How do you position your B2B brand as a thought leader?

??Understanding your audience enables you to create content that specifically addresses their needs and challenges. When you know your audience you can speak their language, use their preferred channels, and talk about industry-specific topics. ?? Creating a trusted relationship with your audience will solidify your brand as a trusted authority in the industry. ?? Useful???

To be a thought leader, you cannot just tell your audience what it wants to hear or repeat what others are saying. To be a thought leader you must actually have new thoughts, original thoughts and original insights. And you must have the courage to present these thoughts and take the risk that they might be rejected and that you might be rejected--at least on a temporary basis. And if you have to go around telling people that you are a thought leader, you probably aren't. Recognition as a thought leader is something that has to be earned and then acknowledged by others. It is not a crown that a person can place on his or her own head and march through the public square pointing to it. Dr. Donald Moine

To be a true thought leader, you possess the power to influence a solution without demanding change. The most important component of thought leadership is showcasing your authenticity in your outreach and providing creative solutions that are differentiated from other experts. By understanding the differences in your collective audience, you can address an array of challenges facing certain industries to provide tailored solutions to each, while also identifying macro trends that connect your audience to you and to each other. By showcasing these similarities using an authentic voice and original thoughts, you gain trust, foster a community of followers who can then work together over time to solve for new challenges that arise.

Thought leadership, when understood and set from the top, and as described works! Brings the business, leaders, teams all the way through the business with their offerings into a view that related and translates to the receiver.

I suggest focusing on crafting and sharing opinions that are both attention-grabbing and data-backed, especially if they challenge prevailing views. This approach not only demonstrates your brand’s expertise and insight but also distinguishes it in the marketplace. By thoughtfully contesting common perspectives and substantiating your stance with solid data, you will elevate your brand's voice, making it a go-to source for innovative and credible viewpoints in your industry.

Creating valuable content is crucial to becoming a thought leader in B2B because it demonstrates your expertise and builds trust with your audience. ??Pro tip: Focus on providing actionable insights and solutions that directly address your audience's pain points and challenges. This not only showcases your knowledge but also positions you as a helpful resource they can rely on, strengthening your thought leadership status. ?? Useful? ??

Many struggle with what "Valuable content" really means so here's a quick 3 step breakdown: 1.) Gather insights from the audience you want to reach with your content (Pain points, challenges, problems, fears, desires, goals, etc.). Use this to formulate content ideas that really matter to your audience. 2.) Get clear on your unique point of view (POV) and perspective. Don't overcomplicate this, simply think: "How do I think about our industry a bit different than others might?" "What's my unique story/narrative here?" 3.) Start creating two core types of content based on 1 & 2 -WHY content (This shifts perspective, opens up minds to new ways of doing things, etc.) -HOW content (This teaches people how to actually do it!)

I've found that the key to creating content that can be categorized as "thought leadership" is to start with a question. "Is this helpful?" Use your expertise to answer the questions your ideal audience has and present it to them where they live. Maybe that's LinkedIn or a podcast or a blog. As long as the material is helpful, it will be valuable

A solid thought leadership strategy is essential for a 'marketing-led growth model' to transform early-stage startup brands from unknowns to industry leaders. Firstly, understanding what matters to your audience is crucial. Identify their problems and, if necessary, educate them about these issues. Develop content around the problem while simultaneously presenting solutions. Secondly, considering startups often have limited resources, a key element of any content strategy should be content repurposing. Leverage your content across various channels. For instance, transform a podcast episode into a blog post. This helps maximize your reach and ensures efficient use of resources.

One of the biggest misconceptions is trying to have only the "brand" itself be the thought leader. Brands are made up of people. The team members behind a brand have the biggest capacity to create thought leadership. The key is, people need to step back from their promotional headspace and try and provide topical insights, from first hand experience, without a clear bent to push people towards a sale. The best thought leadership is replicable. Can someone read this content and go change something in how they operate day to day? Is there enough specificity for that? That will win trust long-term.

Share your opinions *about the category and/or best practices*, not just your product/services. This shows your market that you truly understand them, their challenges, their desires, and the market they're playing in. This is the difference between being viewed as a trusted advisor/thought leader and yet another company simply trying to sell something.

??Sharing your opinions is important for thought leadership in B2B because it showcases your unique perspective and helps you stand out in a crowded marketplace. ??Pro tip: Back your opinions with data, case studies, or real-world examples to provide credibility and context. For example: instead of just stating that a certain industry trend is significant, explain why you believe it's important based on concrete evidence or your experiences. This approach not only demonstrates your thought leadership but also helps your audience understand and appreciate your perspective.?? Useful? ??

I was born to challenge the status quo, and I love to reflect this in my posts. If we always do things the way we used to, then where is the innovation? We need to inspire others to think, act and do different. This is what I love MOST being a B2B Thought Leader!!

Don't forget: adding your "spicy" take to content often helps set you apart. Not everyone will necessarily agree with you, but if you have an opinion or certain protective and you can back it up, you're more likely to be seen as a thought leader in your space than someone who remains neutral. ???? Who agrees? ??

Positioning your B2B brand as a thought leader is a long-term commitment that involves a multi-tiered strategy. You need to share valuable insights that help your audience, demonstrate a deep understanding of your industry, and be a go-to source for innovation and solutions. Some steps to help you achieve that goal include evergreen content creation, gathering feedback, adapting your content as needed, and engaging with and building a community. It's a long-term investment, but it's worth it when your business becomes the go-to in your industry.

?? Engaging with your community fosters trust, builds relationships, and keeps you connected with your audience. ??Pro tip: Actively participate in industry forums, social media discussions, and networking events to share your expertise and connect with peers. ?? Example: regularly contributing valuable insights to industry forums or hosting webinars on relevant topics can establish you as a go-to resource and amplify your thought leadership impact within your niche or community.?? Useful? ??

I like to think of LinkedIn like an in person business event (A fun one too!) So, what would you do if this were a in person event? ?? -You would start meaningful conversations with your peers -You would ask questions and get curious about others -You would build relationships and support each other -You would share your insights and stories -You'd listen to others share theirs That is exactly how I treat LinkedIn. You GET what you GIVE to the platform. Engaging with others and building meaningful relationships here is a must if you want to find success.

People want to feel like their voice is being heard and that their contributions are valuable. One way to validate your community members is engaging with them by responding to comments, inviting them into conversations, and even asking for their expertise on a webinar or blog. You likely have some great experts in your community, and helping them position themselves as such helps you as well.

Building a community isn't just about followers; it's about creating connections. By actively engaging with your audience and collaborating with them, they will see you as a trusted source and advisor.

Be proactive as well as reactive by asking questions, inviting opinions and sharing interactive posts like polls. Make sure your questions are open-ended too, so that people respond with detailed answers rather than just "yes" or "no".

?? To remain a thought leader is important to be at the forefront of your industry. Don't get out of touch! ?? If you are a thought leader today but don't keep on top of new trends you will soon become irrelevant or considered "old news". ??Pro tip: Invest in ongoing education, attend conferences, and talk to your community, including peers, and seek feedback to improve all the time. Useful? ??

Co-learning with your customers is a strong lever. You can organise quarterly sparring sessions (not the fist fights type) and challenge both the client and yourself to doing better. A snowball approach to asking and answering questions together is a great way for both sides to improve, become more knowledgeable and solidify their professional relationship.

#1 way to improve your thought leadership? Don't *start* with Artificial Intelligence. I'm not denying the value and power of good AI tools in creating, executing and proliferating your content strategy. But if your thought leadership (and your advice around thought leadership) start in ChatGPT, you'll eventually be exposed for the sham that you are.

Industry events are amazing to learn and grow yourself further as a B2B Thought Leader. Attending presentations that challenge our thinking, that let us be ahead of the industry. Connecting with strangers, and sharing stories. I also do LinkedIn courses to sharpen my skills, which is an amazing resource.

The courage to be curious is a powerful attribute in developing thought leadership. Asking questions to gain new perspectives and learning from others helps to continually shape the relevance of a though leader's journey.

You don't position your brand as a thought leader. You position the people who represent your brand as thought leaders. Ultimately, it's about the *people* in your business and their ability to bring unique, relevant, often provocative ideas to the table. The brand ultimately becomes a beneficiary of human-led thought leadership and reaps the rewards of "leadership by association."

On platforms like insta and tiktok, people are far less interested in brand accounts, than they are in the people that drive/build the brands. We can apply the thinking to LinkedIn. Give your people a voice on social platforms. Train them. Incentivise them if you have to. People don't care as much about your brand look and feel, and can relate so much more to the people building the brands. Make them the thought leaders. However, brands still need a voice and on LinkedIn, the Company Page requires focus and a planned approach. Don't let your people do ALL the talking.

Choose an area of expertise that can be interesting to your target market, without being specifically the thing that your product solves. A tangential or overlapping subject is more valuable: - Avoids sounding like you're selling all the time, and gives you a level of independence - Brings a wider audience in from outside your usual market - Gives you a wider field to talk about - Makes it easier to maintain over a longer period

The best way is to showcase organizational expertise that’s one step ahead of the rest. While some orgs and products are solving for known needs today, build out a plan and content to show: - the changing world and where it’s headed - currently unknown or undocumented needs that prospective customers may have to solve in the future - reasons why this should be compelling -share this knowledge in all areas where your customers “hang out”

While brands aren't typically thought of as "thought leaders" it's more so individuals. But it doesn't mean you can't position your brand as a trusted category thought leader. It comes down to utilizing the opinions and perspectives of the founders that relates to the industry and category. From there, those views need to be woven into a story that can be distributed via: Your branded social channels in different formats, executives sharing on their socials and/or talking about them on podcasts/articles, employees that are aligned on the story and can further amplify those messages, other marketing initiatives (Paid ads, webinars, community, etc). Individuals are the essential catalyst to a brand becoming a trusted thought leader.