A targeted thought leadership strategy can be a huge boost for your B2B marketing. Important prerequisites are in-depth expertise and a comprehensive understanding of the industry - not just your own service or product.
A mature thought leadership strategy is a huge boost for your company.
Thought leadership is the tool of all those companies and brands that have assumed opinion leadership in their industry and thus play a key role in shaping an entire community. They are, so to speak, the thought leaders and opinion leaders in their field.
A study from 2019 shows that a mature thought leadership strategy has a very positive impact on company sales. The reason for this is the fact that the influence of thought leadership on sales and marketing is significantly higher than many experts believe.
According to the study, thought leadership gives companies a competitive edge and ensures lasting attention. At least within your own industry, this is achieved by providing valuable content voluntarily and free of charge.
Used correctly, this approach raises the profile of your company. In this way, you gradually build up expert status, which is particularly important for B2B companies. You become a trusted source of information for your stakeholders, customers, business partners, employees and suppliers.
Used correctly, this approach raises the profile of your company. In this way, you gradually build up expert status, which is particularly important for B2B companies. You become a trusted source of information for your stakeholders, customers, business partners, employees and suppliers.
B2B marketing: becoming an expert with thought leadership
As a logical consequence, thought leadership ensures that your company has a major influence on market trends and innovations in products and services. This is because a company with a pioneering role is valued by interested parties, customers, experts and competitors as a leading expert in a field and is therefore the first port of call. And this is precisely what makes thought leadership interesting for companies.
In order to assume the role of a recognised expert within an industry, one thing is required above all: in-depth specialist knowledge. Expertise, interest and understanding of your own industry play an essential role here - and not just for your own product or service. Only then will interested parties and customers perceive and categorise your opinion as credible and trend-setting.
In order to assume the role of a recognised expert within an industry, one thing is required above all: in-depth specialist knowledge. Expertise, interest and understanding of your own industry play an essential role here - and not just for your own product or service. Only then will interested parties and customers perceive and categorise your opinion as credible and trend-setting.
The steps on the way to becoming a thought leader
Just a few years ago, it was enough to communicate claims about your expertise in the form of promising advertising messages. In the heyday of classic advertising, companies could position themselves as experts with a corresponding advertising budget. Today, a company has to do much more to be recognised as a thought leader.
The first step is to consciously exchange knowledge with specialists and managers from your own industry in order to deepen your expertise. The next step is to publicise your expertise. The means of communication available for this are manifold: take, for example, competent specialist articles or posts on the company blog. Or contributions in industry online forums, white papers, comments in specialised media and posts on social media platforms.
Appearances as keynote speakers at conferences and trade fairs also serve to consolidate and expand the desired expert role. What is important here is the regularity of these publications and activities. The reality is currently different: you often see company blogs or social media platforms where the last post is several years old.
The first step is to consciously exchange knowledge with specialists and managers from your own industry in order to deepen your expertise. The next step is to publicise your expertise. The means of communication available for this are manifold: take, for example, competent specialist articles or posts on the company blog. Or contributions in industry online forums, white papers, comments in specialised media and posts on social media platforms.
Appearances as keynote speakers at conferences and trade fairs also serve to consolidate and expand the desired expert role. What is important here is the regularity of these publications and activities. The reality is currently different: you often see company blogs or social media platforms where the last post is several years old.
The publication of a specialised book on a specific topic is also a valuable contribution to thought leadership. For example, "INBOUND! The handbook for modern marketing" by Britta and Tobbias Schlömer.
For all means of communication used in the course of thought leadership, it is important to pay strict attention to the consistently high professional quality of the content or presentations offered. Otherwise, the thought leader could quickly be perceived as untrustworthy.
An example of successful thought leadership: HubSpot
It begins with the story of HubSpot's origins. The founders, Dharmesh Shah and Brian Halligan, impressed both with their in-depth expertise and their shared vision: they believed that companies could grow with heart and conscience. And that the inbound methodology was the right tool for this. This vision has now also fundamentally changed B2B marketing. Primarily through the voluntary and free sharing and dissemination of their method with the associated technical expertise, Hubspot has succeeded in both acquiring customers and inspiring a large fan base for their methodology.
Why is thought leadership particularly suitable for B2B marketing?
Quite simply: in the B2C environment, it is often about FMCG or me-too products that are not of particularly high quality. And have the status of a low-interest product in the perception of consumers. In the B2B environment, on the other hand, the focus is usually on products and services that require explanation.
Such as capital goods and customised software solutions, for example, whose acquisition costs often run into six or seven figures. And what entrepreneur wants to make such a large investment without first obtaining extensive information and advice? This is where the thought leader can make full use of his expertise in the course of B2B marketing. In short, they are clearly ahead of their competitors.
A thought leader is not born overnight. Instead, acquiring the necessary expertise and building up expert status requires a great deal of patience. It is important here that the regular publications of the individual communication tools are voluntary and free of charge.
The target groups or buyer personas should benefit from real added value in the form of valuable information. Thought leadership is a concept that can help companies to become opinion and market leaders in their sector, particularly as an instrument in B2B marketing.
Such as capital goods and customised software solutions, for example, whose acquisition costs often run into six or seven figures. And what entrepreneur wants to make such a large investment without first obtaining extensive information and advice? This is where the thought leader can make full use of his expertise in the course of B2B marketing. In short, they are clearly ahead of their competitors.
A thought leader is not born overnight. Instead, acquiring the necessary expertise and building up expert status requires a great deal of patience. It is important here that the regular publications of the individual communication tools are voluntary and free of charge.
The target groups or buyer personas should benefit from real added value in the form of valuable information. Thought leadership is a concept that can help companies to become opinion and market leaders in their sector, particularly as an instrument in B2B marketing.
Do you have questions about thought leadership? Contact our experts!