The value of thought leadership content
In the crowded field of content marketing, brands need to focus on quality and offer valuable, informative content that offers a unique point of view. The authority of a thought leader can be an effective way to achieve this, and they hold significant value for audiences over time because the content is driven by human perspective. According to research by Edelman, 64% of buyers say that an organisation’s thought leadership content is a more trustworthy way to assess its competency and capability than its marketing materials. With that in mind, what is it that makes thought leadership so valuable and why you should care?
What is thought leadership?
Thought leadership is a marketing tactic that companies use to build credibility and expertise concerning their customers’ needs. It’s the delivery of authentic conversation that uses the knowledge and experience of the author to engage and educate the target audience. Thought leadership is all about being a subject matter expert and leveraging a position of influence to create value. It’s an effective way to establish your company’s expertise and stand out. High-value, research-driven content has become even more important since Google launched its helpful content system, which favours websites that create original, reliable content for people, rather than content written primarily to gain search traffic.
In my experience, the best thought leaders are usually those with strong opinions, who possess genuine knowledge, and the desire to their wisdom with others. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing many experts over the years and they provide a wealth of knowledge that can make your content creation efforts much easier. You might have the best content creators in your organisation but pairing them with thought leaders who can leverage their expertise, will make your content more authoritative and even attract potential clients.
The benefits of thought leadership content
Organisations around the world are producing masses of content every day, many of which weigh in on similar and current issues. For that reason, it’s important to create content that sets yourself apart from the competition. Thought leadership content offers a unique selling point because it showcases unique insights and different perspectives, setting you apart from a crowded marketplace and reinforcing your brand story.
By pushing forward compelling ideas for your target audience, you can foster a deeper connection and build credibility, making you an authority in your niche. Thought leadership enhances the value of your brand beyond the products and services you sell. There is a wide range of thought leadership types, from webinars and reports to guest speaking events.
Regardless of the content type, thought leadership brings more clarity and context to your core message, establishing your business as a trustworthy and reliable source. As you start publishing thought leadership content consistently, this will lead to increased awareness of your company, as well as more engagement. Ultimately, thought leadership takes content marketing one step further by leveraging the talents and expertise of renowned, industry voices.
How to create ideas for thought leadership
But to establish your company as a thought leader, you need to create quality, original ideas that resonate with your audience. That means taking the time to analyse your existing content, choosing the topics your audience cares about, and identifying any unique viewpoints that best exemplify your brand’s mission and voice. These ideas should be relevant, solve a problem or a challenge, and feature an angle with key talking points that can be supported with data and reputable sources.
You’ll also want to talk to the subject matter experts within your organisation. They might not be natural content creators, but they’re likely passionate about their field, so they can provide you with invaluable information to help elevate your content. An interview with a subject matter expert is an excellent way to gain new insights. If the interview is well-planned and properly prepared, you’ll be able to get an expert’s take on a particular topic that can be transcribed into an article or a report. This is what I did during my time at Unlimited. Much of the content was taken from interviews that I had conducted with the company’s in-house experts combined with additional research.
Another effective way of creating ideas for thought leadership is using original data to brainstorm questions about a certain topic. There are tools like BuzzSumo and Answer the Public, which help you search for topic ideas – and Quora is also an excellent option when you’re looking for questions to answer. It’s also always worth looking at Google Analytics to assess the content topics that have already performed strongly with your audience. Then, once you’ve gathered the data, you can look to build on this performance by creating new content on similar topics, with the help of a thought leader. Creating new, original content on topics that are highly in demand will connect more deeply with readers and demonstrate expertise.
Conclusion
Thought leadership can help your company become a top authority and enhance its overall reputation. When your audience has faith in your brand as an authority, they’re more likely to become loyal customers who want to be part of the conversation. Being a thought leader drives prospects and engagement over the long term. Read this article on creating a content marketing strategy, or take a look at my work for some copywriting samples.
