The Power of Thought Leadership in Corporate Marketing Strategy

High-quality insights boost sales efforts and pricing power

B2B buyers now prefer a self-directed journey of digital discovery and companies are continually seeking innovative ways to stand out and connect with their audience. One increasingly effective strategy is the adoption of thought leadership posts from company leaders rather than relying solely on the corporate brand voice.

Clubbed with the fact that the My Company Tab on LinkedIn that organizations used for employee advocacy is going away, Marketing leaders have to change course and have the C-Suite engage with customers and prospects through thought leadership to drive growth and retention goals. This change necessitates a more direct approach where C-suite executives become the vanguard of every company's narrative and engagement.

Recent research highlights that CXO engagement is not just beneficial but profitable, emphasizing the need for leaders to carve out time to interact with peers, prospects, customers, and the community at large. This is the opportunity to lead from the front, leveraging your insights and leadership to not just navigate but capitalize on the evolving digital landscape.

The Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report says "Thought leadership that spurs business leaders to rethink their challenges is a powerful tool for stimulating demand for your business’s products and services." The same survey found these insights:

• Thought leadership builds trust. 73% of decision-makers find it more reliable than marketing materials when evaluating a company
• High-quality thought leadership boosts a company's reputation. 7 in 10 executives are more likely to view organizations that consistently produce it favorably.
• Thought leadership sparks curiosity. 75% of decision-makers say it has prompted them to explore products or services they hadn't previously considered
• Untapped business opportunities discovered: 60% said that piece of thought leadership had made them realize their organization was missing out on a significant business opportunity.

7 ways you can start your thought-leadership driven (TLD) growth strategy

• Video Posts: Videos allow leaders to convey emotion, passion, and authenticity far better than text. They can discuss complex ideas in a digestible format, making it easier for the audience to understand and engage with the content. Jennifer Tomlinson of QorusDocs strategy of having CEO Ray Meiring engage is a good follow.

• Chats with Customers: Featuring conversations with customers can serve dual purposes. It provides real-world feedback and testimonials, while also showing the company's commitment to listening and adapting to customer needs. I have long admired Beth Ford President and CEO of Land O'Lakes, Inc. . whose posts have raised awareness of the brand and the community that the brand serves. I did not know that the company is a cooperative.

• Industry Insight Posts: Leaders sharing their perspectives on industry trends or predictions not only position them as forward-thinkers but also provide value that can guide others within or outside the industry. Have always admired the posts from Raja Rajamannar Chief Marketing & Communications Officer and Founding President - Healthcare Business for 萬事達卡

• Product Launches and Enhancements: When leaders announce new products or features, it adds weight to the launch. Their involvement can explain the 'why' behind the product, offering a narrative that goes beyond the features. Tom Zehren ze CEO of the Info-Tech Research Group engages with both employees and the industry.

• Company Wins and Employee Achievements: Celebrating wins or highlighting employee achievements through leaders’ posts can boost morale internally and enhance the company's image externally as one that values growth and recognition. Matthew Holland CEO of Field Effect is an interesting follow for cyber security and wins from employees a great strategy by CMO Shea Cole

• Research and Survey Results: Publishing original research or survey results with executive commentary can position the company as a knowledge leader, providing data-driven insights that can influence industry practices.
• Personal Mentoring Posts: Leaders offering advice or sharing experiences about leadership, innovation, or personal growth can inspire others, creating a mentoring relationship at scale with the audience. Amanda McGuckin Hager of TrueDialog: Business Texting Platform and Dr Imad Syed Co-CEO and CIO of PiLog Group help other leaders with their subject matter expertise.

The strategy will only work if there is a dedicated calendar and if marketing leaders can make it easy for their peers and CEOs to create content. A way to do this especially when you have a lean team:

• Weekly scheduled video interview with for 30 minutes every week on topics and trends
• Use the content to syndicate to multiple locations like publishing to YouTube (Consider StreamYard , Riverside.fm ), Sound as a podcast (evaluate using Castos for podcast syndication), transcript and video posted as a blog post and posted on social media

Other examples of CEO's who engage well are Nina Vellayan (CEO Engageware ) , Dipanwita Das (CEO Sorcero ), Seema Sreenivas (CEO Boostaro , Steve Lucas (CEO of Boomi ), Yamini Rangan (CEO of HubSpot ) Matt Garman (CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS) ).

Jennifer Case nominates another great example Michael Smith uses the platform to make a huge impact and do so much good! #TechinPink2024

What are some other examples of thought leadership posts from leaders?

I am interested in learning how marketing leaders are thinking about thought leadership content. Please comment and let us know.