourself if you can offer alternatives for those that need it. Use analytics and market research to understand your audience and what they?re buying. More importantly, understand what they?re not buying and why.

There are thousands of theme parks all vying for your visitors. Are you giving a reason why yours is the best?

image: Carol Browne

Teens and Social Media Bullying – Why Find Help App is So Important

Find Help app to stop Facebook bullying

Go to Google and type in anything about teen bullying and social media and you’ll find no end of results of tragic stories.

From “normal” school bullying (though there’s nothing normal about any kind of bullying) to being harassed for your sexuality, the ability to easily bully teens online seems to be at an all-time high.

Which is why a new Facebook app from SafetyWeb could be a key tool in combating the issue.

Find Help on Facebook

Conceived by leading web-based monitoring company SafetyWeb, the Find Help app makes it incredibly easy for teens to connect with the right channels for their immediate needs.

By installing the app on Facebook, any teen can report abuse, bullying, sexual harassment and other issues directly to Facebook officials.

Additionally, they will also be connected to professionals and counselors in the area of help they need, from drug abuse, alcohol abuse, cyberbullying, child sexual predators and more.

Teens will get access to the likes of The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline, as well as The National Suicide Prevention Hotline and Facebook’s own Abuse Reporting help centre.

Why Find Help Is Important

While we often look at social media as a great place for connections to business and customers, it’s easy to forget that there’s a huge teenage market out there too.

MySpace is a perfect example where teens can be easily approached, due to its demographic audience of teens and their favourite indie music bands. Facebook is also hugely popular with this audience, sadly highlighted by recent news stories about teen suicides as a result of bullying on Facebook Groups. Something not helped when school officials themselves are the bullies.

We’ve all been teens and remember how it wasn’t easy to talk to our parents about everything. Add to that the “shame” often felt when kids see themselves as different in any way, and you can see why so many teens feel alone online.

The new Find Help app for Facebook from SafetyWeb is a huge step in helping teens through what is often the most difficult time in their lives. It’s a shame that it’s needed at all, but sometimes the bad has to happen for the good to win out.

What’s your take – is this something you can see working? And what else would you like to see in place to help teens online?

A Few Places to Catch Me This Week

Danny Brown

I always feel “weird” writing these types of posts. I always worry that they come across as, “Hey, look at me, I’m popular!”, when nothing could be further from the truth (and hopefully that’s how you feel too).

Anyhoo…

I’m extremely flattered and honoured to have been invited on/interviewed at a few places recently, and they all take place next week. Just like London buses – they all come at once when you might just want one.

So. The places.

Marketer Monday Chat on Twitter

The first place I’ll be is tomorrow’s Marketer Monday chat on Twitter, or #MMchat. Hosted by Jeff Ashcroft, Marketer Monday is part of The Social CMO brand, and visits a different topic each week with various marketing professionals. Jeff kindly invited me to co-host tomorrow’s chat, and the topic will be The Increasing Role of Content as an Engagement and Marketing Tool.

It should be an interesting discussion, and if you’re on Twitter and are free tomorrow (Monday November 1st) at 8.00pm Eastern, pop along and join in. You can follow or contribute to the chat via the #MMchat hashtag.

PRapalooza on BlogTalk Radio

The next stop on the “mini-tour” is over at Joe Hackman’s BlogTalk Radio show. Titled? PRapalooza (snazzy!), I’ll be joining the uber-talented PR ladies Gini Dietrich and Shonali Burke (who has one of the best voices I’ve ever heard).

We’ll be talking about technology and PR, and the ever-changing role of PR in a social media-led world. Particular focus will be on the relationship between bloggers and the PR industry – always a topic that inspires passionate responses on both sides. You can find more details over at Joe’s blog, and the actual BlogTalk radio channel can be found here. The discussion is on Wednesday November 3rd at 3.00pm Eastern.

Rise to the Top

The last, but definitely by no means least, of my online sojourns is over at The Rise to the Top with David Siteman Garland. Recognized as one of the top resources for entrepreneurs, The Rise to the Top is a veritable treasure chest of business advice.

David and I chatted recently about starting your own business; the connection between trust and influence; how to not be a dick in business; and much more. You can see the video chat this coming Thursday, when it goes live on the Rise to the Top website. David’s a great host full of energy and passion, and I think you’ll enjoy the chat.

Anyhoo. These are just some places you can find me this coming week if you’re interested. And even if I bore the heck out of you, the other folks at each place will definitely entertain. Hopefully you can make some, if not all.

Cheers!