Thought Leadership Marketing Content Guide

In 1994  Joel Kurtzman, editor-in-chief of Strategy & Business magazine, was the first person to define and make popular the concept of thought leadership. He defined the concept as, “A thought leader is recognised by peers, customers and industry experts as someone who deeply understands the business they are in … they have distinctly original ideas, unique points of view and new insights.” And since then, the concept of thought leadership has grown in popularity. 

Definition of Thought Leadership Marketing

Today, the concept of thought leadership can be defined as the practice of content marketing in which individuals and companies are recognised as the most reliable and trustworthy experts in their field, making them the go-to authority for anything that arises related to their field of expertise. 

This practice of content marketing is extremely effective in growing purchase intent, building trust, increasing visibility and lead generation. One of the most famous thought leaders today is Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft. He is known all over the world and still posts regularly on LinkedIn, sharing quality information to inspire people from all walks of life. This has established him as an authority figure and helped to create a reputable company status. 

Now, if you’re wondering how you can use this practice of content marketing for your B2B brand, here are some best practices to help you along:

Start by Creating Quality and Value-Added Content

Quality content that adds value to your target audience is key to your thought leadership marketing strategy. This is what will set your brand apart and portray you as an industry leader. Make sure that you create content that is educational and informative with accurate facts and events to back it up. Don’t forget to regularly update your target audience about all the major events and happenings in your industry, so they know that they can always depend on you to find the most accurate and timely information. You can always hire an agency to help you create the right thought leadership strategy. 

Be Consistent with Dispersing Quality Content

The next step that will help you take your thought leadership marketing strategy forward is the dispersing of your quality content. Make sure you create a strategy that includes regular posts across the most relevant social media platforms, participation in industry related news articles, blog post and podcasts and participating in various industry conferences and events. 

You could also start your own blog with a strategy that includes posts from individual thought leaders within your company. The key here is to be consistent and post on-brand content regularly through multiple channels for maximum effect. 

Regularly Engage with Your Audience

Audience engagement is extremely important for building your company as a thought leader. But it can be difficult if your company is short on time. So, get creative and think of clever ways to engage and hold the attention of your target audience. Ask them for their opinion, respond to their questions and get conversations rolling. Use insights from those conversations to create more content. With social media platforms, engaging with your target audience has never been easier. So, make sure you tap into the power of these platforms to start the right conversations. 

Start and Participate in Relevant Industry Events

Events and conferences bring together people from all walks of the industry and starting, participating in and sponsoring such events can help bring your brand and your thought leaders into focus. It can be a digital event or a live one, but make sure you promote it the right way and get people to participate. Create a solid event plan and bring in some known thought leaders from the industry to participate and help promote your event. This will help you obtain increased visibility and help your brand build reliability and trust. 

Need help creating your thought leadership marketing strategy? Book a free consultation call with our team and get the ball rolling.