Do you want to be seen as an “influencer,” ’a “thought leader,” or both?

These two terms gained tremendous popularity over the past few years, and are synonymous in the eyes of many. In fact, I would say they are synonymous in many ways, but our understanding of these two terms is starting to evolve.

With platforms like Instagram and YouTube, there are more influencers than ever. Influencers are often seen as people who are primarily leveraging large audiences to promote a particular product or service. In many cases, influencers are defined by how well they can drive sales.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with making sales, and I say, more power to influencers if what you’re promoting is helping people live better lives.

Where I see a disconnect is that many of these same influencers focus on the transaction instead of the transformation and more importantly, the purpose behind the transformation.

A true thought leader is concerned with the intellectual contribution they’re giving to their crowd, not just the transactions their crowd makes.

The question for today comes down to this premise: how does the product or service you’re promoting focus on helping your audience have a better life? Life is too short just to make a sale; we have a chance to make a difference at the same time.

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”