Learn how to use secondary research to create relevant, credible, and engaging thought leadership content. Find out how to choose the best channels and formats for your audience and goals.

Don't. Secondary and tertiary sources were once somewhat reliable but today they're always subject to validation. Remember the old admonition "consider the source"? Well, find the true source. Better yet: YOU become the original source through new IP and a unique approach.

Last updated on Mar 6, 2024

How can you use secondary research to identify effective channels and formats for thought leadership content?

Thought leadership content is a powerful way to showcase your expertise, build trust, and attract your ideal audience. But how do you know where and how to share your insights effectively? Secondary research can help you answer this question by providing data and insights on your target market, competitors, industry trends, and best practices. In this article, you will learn how to use secondary research to identify effective channels and formats for thought leadership content.

1 What is secondary research?

Secondary research is the process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting existing data from sources such as reports, surveys, articles, blogs, podcasts, videos, social media, and more. Unlike primary research, which involves creating your own data through interviews, surveys, experiments, or observations, secondary research relies on data that has already been gathered and published by others. Secondary research can save you time, money, and resources, as well as provide you with a broader and deeper understanding of your topic.

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Alan Weiss

The rock star of consulting.
Don't. Secondary and tertiary sources were once somewhat reliable but today they're always subject to validation. Remember the old admonition "consider the source"? Well, find the true source. Better yet: YOU become the original source through new IP and a unique approach.
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Rakesh Kamath

Building Products that transform lives, one feature at a time | Product Leader | Digital Business Transformation
Diving into the realm of secondary research unveils a treasure trove of existing data waiting to be explored, analyzed, and interpreted. This method involves scouring an array of sources, from reports and surveys to articles, blogs, podcasts, videos, and social media. Unlike primary research, which entails generating fresh data through interviews, surveys, or experiments, secondary research harnesses information already amassed and disseminated by others. Embracing secondary research not only saves valuable time, resources, and funds but also offers a panoramic view of the subject matter, enriching your understanding and insights.
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2 Why use secondary research for thought leadership content?

Secondary research can be a great tool for creating thought leadership content that is relevant, credible, and engaging for your audience. Using secondary research, you can identify the needs, challenges, preferences, and behaviors of your target market to tailor content to their pain points and provide value. Additionally, you can benchmark your performance against competitors to highlight your unique selling proposition and showcase your authority. Furthermore, you can stay updated on the latest trends, developments, and innovations in your industry to demonstrate your knowledge and foresight. Finally, you can learn from the best practices and examples of other thought leaders in your field to improve the quality, style, and delivery of your content.

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Trevor Burkholder

Experienced UI/UX Architect & Developer | Innovator in Crafting Responsive Interfaces | Leader in JavaScript, React, & AngularJS | AI Hobbyist
📊 Data Analytics Platforms: Google Analytics, and SEMrush for web traffic, keyword trends, and audience behavior. 🔷 AI-Powered Research Tools: Analyze data from papers, patents, and reports to identify trends. 📣 Social Listening Tools: Brandwatch, Hootsuite for tracking social media/forum mentions and audience interests. 🔍 Secondary Research for Channels & Formats: -📍 Popular Platforms: Target audience's online hangouts. - 🎥 Content Format Preferences: Blogs, videos, podcasts, interactive. - 📈 Engagement Metrics: High-performing formats/topics.
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3 How to conduct secondary research for thought leadership content?

In order to conduct secondary research for thought leadership content, you must first define the research objective and question. After that, you need to identify and select relevant sources of data that are both reliable and accurate. Then, it's time to collect and organize the data in a way that makes it easy to access and analyze. Once the data is collected, you can analyze and interpret it in order to uncover any patterns, trends, gaps, or insights. Finally, you can apply the findings to your content and communicate them in a clear, concise, and compelling way.

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4 What are some effective channels and formats for thought leadership content?

When deciding on the channels and formats for thought leadership content, you should consider your audience, message, resources, and goals. Generally speaking, you should select channels that reach your target market and align with your brand; for example, if your audience is mainly B2B professionals, LinkedIn, Medium, or podcasts might be good options. Additionally, choose formats that suit your content and style; for instance, if your content is data-driven and analytical, reports, white papers, or infographics might be suitable. It's also important to have a mix of channels and formats that complement each other and create a consistent brand image; for example, you could use a blog post to introduce a topic, a podcast to dive deeper into it, and a social media post to spark conversation.

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Kavitha Kalyan

Director of Design, BFSI Interactive | Thought Leader | Story Teller | Speaker | Mentor | Author of Fiction
I am not sure this question is even right. Secondary research is great, but the outcome of publishing thought leadership content should focus on what you write, not where you publish it. That is hardly the point. Value is in the "thought" behind the content. This is not a to do list with a hawk eye for conversion and KPIs!! This question reduces the value of being a thought leader. The concept of value creation is completely missing in this question!!!
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5 How to measure the impact of your thought leadership content?

To measure the impact of your thought leadership content, you need to define and track the key performance indicators (KPIs) that reflect your objectives and goals. Reach, engagement, conversion, and influence are all common KPIs that can be measured by metrics such as views, impressions, downloads, likes, comments, shares, ratings, leads, sign-ups, sales, referrals, feedback, testimonials, reviews or referrals. Secondary research is a valuable tool for creating relevant and credible content that is engaging for your audience. It can also help you measure the impact of your content and optimize it for better results. By using secondary research to identify effective channels and formats for thought leadership content, you can showcase your expertise, build trust, and attract your ideal audience.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How can you use secondary research to identify effective channels and formats for thought leadership content?

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1 What is secondary research?

2 Why use secondary research for thought leadership content?

3 How to conduct secondary research for thought leadership content?

4 What are some effective channels and formats for thought leadership content?

5 How to measure the impact of your thought leadership content?

6 Here’s what else to consider

Thought Leadership

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How can you use secondary research to identify effective channels and formats for thought leadership content?

1

2

3

4

5

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1 What is secondary research?

2 Why use secondary research for thought leadership content?

3 How to conduct secondary research for thought leadership content?

4 What are some effective channels and formats for thought leadership content?

5 How to measure the impact of your thought leadership content?

6 Here’s what else to consider

Thought Leadership

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