Social proof is the most effective marketing
Whether you're a solopreneurial 'thought leader' or a partner (current or aspiring) in professional services, becoming known as the go-to authority in your field is the goal, and guiding the dialogue around you and your work is key to the success of this project.
You've gotta own what you're known for.
Whilst the strategic plan is a creative pursuit, in large part, your success or failure in this space comes down to awareness. You need to make thinking about your positioning important enough that it becomes a background process that runs constantly - in the same way your brain is wired to listen for your name in a noisy crowd.
One really simple step you can implement is to make a habit of collecting everything positive people say about you, and keep it somewhere it's accessible. Whether they say something nice in an email, or on Facebook, or in a phone call; write it down and save it in your second brain. It's a useful habit for two reasons:
If ever you're feeling a bit flat, you can look back on all the supportive messages and pick yourself up again; and,
Once you've asked permission, you can use the compliments as testimonials in your marketing materials to help position you.
Check out this page on my website as an example. The comments on this page and around my site from happy clients are almost exclusively adaptations of personal emails that I've asked for permission to share.
P.S. — Do you need help articulating what you want to be known for? Helping smart people work out how to brand themselves is one of my superpowers! Send me an email.
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash