Leading B2B marketers are always looking for ways to enhance their brand growth and development. If thought leadership isn’t at the top of the priority list, it should be.

According to this year’s Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact 2024 Report,

73% of decision makers believe that an organization’s thought leadership content is more reliable than its marketing materials when it comes to assessing its capabilities and competencies.

As B2B leaders work to stand out from the competition and position themselves and their brand as a trusted authority, thought leadership is a highly effective approach. In my opinion, the combination of creating brand-level content and offering executive perspective, insights, and guidance elevates thought leadership to an even higher degree.

More Than Just Content

Successful thought leadership is way more than just creating and sharing content. It's about building knowledge, creating value, and taking a stand. As a thought leader, you're seen as a teacher who offers their time to help others by sharing your expertise, insight, and experience. Effective thought leadership should inform, inspire, clarify, focus, create connections, build trust, and develop meaningful relationships.

Thought Leadership Has The Power to Influence

Companies in a variety of industries continue to position their thought leaders as part of their B2B digital marketing strategy and use thought leadership as a way to influence ideas and actions. The Edelman-LinkedIn study found that 54% of c-level executives spend an hour or more each week reading thought leadership content and 75% of decision makers and c-level executives say that a piece of thought leadership has led them to research a product or service they were not previously considering. Further, 60% of those who researched something new because of a piece of thought leadership say that it made them realize their organization was missing out on a significant business opportunity. The companies who are leveraging thought leaders to expand their community building efforts are likely to be the ones moving the needle.

A strategic and ongoing thought leadership program can offer several benefits:

Establishing Authority.

Thought leadership positions individuals or organizations as experts in their field. By consistently providing valuable insights, analysis, and innovative ideas, they can become go-to sources for information and guidance. It’s important to develop a set of guiding principles for your brand’s thought leadership program. Formalizing and developing foundational principals allow leaders to leverage their own platforms, especially within social media, to spread positive and accurate information and elevate their brand. By creating a more formalized thought leadership program you can help to elevate the insights of your employees while helping raise the visibility of your brand’s content.

Creating Competitive Differentiation.

More and more, a thought leader’s response is viewed as a reflection of their company as well as its goals and values. Businesses can grow organically if the message is beneficial and suffer greatly if poorly received. With a formal thought leadership program in place, you can clearly distinguish your thoughts and ideas from other executives and competitors within your industry, providing a competitive advantage to your company. Done well, thought leadership can prompt buyers to question the status quo. The Edelman-LinkedIn study found that 75% of B2B decision makers and c-suite executives say that a particular piece of thought leadership content has led them to research a product or service they were not previously considering.

Building Trust.

Thought leadership is a useful tool to build trust with your target audience. When you consistently deliver valuable content and insights, you demonstrate your expertise and reliability, which can strengthen relationships with clients, customers, and other stakeholders.

Enhancing Brand Visibility.

Whether through articles, blog posts, podcasts, or speaking engagements, regularly producing thought leadership content helps your brand gets more exposure, reaching a broader audience and attracting potential customers or partners. But the most successful brands don’t use thought leadership to add more noise to an already crowded space; they use it to prompt buyers to wonder whether they could be doing things differently— or with different partners. According to the Edelman-LinkedIn report, more than half of B2B decision makers found the highest quality thought leadership features strong research and data, 44% said it helps them better understand their own business challenges and opportunities, and 43% said it offers concrete guidance and case studies.

Use thought leadership to demonstrate your understanding of your customers’ challenges. By empathizing with their needs, concerns, and aspirations, you can create thought leadership that drives engagement and demand for your business while enhancing brand visibility. Show, don't tell, your customers that you have the knowledge and expertise to help them succeed.

Fostering Innovation and Navigating Change.

Thought leadership encourages continuous learning and innovation. By staying at the forefront of industry trends and developments, you can identify new opportunities, challenge conventional thinking, and drive positive change within your organization and the industry. In rapidly evolving industries, thought leadership provides guidance and insights to navigate change effectively. By sharing perspectives on emerging trends, disruptive technologies, and market shifts, thought leaders can help their audience adapt and thrive in dynamic environments.

Strengthening Relationships.

When executed well, thought leadership fosters deeper connections with clients, partners, and stakeholders. Consistently providing valuable content and insights helps you engage with your audience on a deeper level, leading to stronger relationships and long-term loyalty.

A strategic and ongoing thought leadership program can significantly enhance your brand's reputation, credibility, and influence, ultimately driving business growth and success. With a well-defined thought leadership marketing strategy in place, companies can influence buyers, edge out their competition and expedite the purchasing cycle.

It’s clear that both buyers and decision makers want to work with leading industry minds, and thought leadership can deliver big, helping to foster relationships built on trust and confidence. If you have something to say that adds value to others and elevates your brand in the process, don’t delay. Make thought leadership a must-have on your list of marketing priorities and get ready to reap the benefits.

You can learn more about our Thought Leadership Strategy Services and book an introduction call.

— Katrina Klier