{"id":22683,"date":"2022-12-12T10:47:44","date_gmt":"2022-12-12T10:47:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/12\/why-do-companies-use-thought-leadership-for-marketing\/"},"modified":"2022-12-12T10:47:44","modified_gmt":"2022-12-12T10:47:44","slug":"why-do-companies-use-thought-leadership-for-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/12\/why-do-companies-use-thought-leadership-for-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do Companies Use Thought Leadership for Marketing"},"content":{"rendered":"

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If you\u2019ve logged into LinkedIn recently, perhaps you\u2019re wondering why every other person in your newsfeed is a self-proclaimed \u201cstrategic thought leader\u201d or \u201cguru\u201d?<\/p>\n

Snarky answers aside, it\u2019s part of what LinkedIn & Edelman\u2019s\u00a02021 Thought Leadership Study<\/a>\u00a0defines as a \u201cpandemic-induced glut of low-quality thought leadership.\u201d In an effort to connect with prospects, businesses have been scrambling to up their thought leadership game. And who can blame them? The same study revealed that nearly half of decision makers would choose a business with strong thought leadership over one without.<\/p>\n

But clearly, current attempts to become thought leaders are failing. The study found 71% of decision-makers feel that less than half the thought leadership content they consume gives them valuable insights.<\/p>\n

The best thought leadership content is original, thought-provoking, and deeply valuable to the reader. This is the type of content that businesses should be striving for. Unless your thought leadership content is perceived well by your audience, you\u2019re unlikely to reap the rewards that thought leadership has to offer.<\/p>\n

So, where do you begin? First, you\u2019ll want to find out what defines thought leadership, what constitutes\u00a0good<\/em>\u00a0thought leadership, and the reasons why B2B companies are so keen to use thought leadership for marketing.<\/p>\n

What Is B2B Thought Leadership?<\/h2>\n

Thought leadership is authentic, original content written by an author who seeks to share their expertise and experience with their audience. This can be written by the \u201cthought leader\u201d themselves (i.e., by a business or technology leader), ghostwritten on their behalf (i.e., by a content writer), or a blend of the two. For many, a longform blog post comes to mind when hearing thought leadership, but multiple formats work\u2014whitepapers, eBooks, videos, and webinars to name a few.<\/p>\n

\"B2B
B2B thought leadership helps you attract new talent as well as new customers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How Is Thought Leadership Different Than Content Marketing?<\/h2>\n

The terms are often used interchangeably but thought leadership and content marketing aren\u2019t one and the same. Thought leadership is a form of content marketing, but not all content marketing is thought leadership. Content marketing is generally focused on promoting your brand and selling your products, whereas thought leadership is selling your\u00a0ideas and insights<\/em>. Arguably, the best thought leadership doesn\u2019t focus heavily on marketing KPIs, but on the simple desire to share wisdom and impart knowledge.<\/p>\n

What Constitutes \u2018Good\u2019 Thought Leadership Content?<\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve identified that most of the thought leadership currently available is failing to impress B2B decision makers. To identify \u2018good\u2019 thought leadership, it\u2019s helpful to first review the reasons why people consume thought leadership in the first place. LinkedIn & Edelman\u2019s study uncovered such core reasons as:<\/p>\n