How to Develop Stronger and More Engaging Thought Leadership Research demonstrates that buyers want to hear from industry leaders about topics that affect their organizations and address specific needs. Here's how to create your own inspiring brand of marketing thought leadership.
By Cara Sloman
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
The phrase "thought leader" is easy to write off as marketing jargon, but when put to good use, it has great value for both leaders and their companies. In fact, according to 2020 research conducted by Survey Monkey, two-thirds of marketers describe thought leadership as a "top priority" for their organizations.
But what does this concept really mean? It is the delivery of content that shares your expertise, insight and experience with others, and for their benefit. It's about creating and adding value to the broader industry conversation about a particular topic — both building knowledge and taking a stand.
While some contend that thought leadership is about expressing strong and even contentious opinions, others observe that it's more about being a subject matter expert and using that position to influence people in a certain industry or specialty area. To me, it's a combination of these things.
Over the past 25-plus years of a PR and marketing career, I have worked with many exciting startups, mid-tier publicly traded companies and industry giants to set industry agendas and build new market categories and category makers. Thought leadership has played a major role in all of this and has a significant impact on buyers, 65% of whom (according to 2021-published research by LinkedIn and Edelman) reported that a piece of thought leadership content significantly improved their perception of a company.
Could you be a thought leader?
Many executives and other leaders aspire to this designation, and the simple and empowering fact is that you can establish yourself as a trustworthy source of knowledge and insight by applying the appropriate strategies, and a bit of patience.
A true thought leader goes beyond buzzwords and the same-old rhetoric. They:
• Have the intrinsic ability to participate in the discussions taking place now and also the ability to predict what's next.
• See what's coming and use that knowledge to help shape an industry's agenda on a particular topic.
• Marry their passion and expertise with topics that help customers and prospects address business challenges, as well as bring solutions forward.
• Have an opinion or stance, though this does not have to mean taking a controversial or political position. It can be as simple as starting an article or blog post with strong, declarative sentences. The goal is to add a unique perspective to an industry discussion that can't be found anywhere else.
Related: How to Embrace Your Unique Perspective and Achieve Unique Success
Establishing your thought leadership
Leaders who can synthesize data and trends from multiple sources are in a strong position to develop market-leading ideas. This requires planning, work and time.
Start by establishing credibility and being relatable. Readers are looking for articles that bring a unique viewpoint and perspective, while also being relevant to the needs of the day. A fantastic way to achieve this is to use real-world examples, ideally from your own work and life experiences.
Customer anecdotes are also effective. Insights pulled from these stories are key because they provide proof — demonstrate that you are not just making things up or pontificating, but rather have lived and are living what you're talking about every day. The Value of B2B Thought Leadership Survey found that 55% of respondents want to hear from clients and 53% want to hear from industry experts.
As a thought leader, you want to build a narrative. Don't talk at your readers, talk with them. You are telling a story, not giving a lecture, while making plain your expertise. Focus on what you know best and consistently home in on that.
It's also important to keep in mind that thought leadership is vendor-neutral territory: You must be aware of the problems that an audience faces and provide insightful guidance based on that awareness. Showing them that you are a well-rounded professional — and not just shilling — builds reputation and credibility.
Listening to others is vital in this endeavor. Such leaders are lifelong learners — recognize they don't know everything — and remain humble enough to listen to what others have to say. Continuing to learn from people in your area of expertise helps you stay current with other thought leaders and increases your knowledge at the same time.
Related: Here's One Easy Way to Establish Yourself as a Thought Leader in Your Industry
Building on your thought leadership
To boost your industry presence, I advise the following:
• Participate in live networking events. The odds of becoming an authority or influencer increase with the size of your network.
• Constantly seek publication. You might begin by creating content for your own blog or posting as a guest on sites relevant to your expertise, but it's crucial to build a consistent following. You can start sharing or making more audacious assertions and forecasts once your reputation develops.
• Engage influencers and mentors. Tell them what motivates you, what worries you and what your dreams and plans are. Also, find out how their organizations were established and are being run.
• Use social media wisely. Live streaming and video (especially shorter form) are popular, not only on YouTube but across all social channels. Also, wield the power of the omnichannel approach, where one article or white paper can be repurposed as infographics, blog posts, tweets and more — all appropriate to each channel.
Related: You Have to Lead Yourself Before You Can Lead Others — How to Master the Art of Self-Leadership
Leading the way
Thought leadership is clearly vital, yet it must be planned and executed well. While decision-makers eagerly consume associated content, 71% of them (according to the same LinkedIn and Edelman report mentioned above) say less than half of it gives them valuable insights, and the pandemic created an avalanche of low-quality "thought leadership" that has caused people to lose overall confidence in its value.
The last thing you want to do as you embark on this journey is to dilute the credibility of your organization. So, use the best practices detailed here to aim for excellence, drive the growth of your organization and build community.
