Why is thought leadership content essential?

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The term ‘Thought Leadership’ is often over-used in the marketing/ communication lexicon.

Almost every single plan, or strategy has the words ‘thought leadership’ as one of the key points to meeting your communication goals. In turn, you will also require that your communications partner gives you content which positions you as a ‘thought leader’ in a particular domain or industry.

So why does this term demand so much attention?

The reasons are many and all are important from a communication PoV:

•  Good, consistent thought leadership content enhances the trust and credibility your customers, colleagues and media have in you and your brand. It increases brand affinity.
•  In a survey conducted by Audience, marketers said thought leadership content improves website traffic, lead generation, media mentions, email subscribers, customer relationships, and backlinks.
•  Business leaders also want it. Some 84% of FTSE 350 executives surveyed by research firm Coleman Parkes, Grist believe that strong thought leadership content adds value to their role by keeping them abreast of important business issues (79%); informing their decision-making (76%); and helping them to take a view on the future (76%).
•  According to study by LinkedIn, 58% of buyers read one or more hours of thought leadership related content each week.
•  Additional research supports the theory that thought leadership is responsible for revenue generation. The Thought Leadership Impact Study found that 60% of executives purchased a new product or solution they had never considered after interacting with thought leadership content.

What do audiences prefer? What turns them off?

Independent research company Coleman Parkes (on behalf of Grist) surveyed over 200 senior executives from FTSE 350 companies, to understand when, how and why they reached for thought leadership material produced by experts. Asked what turns them off thought leadership, the following reasons stood out. The majority of respondents said that they disliked content that was:

• Too generic – not directly relevant to me (63%)
• Lacked original insight or ideas (58%)
• Promoted the adviser rather than addressing my problems (53%)
• Too conceptual – without recommendations (47%)
• Featured unsubstantiated opinions (40%)
• Difficult/boring to read (38%)

To underscore these areas of the failure, the survey also asked respondents what qualities they found most valuable in thought leadership. The top three responses?

• Fresh thinking: exploring issues or challenges from new and different perspectives (46%)
• Forward-thinking: analyzing important or emerging trends (32%)
• Evidence-led: containing robust data (29%)

Fundamentals of thought leadership content

Understanding how audiences respond, leads us to certain fundamental principles which need to be followed to create impactful thought leadership content.

•  Content creators must remember that the story is not about the company, but its impact on stakeholders. Align the content with the needs, expectations and concerns of the target audience.
•  Do not use a ‘differentiator’ in the narrative just to be unique. The content needs to be authentic and credible. Back it up with data wherever possible. Add links to external references wherever needed.
•  Address current sectoral challenges and emerging industry trends. Or ensure that the content has a far horizon, a longer term vision of the company.
•  Be consistent. Identify the themes/ narratives that are key to your brand. Sign off on these and then ensure that multiple articles across multiple media are written using the agreed themes/ narratives.
•  Be original. AI-generated content tends to sound contrived and mundane. Communicators can focus on emerging themes or do a unique take on existing themes and offer new insights.
•  Do express a strong point of view and ensure a key takeaway.
•  When it comes to leadership content for personal branding, align the content with the leader’s persona.

The process is important

To create good thought leadership content a collaborative process is required – one which may require inputs of subject matter experts, internal teams (HR, marketing, R&D, supply chain, etc).

Work backwards from the brand narrative that you wish to propagate and ensure that elements of this narrative feature prominently in what you wish to put out in the public domain.

Pro tip: Think about what makes you proud of your organisation. Let your thought leadership pieces be around the aspects that make you feel good!

What are your insights or experiences on thought leadership content? Let’s have a conversation.

 

To get in touch for our services or any other communication requirement, please contact + 91 842 581 4016 / 17 or simply drop an email at solutions@ticworks.com.