Key Takeaways:
- Expert vs. Thought Leader: Which is it?
- Examples of Thought Leadership vs Expertise
- 12 Questions to Help You Gain Clarity on Your Own Thought Leadership
- How the Pandemic Influenced Content Marketing
“A pandemic-induced glut of low-quality thought leadership content is diluting its perceived value among B2B Decision-Makers.”
–2021 B2B Thought Leadership Impact Study
That’s the word from a recent collaborative study between Edelman and LinkedIn that looked at how thought leadership impacts perception and buying behaviors in B2B decision-makers.
So if there’s been an influx of less-than thought leadership content – so much so that it is lowering its perceived value in key B2B decision maker – it left us wondering:
You can be an expert in your field or industry, but is that the same as being a thought leader?
Thought Leadership Isn’t Just a Marketing Buzzword
Thought leadership started as a buzz word/phrase, probably created by marketers… but we’d like to present a slightly different idea on the topic.
What if you thought about ‘Thought Leadership’ as going beyond expert, beyond the stuff you talk about every day and could teach in your sleep…
What if you treated thought leadership as the arena where you show up as a trail blazer, where your curiosity comes alive, where you experiment, and where you’re a scientist or inventor in your own field?
This hyper-focus within your area of expertise is where your own personal brand, unique system, and ‘special sauce’ can show up and set you apart, even in a seemingly endless sea of “experts.”
Real Life Examples of Thought Leadership vs Expertise
We have a client that is a banking technology expert, but his area of true thought leadership emerges in system integrations and decentralized finance – of course one of these is a much hotter topic on the Internet right now. 😉
Another client is an expert in one particular Managed Service Provider (MSP) software, but his thought leadership zone is in key performance indicators.
We have a client that’s a time management expert, but her thought leadership is in personal awareness.
One of our other clients is a leadership expert, but her through leadership focus is in corporate culture and building middle management skills.
Are You Focusing on Your Own Thought Leadership? Ask these Questions to Gain Clarity.
Here are some questions to help clarify and identify your thought leadership:
- When thinking about working on a project or for a client, what aspect(s) excite you most?
- Think of the last few projects you worked on. When did you find yourself so focused that you were losing track of time? What were you working on?
- When you’re not working, what (work-related topics) do you find yourself researching?
- In social situations, what work-related topics do you find yourself explaining or talking about?
- What aspects of your own business (working on your business, vs in your business) do you find yourself spending the most time on (because you enjoy them)?
- What tasks or topics are never on your list of things you’ve been procrastinating?
- When working with a client or on a project, what’s the thing or area that most irritates you when it doesn’t work right or they don’t take your advice?
- When working with a new client or business, what’s the first thing you tackle?
- When working with a new client or business, what’s the last thing you want to delegate?
- What do others tell you you’re good at?
- What does your team always refer to you on?
- What topics have you spoken on that have gotten the best response(s)?
Some of these answers might be ‘telling’ of your thought leadership and some might just be driven by your particular clients, services, or industry.
But you should start to see a trend of a topic or two that you hold close and feel more connected to, the topics where you’re more innovative and curious. And it’s possible you have many…
Thought Leadership Marketing Tip: Each of these should be a category in your blog and a big part of your content marketing strategy. Which leads us to some stats:
The Pandemic Impacted Digital Content Marketing
COVID didn’t just turn our everyday lives upside down – it strongly influenced (fast-tracked!) a shift to B2B digital content marketing. Some insights from a study by Edelman and LinkedIn:
- Just over 50% of C-Suite execs say they spend more time consuming thought leadership than before the pandemic began.
- A whopping 71% of decision makers said that less than half of the thought leadership they consume provides valuable insights.
- Bottom line: Thought leadership is still crucial to B2B customer engagement, BUT getting noticed in all the noise is challenging like never before.
Standing Out as a Thought Leader
There is a big need out there for quality thought leadership. Can you answer the call?
If it feels like you’ve hit a roadblock and aren’t sure how to generate your own content marketing plan, jump back up to the questions above and really dig into them.
Remember, each one presented could represent a category in your blog, and a big factor in successfully leveraging your unique brand to connect with your target audience through successful content marketing strategies.
You’re the expert in your field. We’re the experts in ours. If you needed help yesterday & you’re ready for practical help that gets results, setup a time to chat. We blend cutting edge technology with savvy digital marketing techniques to help you shine.
