What is Thought Leadership Content and How To Build & Market It Efficiently For Your B2B Business

Let's imagine you are at a conference with the other business leaders. You are here to make your networking game strong. While you do that, you hear an announcement introducing a keynote speaker who is also a leading innovator in the startup space. It immediately catches your attention, and you quickly look for the best seat to settle down. You notice extreme silence in the room as you see people moving from the coffee station to the seating area, getting all ready for his speech.

He now starts telling a story of a pivotal experience that changed the destiny of his business for good. The best part of this story, is that there is no sales pitch but only ideas and insights on how he managed to make that impact. How does that sound to you? Goosebumps?

Now, this is what you call Thought Leadership content! It is all about leveraging genuine expertise and sharing innovative ideas and insights that can help make an impact in your industry. It is all about striking the right chord with the audience.

Thought leadership should be about giving away your best ideas for free. It's about being generous with your knowledge and helping others grow through that knowledge.- Joe Pulizzi, Founder, Content Marketing Institute.

Thought Leadership Content - Who is your right audience?

Thought-leadership content is helpful for key decision makers that includes executives/c-suites. Let's see how this fits into different roles:

1. C-Suite—C-suite executives can be CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, CTOs, etc. They are key decision-makers and are always looking for content that helps them with innovative ideas, deep insights, and information about how they can make an impact. They always look for information about industry trends, competitor insights, the use of advanced tech stack, etc. If you give them what they are looking for, they will be interested in conversing with you.
2. Director/Senior Manager/Manager - Directors and managers also seek relevant content as it provides the right solutions and make strategic decisions.
3. Subject-Matter Experts - These professionals are looking for detailed information and solutions within their areas of expertise. Thought leadership content can help find a solution buyer for the company or clients they work with.
4. Sales & Marketing Teams—Sales and marketing leaders always look for ways to improve their strategies. Thought leadership content helps them gain industry insights and market/sell more effectively.

What's Next?

When you share knowledge, it is essential to do thorough research on the topic, trend, or industry that you'd like to talk about. It is because this content will be consumed by the top decision-makers in their field. Nobody will respond if you give them gated content with an ordinary report. But if the content is ungated, well-researched, well-written, and has all the necessary insights, you can spark a conversation with the industry leaders.

Did you know - 49% of decision-makers say that thought leadership can be effective in influencing their purchasing decisions.        

60% of decision-makers spend more than one hour per week reading and reviewing thought leadership, suggesting that a company not producing such content is invisible during these significant research times, putting them at a disadvantage against those who do.        

Thought-Leadership Content: Short-Term or Long-Term?

During the pandemic in 2020, business leaders had to focus on the problem at hand. They didn't have any long-term plan for the next fiscal year. But as the time went on, they started to look ahead once again. But, when I say look ahead, does that mean 2-3 years from now? No, not really! They are looking for what's ahead from 6-12 months to balance out the short-term and medium-term planning. So, the best insight here is that you should update your content regularly (within a year).

Let us take an example: Imagine you are part of a startup in the AI development space. You notice that the key decision-makers in your field are looking for information about how AI will replace humans. You immediately think of the recently produced thought-leadership content as a blog post titled "The Future of Work in the Age of Gen-AI."

In this article, you shared all the insights about how AI is evolving and how it can disrupt the job market. The article is well-researched and highlights the sectors that will be affected. Also, if the technology is going to replace humans in that specific sector, then what strategies should businesses adopt?

This blog post forecasts the changes that businesses can expect in the next 6-12 months, helping them take immediate steps to integrate Gen AI into their operations. By sharing this blog post, you helped businesses evaluate their risks and opportunities and make decisions accordingly.

Hence, this kind of power content can help business leaders address their immediate concerns and plan for the near future. The thought leadership content should also provide the right solution to complex business problems.

As per a recent report : more than 40% of business leaders find thought-leadership content to be relevant for up to 6 months.

Suitable Formats For Thought Leadership Content:

Case Studies/Guides: The hands-on guides help business leaders implement action-oriented strategies, so this format is most valued.

Blog Posts/Articles: Most C-level suites like to read detailed blogs that offer relevant insights and are focused on fresh and forward-thinking.

Podcasts/Webinars: Podcasts can be consumed while commuting or doing other chores. Nothing can be more authentic and valuable than two thought leaders discussing a topic relevant to the business leader in their specific industry or business via a podcast or webinar.

Other Formats: Other relevant formats, such as videos, virtual or in-person events, infographics, audiobooks, etc., also work well.

Platforms To Advertise On:

Digital Platforms: Executives and senior executives usually look for this information on traditional digital channels like newsletters, websites, social media, online search/display, etc.

Sales/BDRs/Relationship Managers: About 34% of executives say they get access to thought leadership content from the RMs/BDRs they work with.

Other Distribution Channels: The other channels can be Internal Networks, Industry Events, External Networks, Trade shows, Business Press etc.

To summarize, thought leadership in the B2B space is much more than sharing information. It is about sharing real-time insights that business leaders can not only find helpful and engaging but also use to solve the problems they are facing. It is a trusted guide that will help establish your brand as an indispensable partner.

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