Thought leadership is a powerful marketing tool, especially when it comes from the top.
Founder. CEO. President. Senior VP. Executive Director. Managing Partner.
If you’re in one of these roles (not that the list is exhaustive), then people (and Editors) want — and in some cases need — to hear from you. How did you get where you are? How do you do what you do? What is the unique perspective you’ve gained about your industry?
Thought leadership content isn’t about answering these questions in a way that builds yourself up. It’s about answering them in a way that can build others up. People don’t read your opinions because they care about your journey, but because they care about their own — and what they can learn from you about how to make it a more successful one.
In other words, it is proactive reputation management, media relations and good, old-fashioned PR all rolled into one. This is exactly what we do on the exclusive Executive Leadership Branding program.
Impact Study
The 2019 Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Study found that 58 percent of decision-makers in business consumed thought leadership content for at least one hour per week in 2018 — with 21 percent reporting at least four hours per week.
Also, 55 percent used thought leadership takeaways to evaluate potential partners and vendors. A full 92 percent said it had at some point increased their respect for an organization. And get this: 75 percent — yes, three out of four business decision-makers — said that they would choose whether or not to follow or connect with a business or its executives based on the thought leadership content it put out.
Want some more telling statistics?
- 87 percent of decision-makers said thought leadership content increases trust
- 89 percent of decision-makers said it enhances a brand’s reputation
- 58 percent of decision-makers said they chose to do business with an organization based on thought leadership
- 61 percent of decision-makers are more willing to pay a premium to work with an organization that articulates a clear vision through thought leadership