In this episode of Thought Leader Life, Michael and I hang out with #ThoughtLeader Stuart Tracte (@stwo). Stuart hosts the digipolitichat show Beer Diplomacy, and is constantly involved in forward-thinking, cutting-edge social media stories. He leads the group that takes care of digital strategy and communication for Social@Ogilvy, an award-winning company specializing in social business solutions. For Stuart, a #ThoughtLeader is not necessarily somebody who has advanced thoughts, but someone who makes people think of things beyond what is considered the norm. To push #ThoughtLeadership within brands or companies, especially the large ones, they must look at different platforms and use different styles to get the message out to their target audience. Oftentimes, #ThoughtLeadership is not necessarily about your product, but about building trust with your customer. People don’t like it if you’re always selling. Instead, use a personal brand to test the ground. Be active on social, and use different platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Inspire people to think. To emphasize this point, I present the question: When was the last time you posted something on Facebook that had one hundred responses?

In the interview, Stuart talks about how communication channels have evolved; for example, you can simply put a hashtag somewhere, and consumers will know and understand what that means. People recognize that there is depth in dynamic communication channels, which create unique experiences for the customer that standard advertising cannot do. Different communities online are now starting to specialize, hence why there is also a need to tailor the message and use a platform that truly matches it. People get it. But it is also important to develop relevant content on the right platform and offer new ways to communicate. Stuart also gives his commentary about truth in advertising, pointing out the practice of some publishers to “seed in” branded content. He notes that the lines have become really blurry between advertising and editorial content. He argues that there must be some form of regulation when it comes to publishing news feeds that are actually pushing a certain brand. Journalists should not be writing ad copy.

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Here are some “‘aha’ moments” from the episode. See more in the Aha Moments from Thought Leader Life books available in the Aha Amplifier and watch the interview below!

The best way to educate yourself about something new is to get in there and get your hands dirty. @stwo

Today, the lines have become very blurry between what is advertising and what is editorial content. @stwo

Don’t shotgun blast and use social media where it’s really not intended to be. @michaelprocopio

Guess what? Even as marketers, we are also consumers. @stwo

Follow Stuart on Twitter at @stwo. Tune into Thought Leader Life every Saturday for more thought-leader goodness!