The value of human-sourced thought leadership is only growing in a time of AI content saturation. B2B brands should lean into this and focus on giving their audiences what they want: the type of relatable content they can “geek out” on.
B2B organizations tend to be very specialized in what they do. People who work at these companies not only pride themselves on being knowledgeable and ahead of the curve in their space – their success often depends on it.
As a brand that markets to these individuals and their industry, you can build trust by demonstrating a distinct and rare understanding of their business: their competitive market, the nuances of their job role, their challenges and their opportunities. Thought leadership content holds the key to making these connections.
5 Ways to Make Thought Leadership Content Hit Home
The landscape for B2B thought leadership is a crowded one. Research from LinkedIn and Edelman found that roughly 40% of decision makers feel there is more thought leadership than they can manage, or that the market is oversaturated with thought leadership content.
Stand out with relevance, value and impact. These tips will help you deliver.
Focus directly on real pain points and role-based scenarios
Addressing the challenges faced by your audience with specificity is an excellent way to demonstrate competency and credibility. LinkedIn’s research with Edelman found that 64% of buyers favor thought leadership content over promo and product sheets when it comes to assessing capabilities. Another 63% said thought leadership is “important in providing proof that an organization genuinely understands or can solve your specific business challenges.”
Use thought leadership content to empathize with key pain points, and offer guidance around them. With well-informed audience personas, you can craft messaging tailored to the unique needs and responsibilities of different functional roles related to your solution.
Gain more precision with professional targeting
Sparking relevance and resonance with your thought leadership is as much about who you’re talking to as what you’re saying. Audience segmentation and targeting tools can help you ensure your message is reaching people who can fully appreciate and absorb its depth.
You might try using Thought Leader Ads on LinkedIn to amplify key content to audiences based on professional traits.
Speak to end users and subject matter experts
There’s a natural inclination to orient thought leadership solely toward more senior, executive audiences, but keep in mind the range of decision influencers involved with a typical B2B purchase. It’s advisable to have thought leadership content that can speak to their varying motivations and interests.
Establishing credibility with the people who actually use your product, or interact with your service, is vital. Take the next step from broader 101-level analysis to more advanced 201-level perspectives, delving deeper into the trends of their trade.
Put a real name and face behind the content
Thought leadership content can help showcase the expertise and vision of the people behind your brand. There is no more authentic form of marketing. Help leaders in your organization recognize the value of building their professional brands, and make it easy for them to establish their own thought leadership.
Highlighting the experience and knowledge of your talent not only makes a great impression, but can help grow impressions. LinkedIn for example is continually focused on helping members surface content that shares knowledge and insight from other members. Similarly, Google rolled out a helpful content update designed to “understand content created from a personal or expert point of view.”
Offer thought leadership content in different channels and formats
Social media and search are among the widening array of channels used by buyers and decision makers along their journeys. Stay agile with your thought leadership distribution strategy, and make sure you experiment to stay innovative.
Thought leadership blog posts/articles ranked third on the list of planned marketing techniques, according to LinkedIn’s global 2024 B2B Marketing Benchmark data. But virtually every other technique listed – video, visual content, influencer marketing – can become an effective platform for thought leadership.
Make an Impact with Your Thought Leadership
No matter where you’re publishing your thought leadership content, what it’s saying and who’s authoring it, make sure it has substance. There’s a whole lot of empty talk and generic commentary out there, but your brand can differentiate by delivering real value for your audience.
“Much of the thought leadership I see is really light, where the writers don’t share the real gems, tips, and actionable insights,” Tim Gibbon, Founder and Director of Elemental Communications, told Semrush. “True thought leaders are always ahead of the curve, and shouldn’t be concerned with giving away too much.”
Put the true thought leaders in your organization under the spotlight, and let them elevate your brand with their credibility and expertise.
Subscribe to the LinkedIn Ads Blog for more tips and guidance.
Topics: Content marketing
Related articles