Grow Your B2B Sales Through Thought Leadership

Thought leadership often seems like a buzzword that gets thrown around in the marketing industry. Most B2B firms are under the impression that this simply means establishing themselves as experts in the field. However, true thought leadership goes beyond this threshold and can have a huge impact on Internet lead generation efforts. In fact, thought leaders can gain more new business than their competitors in the industry, according to an article for Forbes written by Russ Alan Prince.

A lot of businesses claim to be thought leaders, but are they really? Content needs to focus on cutting-edge industry topics that may not have been discussed by many others. Thought leadership content also needs to include a clear call to action to function more effectively as a lead generation tool.

How to prove industry expertise

B2B products are often highly complex, and buyers may not have a clear understanding of their technical specifications. Thought leadership is crucial for building trust in your brand. Buyers need to feel like they are making the most informed decision possible. In addition, there are more demands on decision-maker’s schedules, so they do not have the time to sift through hundreds of articles on the Internet. If you’re trying to reach executives, you need to provide the best quality content possible.

When creating a content marketing strategy, it’s easy to fall into the trap of just discussing the particulars of your product. However, you need to approach content creation from a buyer’s perspective, Joanne Black wrote in a blog post for Salesforce. At the end of the day, buyers probably don’t care about every specification of the solution. They want to partner with vendors that focus on the big picture, which often means focusing on how the product relates back to the decision-maker’s company or industry. True thought leaders focus on helping their customers beat their competition.

Mistakes to avoid when establishing thought leadership

One of the most significant errors in judgment a company can make when getting into thought leadership is not accounting for all the elements that go into a successful strategy, according to a separate article for Forbes written by Corey Michael Blake. B2B companies need to start by building a user-friendly website optimized for search engines. Great, informative content won’t matter if potential customers can’t find it online. Then they should take a close look at their marketing and sales funnel to ensure the internal process meets buyers’ needs.

Another major issue is getting stuck on the small picture. Even small B2B companies with a limited target audience can display thought leadership by focusing on making big changes for their customers’ businesses. Considering yourself too small to make a difference can cause you to reduce the impact of your content. Thought leadership needs to center around the larger situation for clients’ industries. For example, what are the major issues and challenges and how can a solution like the one you sell improve these conditions?

How to prove you are a thought leader in your industry

Thought leadership does not need to be incredibly arduous, but it does require some effort to make it work, Black suggested. One of the most difficult aspects of establishing thought leadership is taking yourself out of the selling mentality. In a typical content marketing strategy, it can be tempting to explain the benefits of your solution compared to competitors. You can’t mask a sales pitch by offering helpful tips to leads. Many buyers will see through this ruse. Content needs to be genuine and express the kind of information prospects are most interested in to count as thought leadership.

Another overlooked aspect of thought leadership is that it’s acceptable to step outside the norm. Some companies worry about expressing a different perspective from their competitors because it will make them stick out. However, this can be a way to gain more attention and attract new customers. Offering a new viewpoint in your content can create a more active discussion and get potential clients thinking.

In addition, it’s crucial to stay relevant. Decision-makers want to read the latest news in the industry, so all content needs to be current. This may involve regular market research.

While some of these considerations may seem complicated, an integrated marketing platform can help B2B firms establish thought leadership. These solutions make it easier to collect data and determine what the target audience wants to read about. The analytical components can tell you which blog posts generate the highest levels of engagement. Lead behavioral data can help your firm make future marketing decisions and create content that is more relevant to prospects’ interests. This can help you build thought leadership and win more sales over time.