Why is thought leadership content so important?

Back

The two words ‘Thought Leadership’ are among the most misunderstood words in the marketing/ communication lexicon.

In fact, Wikipedia refers to it as ‘business jargon’! Wiki, however, goes on to define it as ‘content recognised by others as innovative, covering trends and topics that influence an industry.’

Almost every single plan, or strategy, which your communications partner presents to you almost invariably has the words ‘thought leadership’ as one of the key points to meeting your business goals. In turn, you will also require that your communications partner gives you content which elevates you to the status of ‘thought leaders’.

But as they say, ‘one swallow does not a summer make’; so too with thought leadership content – ‘one article does not thought leadership make’.

The reason/s are not far to see

1. 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
2. In a survey conducted by Audience, marketers said thought leadership improved website traffic, lead generation, media mentions, email subscribers, customer relationships, and backlinks.
3. According to a thought leadership study by LinkedIn, 58%of buyers read one or more hours of thought leadership related content each week
4. Additional research supports the theory that thought leadership is responsible for revenue generation. The Thought Leadership Impact Study found that 55% of buyers bought more than one product due to thought leadership related content. Additionally, 60% of executives said they purchased a new product or solution they had never considered after interacting with thought leadership content
5. Business leaders like you 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
6. Almost as many leaders emphasise its importance in keeping them abreast of important business issues (79%); informing their decision-making (76%); and helping them to take a view on the future (76%).

For this to happen, there are certain fundamental principles about thought leadership content which need to be followed

1. You must remember that the story is not about you, but your customers
2. Do not accept a ‘differentiator’ in your narrative just to be unique. Differentiation works better with unique ideas/ visual design various relevant themes which understand your business goals and challenges.
3. Never forget to understand the final audience, the buyer persona (including demographics), and the fact that this persona is constantly evolving and changing every passing day.
   
   An example will help illustrate this point – A company recently hired a new communications head, who had to deliver on multiple fronts. Naturally, the person felt that this could be better achieved with a partner she/he had previously collaborated with. It was a matter of time before a new communications partner was brought it.  It may have been a different story had the agency partner tried and figured out your communications head’s persona a little more in depth!


4. Be consistent. Identify the themes/ narratives; Sign off on these and then ensure that multiple articles across multiple media are written using the agreed themes/ narratives
5. Make sure that everything that goes into the public domain with your by line has some expert insights backed up with data points
6. Always express a strong point of view
7. If using social media, pose questions about topics which are ‘buzzing’. This is a good way to start a two-way conversation

It has been seen in many cases that many leadership content strategies fail. Here’s why:

Independent research company Coleman Parkes, Grist surveyed over 200 senior executives from FTSE 350 companies, to understand when, how and why they reached for thought leadership material produced by their advisors. 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: analysing important or emerging trends (32%)
• Evidence-led: containing robust data (29%)

To create good thought leadership content a collaborative process is required – one which requires subject matter experts, client facing teams of your communications partners, and your marketing departments, without forgetting the audience, for whom the content would be created.

Good thought leadership content needs to focus on your current challenges and also help you make sense of the future, so that you are able to keep abreast of emerging trends.

Try and ensure that originality is focused on. One cannot repurpose an already published report, or a blog which you may have read. That ends up becoming thought followership, not thought leadership!

Find emerging themes not being discussed elsewhere, or do a unique take on existing themes and offer new insights that nobody else has.

Repurposed themes or narratives will also leave media cold and unwilling to publish what is sought to be published for your organisation.

Two simple suggestions here:

1. Work backwards from the headlines that you wish to create, and ask for research which will help that cause
2. Before you sleep, always think about what is keeping you awake

 

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.