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Thought Leadership: Creating Compelling Content to Position a Brand and Improve Visibility

Thought Leadership: Creating Compelling Content to Position a Brand and Improve Visibility

Leadership is one of the most sought-after traits in the business world. After all, leadership is what makes the difference between a good organization and a great one.

Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, described the ultimate “level 5 leader” as someone humble but willing to do anything in the company’s best interest.

However, the term “thought leadership” has now become a catchphrase thrown around aimlessly.

So, what exactly is thought leadership and how can you use it to improve brand visibility and increase conversions in the long-term?

Thought Leadership Basics

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In general, leadership is the ability to lead, that is, to guide people, individually and collectively, toward a goal or objective.

For most observers, leadership is a quality exhibited by exceptionally charismatic people. Nevertheless, a good leader isn’t always in the limelight. Leadership is about adding value to people’s lives. Therefore, good leaders improve the lives of those around them.

The emergence of the term “thought leadership” places a different spin on conventional leadership. After all, leadership isn’t just about meeting objectives. Leadership is also about possessing exceptional capabilities. Likewise, a person or organization is a thought leader if others in their chosen field consider them an authority in a specific area. Consequently, individuals and organizations seek the thought leader’s knowledge to solve a problem or improve upon a situation.

Thought leadership is a vital part of content marketing. In this type of marketing, thought leaders can offer their knowledge and experience to their followers. In turn, followers can find solutions to their problems while expanding their understanding of a specific topic.

By regularly providing this valuable content, thought leaders position themselves and their brands prominently in their readers’ minds, and sales ultimately follow.

Using Thought Leadership

Content marketing provides useful and actionable information that followers can use. And through content marketing, brands can use thought leadership to assert their expertise. Thus, thought leadership is successful when an individual or organization has the depth of knowledge needed to position themselves as a go-to expert in their chosen industry or field.

It’s also important to note that thought leadership is not about selling.

Thought leadership is about providing value that can eventually convert interested parties into paying clients.

Thus, it’s a question of positioning your brand as the go-to choice when the time comes to spend money.

It’s worth noting that thought leadership isn’t for everyone. Additionally, it isn’t the answer to every problem. Instead, thought leadership is ideal for individuals and companies that seek to position themselves as go-to experts in their respective fields.

As thought leadership is about building credibility, regurgitating common knowledge does not improve credibility. Meaningful content that can add value is what drives thought leadership.

Circa Interactive’s George Bradley offers this insight:

“There are times where it may be best for a business not to position itself as a thought leader. When making this decision, a company should always look at its customer base. Is making a particular stance going to divide your customer base? Could this lose you more clients or customers than it is likely to gain? If the answer is yes, then sometimes the bottom line has to come first, and it may be best to position yourself where the company will thrive.”

Often, thought leadership implies sharing knowledge freely. There is one caveat, however: Thought leadership does not mean self-promotion. Great content can get quickly overshadowed by self-promotion. Thus, focusing on the topic is always the best course of action.

Sherrilynne Starkey of Thornley Fallis Communications poignantly sums up this point:

“Start with from a paradigm of generosity. Freely give news and information to assist and support the people in your target audiences. Give them real value in terms of ‘how-to,’ ‘why you need to know,’ ‘here’s how to do it’ type stories and content. By being generous and focusing on giving value, you’ll reach more people, build loyalty, and gain market share.”

Valuable thought leadership can emerge from practically anywhere. Individuals can derive contributions from their personal and professional experience, formal training, and academic study. And organizations can pool the talents of their members into a compilation of knowledge and experience.

Generally speaking, there is a potentially infinite number of sources for thought leadership within an organization. These sources enable individuals and organizations to build their point of view and distinguish one authority from another by contributing their unique talents and skills.

After all, it would be impossible to stand out without having a unique point of view. There are no “right” or “wrong” answers. It is a question of offering value at all times. A unique perspective can deliver value consistently.

Benefits of Using Thought Leadership

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Using thought leadership as part of a content marketing strategy can yield significant benefits. On the whole, these benefits help individuals and organizations stand out above their competition. In particular, five benefits often prove to be the most meaningful.

1. Positioning the Brand

The most immediate benefit of thought leadership is personal or professional brand positioning. For example, professionals such as lawyers, doctors, and consultants can position themselves as experts in their field by using thought leadership. As for corporations, they can use their members’ collective skills and experience to provide their clients value.

It’s important to note that brand positioning is also not about selling. Instead, it is about becoming the go-to source in a specific area.

According to Lily Ray of Lilyray.nyc, a widely acknowledged thought leader in the content marketing space:

“Thought leadership is extremely important when it comes to establishing and building your brand. While it’s important to provide commentary and share your thoughts about industry trends or research others have done, what can really set you apart is to conduct your own research or develop your own fresh set of ideas to contribute to the community. Sometimes this can prove to be challenging; others may not always be receptive to your ideas, and it can often be uncomfortable to push the dialogue forward. But adding a fresh perspective, new data, or new ideas – and remaining consistent with this process over time – is what can build a solid brand and set a leader apart from the rest.”

Indeed, brand positioning is about being generous with knowledge. Therefore, a fresh spin on an existing situation can make a significant difference.

2. Improving Credibility

Clients seek professionals and companies they can trust. As such, thought leadership can improve credibility by showcasing both individuals’ and teams’ skills and experience.

As followers see the value a brand has to offer; they will come to trust that brand. Ultimately, credibility helps communicate a brand’s value proposition without openly pitching a product or service.

As Saxton and Stump’s Anthony Gaenzle explains:

“Your team is a critical part of your brand; this is especially true in fields like healthcare, marketing, legal and other areas that require true experts. Your clients or customers want to know that they’re hiring or purchasing from knowledgeable individuals with a lot of experience in their respective fields, so being able to convey that message in your marketing and PR is important for success and growth.”

This quote highlights the importance of expertise in building credibility. As such, the aim is to convey a message through content.

3. Shortening the Sales Cycle

A product or service’s sales cycle begins with leads first coming into contact with the brand and ends with a successful purchase.

While sales cycles differ significantly from product to product, thought leadership can substantially shorten the sales cycle by maintaining constant communication between clients and brands. Once clients are ready to approach the brand, they are already focused on purchasing. In the words of Jimmy Daly of Animalz, “high volume, top of the funnel content works best.” Indeed, top-notch content is the best way to shorten the sales cycle.

4. Generating Greater Visibility

An essential aim in marketing is generating greater visibility for a brand’s products and services. Unfortunately, traditional marketing is often unsuccessful because it pitches products directly to potential clients. Furthermore, traditional marketing rarely establishes two-way communication.

This is where thought leadership shines.

Effective thought leadership enables clients and brands to communicate back and forth. Consequently, clients feel the brand hears their voice.

5. Reaching Decision-makers

In a B2B context, content marketing reaches decision-makers directly. Quality content does not need filtering from an assistant or secretary.

Excellent thought leadership can even reach top-level executives directly. In fact, 43 percent of top-level executives indicate that thought leadership helps them research an issue, while 39 percent indicate it helps them find a solution to a situation.

This is why it is so crucial for thought leadership to be relevant at all times.

Creating Thought Leadership Content

By definition, content marketing is only as effective as its content. Luckily, thought leadership can take content marketing to the next level.

The following is a breakdown of guidelines and best practices that will ensure your thought leadership content does the trick.

Cite reputable sources.

When it comes to creating effective thought leadership content, using plenty of citations from reputable sources is a great way to show the reader that your arguments are well-reasoned while also showing how well-read you are.

According to Grist, 53 percent of executives want to hear information from industry experts, while 44 percent indicate they seek information from professional services firms.  Thus, citing information from leading sources is a must for compelling content.

Consult subject matter experts.

Subject matter experts are thought leaders in their own right. Considering that 53 percent of executives look to industry experts, it makes sense to consult them.

Effective content marketers know that consulting subject matter experts will enhance their material. Whenever possible, arranging exclusive interviews or getting written opinions can boost visibility.

Additionally, opinions found in blogs, YouTube videos, or webinars make good secondary sources.

Create a consistent narrative.

A consistent narrative means that all materials produced have a common voice and tone.

Creating a consistent narrative gives followers a reason to identify with the brand and is crucial for building long-term conversions.

In contrast, disjointed content may appear scattered and random. Planning multiple pieces of content in advance is an easy way to ensure everything you create has a clear narrative through-line.

Do extensive research into the topic and target audience.

Influential thought leaders know how powerful creating targeted content can be.

However, doing so successfully requires careful research into the topic and a clear understanding of who the target audience will be.

Thus, getting started is a question of getting to know the target audience well.

Demographic information such as age, gender, occupation, and educational level all help produce relevant content.

Moreover, 84 percent of executives value content that enhances their role, while 79 percent want to stay ahead of the game. Thus, knowing audiences is key to successful thought leadership.

Provide as many real-life examples as possible.

Ideas and concepts don’t exist in a vacuum; real world application is key. This is why it’s crucial to provide as many real-life examples as possible, as doing so will enable audiences to see the practical application of the knowledge you share.

Since 47 percent of executives consider thought leadership that is too conceptual ineffective, and 63 percent consider thought leadership that is too generic ineffective, it makes sense to include as many real-life examples as possible.

Highlight the role of a thought leader.

It’s important to highlight a thought leader’s role by referencing any relevant significant achievements and experience. After all, audiences expect to get information from an experienced source.

However, it’s equally important to avoid self-promotion; this is not the time to exalt the brand.

According to research, 53 percent of executives feel that thought leadership based on self-promotion is ineffective.  Thus, when highlighting your experience and industry achievements, it is best to remain humble.

Testing Thought Leadership Content

Once the content is ready for publication, it’s worth testing its effectiveness before launch. Savvy marketers understand that conducting test runs can help them refine the content to meet their target audience’s needs and expectations specifically.

Here are three handy ways to test content before final publication.

Pitch to clients.

Testing content on real-life clients is an excellent way of measuring its impact. The use of focus groups is the most common way marketers can test their content.

In some instances, companies can contact their clients directly to ask them to participate in surveys, provide feedback, or suggest ideas for improvement. Pitching content to clients is crucial as 66 percent of top-level executives believe that thought leadership provides them with insight into emerging trends.

Pitch to peers.

When looking for feedback, other thought leaders in the same space are a great resource.

After all, receiving honest criticism can help fine-tune any marketer’s efforts. And, as an added bonus, it might make a new industry contact.

Generally speaking, feedback from peers can provide useful insights into why content is not hitting the mark.

In a recent survey revealing the most common complaints among top-level executives regarding thought leadership, 63 percent of executives indicated that the content was not relevant, 58 percent indicated that it lacked original ideas, and 38 percent said it was boring.

Gauge public reaction.

Once content hits audiences, gauging their reaction is crucial to ensuring its eventual success.

According to research, 47 percent of executives believe that a majority of thought leadership content is too theoretical or offered no practical advice. Likewise, 40 percent indicate that they ignored thought leadership content that did not contain any substantiated opinions, while 38 percent found this type of thought leadership content too bland to be of much use.  

Gauging these reactions can help marketers tweak their content to reach their target audience much more effectively.

Hitting the Mark with Thought Leadership

Nowadays, business is all about providing clients and followers as much value as possible, which is why thought leadership content is so popular. In the end, doing so helps position brands and the trusted, go-to source in their respective fields.

When done right, thought leadership can provide ample opportunities for making sales. It’s just a matter of identifying the right moment for sharing content and the right moment for selling.

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Jennifer, also known as "Rizzo," is a Denver-based writer and genealogist with a passion for history, travel, and languages. She studied Spanish at the University of Guadalajara in Guadalajara, Mexico and also lived and studied in Ancona, Italy. She also holds a certification for International Tour Management through the International Guide Academy, as well as a Genealogy certification from IAP Career College. Since joining The Writers For Hire, Jennifer has tackled a vast array of projects—from RPFs and SOPs to memoirs and company history books— and has done many in-depth genealogical research and family tree projects. She has also worked as Project Manager for various client projects, including family history books, websites, RFPs, blogs, autobiographies, and SOPs. Jennifer is our resident historian and genealogist, and can often be found examining 200-year-old books in various archive sites around the globe. She enjoys working closely with clients, and loves any opportunity that allows her to indulge her creative side.

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After putting in enough time as a busboy, a cheesesteak artist, a medical courier, and a nightclub bouncer, Peter took the logical next step—securing a position at a bicycle shop. While serving as a mechanic and a salesman, his incriminating degree in creative writing from the University of Arizona got him assigned to every additional duty that had anything to do with words. Between all the wrenching and selling, Peter wrote website copy, emails, blogs, digital and print ads, press releases, articles, advertorials, and scripts for radio and television commercials. What started as a summer job evolved into an 18-year career in the cycling industry, gaining him experience in corporate communications, public relations, social media management, event planning, marketing, and retail advertising. Since joining The Writers for Hire, Peter has branched into ghostwriting, op-eds, RFPs, SOPs, and producing work for aerospace and engineering firms, public utilities, oil and gas companies, real estate developers, and the entertainment industry. At his home base in New Jersey, Peter spends his free time souping up cheap vintage guitars, admiring his dog, and talking about moving to the Adirondacks.

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Morgan has worked in marketing and communications for more than eight years, with a primary focus on copywriting and content creation. Throughout her years of experience, she has written and edited almost every kind of copy imaginable – magazine articles, blog posts, website copy, brochures, press releases, nonfiction books, newsletter articles, brand guidelines, and more – for both B2B and B2C audiences in a wide array of industries, including energy, technology, finance, healthcare, education, travel, retail, and more. In addition to her creative skills, Morgan has technical expertise in HTML coding and utilizing content management systems (e.g. WordPress) and email platforms, such as MailChimp, ExactTarget, and Constant Contact. With a lifelong interest in language, it is not surprising that Morgan has a bachelor’s degree in German and Linguistics from Rice University, where she studied more than eight languages. In 2011, she received her master’s degree in Advertising from The University of Texas, where she was accepted into the elite Texas Creative Program for her copywriting skills. In her free time, Morgan enjoys writing personalized picture books for friends and family.

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Shelley’s love of words began in first grade, composing poems for her dear teacher and mentor, Mrs. Blanchard. Her writing career began with several years as a county newspaper reporter, where she developed a love for interviewing all sorts of people. Besides feature writing, her news beats included city government, education, and nonprofits of every stripe. As a determined “adult student,” Shelley graduated summa cum laude from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2010 where she also wrote profiles of outstanding adult students for a “Web Weekly” newsletter and edited a grant proposal for a campus office. After college, she wrote English instructional materials, website copy, product copy, and blogs before joining two construction and development ezines as a staff writer, happy to be conducting interviews for each assignment. Several years of intervening employment in corporate merchandising and HR deepened Shelley’s understanding of the workings of larger companies and the written content they require. She now loves being part of the writing teams at The Writers for Hire. When not at a keyboard, she can be seen jogging in her Southern neighborhood or found holed up with a biography, a vegetarian cookbook, or a vintage TV show.

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She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a concentration in screenwriting from National University in La Jolla, California, and her Bachelor of Arts in Writing from the University of Tampa in Tampa, Florida. 

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Carol is also a children’s book author, having written several fiction and nonfiction books for the educational market. She especially loves helping kids learn about the environment and social sciences. Her first nonfiction picture book from a trade publisher is due to be released in fall 2021. 

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Martha Scott’s technical writing career began on a contract at Houston’s Johnson Space Center. She edited papers for scientific journal publication, documents for departments across the site, and a book about a proposed crew escape vehicle. She produced a yearly booklet describing Shuttle contract cost-saving measures, the mission managers’ Flight Data Pack, and a 45-page booklet called Charting a Course to the Year 2000 and Beyond describing plans to develop additional space vehicles and prepare for manned Mars explorations. At Invesco, Martha edited and contributed to two company newsletters (online and hardcopy). She wrote software user manuals, Help files, Training and Benefits department documents, and, finally, shareholder reports. She returned to aerospace for the Shuttle Program’s last 5 years where she attended and produced detailed descriptions of presentations and subsequent discussions at the Orbiter Configuration Control Board’s weekly meetings. She also documented crew debriefings for 17 flights. Martha’s most recent experience was on Jacobs Engineering’s contract with a Texas City refinery for which she wrote and edited Engineering, Safety, Inspection, and Information Systems documents.

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Suzanne knew she wanted to be a writer at the age of ten when she wrote her first story, and has spent the past 2 decades writing blog posts, magazine articles, nonfiction and fiction books, sales letters, white papers, press releases, website copy, and anything else that can be put in written form. She has written for Intuit, Avalara, NerdWallet, GoPayment, and as a ghostwriter for a few well-known CEO’s. Her work has appeared all around the internet, including on sites like World News and Reports, Entrepreneur.com, and Forbes. She loves nothing more than being presented with a bunch of data and asked to break it down into digestible content for readers. Most days you’ll find her sitting on her porch with her laptop, writing to the sound of the ocean, and marveling that life can be this stinking good.

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Jennifer has a background in journalism and Russian area studies. She holds a BA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MSFS from Georgetown University. While in graduate school in the mid-1990s, she developed an interest in the oil and gas industry of the former Soviet Union and launched a free newsletter covering the subject. She then spent more than 20 years researching, analyzing and writing about related topics, working for multiple weekly publications and a private consulting firm. Her areas of professional interest also include energy and power in China, Iran and the Eastern Mediterranean, and for fun she researches linguistics, neuroscience and disability-related issues. She has experience in copy-editing and has frequently worked with both native and non-native English speakers, helping them to produce clear, easily understandable articles on complex political, economic, legal and technical topics. Additionally, she has managed many time-sensitive typesetting projects for community institutions. Jennifer enjoys writing personal essays and lives in Atlanta with her family.

Dana Robinson - Copywriter

Dana Robinson has been writing and editing professionally for 10 years, publishing her first article in 2007. She serves as Editor-in-Chief of a local online magazine and is a contributor to various Houston print publications. She honed her experience writing newsletters and managing social media for small businesses and non-profits before moving on to e-books, magazines, and non-fiction books for print. She also enjoys teaching creative writing workshops for children. Dana received her formal education at the University of Houston–Downtown, where she majored in professional writing, minored in creative writing, and was the recipient of the Upper Division Writing award for best essay. She completed internships with Writers In The Schools and The Bayou Review.

Brenda Hazzard - Copywriter

Brenda Hazzard has over 30 years’ experience working as a writer and editor in the private and public sectors. She spent over 20 years working for the US Government in Washington and abroad, and spent several years working with the CIA during which she managed a team of writers producing internal briefs on international news, events, and politics. She writes on a variety of topics but loves opportunities to work on projects that cater to her keen interest in international affairs. She considers herself to be an empathetic editor, one who improves a draft but lets the spirit of the writer shine through. She has also worked on dissertations, white papers, newspaper articles, and family histories.

Adelia Ritchie - Copywriter

Adelia is a scientist, educator, technical writer and editor, poet, and blogger about her Pura Vida lifestyle in Costa Rica. She has more than 40 years experience writing professionally, including her years at Science Applications International Corp., Bechtel Corporation, Defense Acquisition University, and the Department of Defense. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Physical Organic Chemistry at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Physics from the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida.

Carey Miller - Copywriter

Carey brings more than 20 years of writing and editing experience to The Writers for Hire. A lifelong writer and reader, she holds a B.A. in English from UCLA. Her background includes writing and editorial positions with both book and magazine publishers. She has worked as a copy editor and proofreader for major advertising agencies including Ogilvy & Mather and Rubin Postaer. Her experience includes magazine feature writing and editing as well as manuscript development and editing. A former advertising sales executive, she has crafted a wide range of business, sales, and marketing communication for leading magazine publishers including Conde Nast and Hearst. She has worked with major consumer brands including Nike, Visa, Levi’s, General Motors, Microsoft, Charles Schwab, and Neutrogena.

Coralee Bechteler - Copywriter

In the past, Coralee has been an organic farmer, a chicken herder, a zipline administrative assistant, and an ESL teacher for kids. Today, she's living her childhood dream of being a writer. She currently resides in New York with her cat (and muse) Hermes and a miles-long TBR list that gets longer every day. If she's not reading or crafting, you can usually find her pulled over on a country road writing something down or picking wildflowers. Coralee holds a bachelor's degree in English, an associate's degree in Horticulture, and multiple internationally recognized software testing certifications.

Cecile Brule - Copywriter

Cecile enjoys the challenge of discovering each client’s unique strengths and presenting them to a wider audience. Since joining The Writers For Hire, she has worked on blogs, newsletters, RFPs, end-user documentation, email, social media, sales pages, biographies, op-eds, and fiction.

Previously, she taught in Shenzhen, China and obtained an HSK3 (Intermediate Mandarin) certificate. Cecile enjoys gaming, drawing, producing short films, and growing fifteen different varieties of apples with Serenity Orchards.

Rosalind Stanley - Copywriter

Rosalind Stanley grew up on the Coast of Maine and then accidentally spent fifteen years in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, before moving to the Midwest. She graduated from Lynchburg College in 2008 with a B.A. in Creative Writing (and a minor in Theater Performance); ever since, Rosalind has endeavored to make writing a part of her daily life, whether creative or technical, whether as a volunteer or an employee. She has tutored students, taught workshops, edited fiction and non-fiction books, and worked as a beta reader and a legal writer. She also publishes a newsletter on Substack, where she releases her own fiction serially. When not writing, Rosalind is busy homeschooling her four children and raiding the local library for new fiction.

Sean Patrick Hill - Copywriter

Sean has been a professional writer for more than 25 years, and has an M.A. in Writing from Portland State University and an M.F.A. in Poetry from Warren Wilson College. He's the author of five books, and his writing has won him grants and fellowships from the Kentucky Arts Council, the Vermont Studio Center, the Elizabeth George Foundation, and the Regional Arts and Culture Council. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where he also works at his photography.

Wintress Odom - Owner / Editor-in-chief

Wintress founded The Writers For Hire in 2003 after freelancing for several years as a copywriter and editor. She has overseen, edited, proofread, or written copy for over 100 clients and is happy to have maintained long-term relationships with many of her first customers. Wintress is an exceptional proofreader and editor and has a gift for organizing large projects, including large technical manuals and manuscripts. Her educational background includes graduating cum laude from Rice University in 2000, studying at Cologne Gymnasium in Germany, and graduating valedictorian from The Science Academy of South Texas in 1994.
Wintress