Thought leadership is a strategic approach in which individuals or companies demonstrate their expertise and knowledge in a specific area in order to be recognized as an authority. Thought leaders are innovative thinkers who share valuable insights, present new ideas and influence trends in their industry.
Importance of Thought Leadership
In a competitive marketplace where customers are overloaded with information, it is essential to differentiate yourself and build credibility. By pursuing thought leadership, you demonstrate your expertise and reliability to potential customers.
Demonstrating credibility and expertise
Thought leaders have in-depth knowledge and expertise in their field. They have years of experience and understand the ins and outs of their industry. By sharing this knowledge through blog posts, LinkedIn posts, white papers, webinars or other content, they demonstrate their credibility to potential customers.
Building a strong reputation
Thought leadership helps build a strong reputation. When people associate your name with innovative ideas and valuable insights, it will strengthen your brand. A good reputation attracts new customers and creates partnerships with other influential people or organizations in your industry.
Attracting potential customers
Thought leadership can also help attract potential customers. By sharing valuable content that is relevant to your target audience, you can attract their attention and gain their trust. Potential clients will be more likely to engage with you if they see that you are the expert in the field they are interested in.
Characteristics of Thought Leaders
Thought leaders share several characteristics:
- Thought leaders have extensive knowledge and experience within a particular field. They are able to share in-depth insights and help others solve complex problems.
- Thought leaders have a unique and sometimes unconventional perspective. They often have fresh, innovative ideas that deviate from traditional thinking. They dare to think differently and propose new approaches.
- Thought leaders provide valuable insights to their target audience by sharing content such as articles, social media posts, videos, white papers, webinars, or podcasts. They share innovative ideas that inspire others.
Examples of Thought Leaders
Within B2B marketing, Chris Walker, the CEO of Refine Labs, is a thought leader. He is best known for challenging the status quo in B2B marketing through his focus on demand generation rather than lead generation. He shares his vision through podcasts and social media posts.
Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors and the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is known as the “Oracle of Omaha,” and his investment philosophy and business acumen have made him a respected figure in the world of finance and business.
And Gary Vaynerchuk, often known as GaryVee, is an entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker. He is the CEO of VaynerMedia, a digital marketing agency. Vaynerchuk is known for his thought leadership on social media, marketing and entrepreneurship.
Developing a Thought Leadership Strategy
To apply thought leadership effectively, it is important to develop a strategy. Here are some steps you can follow:
1. Identify target audience and their needs
Identify who your target audience is, what their needs are and what information they need to be successful within your field.
2. Define goals and objectives
Define what you want to achieve with thought leadership. For example, do you want to build more brand awareness, attract potential customers, or influence the industry?
3. Research market trends and industry insights
Keep track of the latest market trends and developments within your industry. This will enable you to create relevant and up-to-date content.
4. Determine channels
Where is your target audience active? For many B2B SaaS companies, this will be LinkedIn. Determine what content you will share and when by setting up a content strategy.
5. Create valuable content
Develop content that meets the needs of your target audience on their heavily used channels. This can include blog posts, videos, webinars, e-books, or infographics.
Our Favorite Strategy For Thought Leadership
Once a month, we have a meeting with your company’s founder or subject matter expert. Based on a 1-hour online interview, we create content for an entire month:
- 1 blog article
- 1 newsletter
- 2 long videos for YouTube
- 1 podcast for the major podcast platforms
- 8 to 10 short videos + posts for LinkedIn and YouTube Shorts
We distribute the LinkedIn content through the personal profile page and also post on the company page. After analysis, we add the best-performing posts to a paid LinkedIn campaign for greater reach. What’s more, we already know these posts are working.
The best posts then form another input for the next recording session and webinars. Using the webinar again is the source for B2B content repurposing via the above method.
This way, your potential prospects can’t ignore you anymore!
See also: what is authority marketing?
Conclusion
In short, thought leadership is of great importance in B2B. By positioning yourself as an authority in your field, you can demonstrate credibility, build a strong reputation, and attract potential customers.
By developing a thought leadership strategy and creating valuable content, you can achieve your goals and strengthen your position as a thought leader. So what are you waiting for? Start building your thought leadership today!
Need help developing thought leadership?
Work with our B2B marketing agency today and let’s start claiming thought leadership in your industry!