How To Use Thought Leadership To Market Your Brand

Pat Walls

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Updated: October 8th, 2022

What Is Thought Leadership?

Growth starved startups are looking for ways to differentiate themselves with new ideas, education, and relevant solutions that address buyer's pain points and influence their perceptions of value. One effective strategy is thought leadership.

Thought leadership is the expression of ideas that demonstrate expertise in a particular field, area, or topic.

The notion of establishing thought leadership has emerged as a top priority in sales and marketing. In this post, we evaluate how startups can leverage the notion of thought leadership to excel in brand marketing.

Let's jump straight in!

Thought Leadership Key Takeaways

Thought leadership provides a major basis for competitive differentiation
The main goal of thought leadership is to build credibility and trust
Thought leadership takes dedication, patience, strategy, and willingness to learn
Thought leadership has become an executive priority for most B2B marketers

How Thought Leadership Works In Marketing

Thought leaders create demand around a service or product previously unknown to the target audience. They are distinguished by their expertise within their industry niche.

To improve sales effectiveness, differentiate your brand, and give customers the engagement and insights they are seeking, invest in thought leadership.

Thought leadership takes a systematic approach towards the delivery of new ideas, relevant advice and offers compelling solutions to prospects and customers through sales and marketing channels.

Therefore, thought leaders provide the sales and marketing teams a sustained stream of advice and education that helps them arrange high-level converting sales calls with prospects and existing customers.

Overall, thought leadership programs allow marketing executives to differentiate their organization from the competition by delivering solutions to their target audience.

What Are The Benefits of Thought Leadership In Marketing?

Thought leadership strategy can return many benefits for your business. Here are some of the benefits of applying thought leadership strategy in your business.

Gain publicity: Thought leaders showcase a unique perspective and a diverse portfolio enabling them to enjoy increased attention from their audience.
Scale the business: Thought leadership program helps startups increase sales, hence achieving business growth.
Brand credibility: thought leaders understand their business and so they enjoy trust among their markets and niches
Differentiation advantage: through thought leadership, startups create a unique business avenue of service offerings that are not necessarily available.
Attracts investors: Thought leaders reinforce brand reputation and create unique selling points that attract investors.

Real-world Examples Of Brands That Succeeded By Embracing Thought Leadership

Here are examples of brands that have worked their way to the top through the notion of thought leadership.

1. Deloitte Establishes Thought Leadership Through Unique Research

Deloitte seems to understand the value of thought leadership, hence the reason they invested in research-driven content.

The firm publishes outstanding and well-researched industry reports, insights, and analyses from leading subject matter experts. Each article published on their website clearly shows Deloitte's authority in the related field.

It is through ensuring research-driven content, that Deloitte has established itself as a thought leader and gained credibility from its target audience. Such a strategy has enabled the brand to compete organically on search engines as many brands link to their website.

2. How Jeff Baker Establishes His Brand As thought Leader through Blog Posting

Jeff Baker, the Chief Marketing Officer at Brafton, is a one-man thought leader.

Jeff, contributes to the Brafton.com blog consistently, delivering quality content that exhibits in-depth research to cover complex marketing topics and challenging subjects.

Jeffs's content is backed by specific data, real-life examples, and hands-on experience. Combining these elements, Jeff emerges as an authoritative voice that has earned credibility and trust in his field.

How Do You Establish Your Brand As A Thought Leader?

Establishing your brand as a thought leader can help you cut through the noise and emerge top in your industry. Here are the top strategies you can apply to claim your position as a thought leader in your industry.

Clarify your area of expertise and stick to it
Collaborate with a thought leader and leverage his influence to establish trust and credibility
Focus on activities that show your audience you are present
To build brand reputation and credibility, work on becoming a well-rounded professional
Share and comment on industry trends
Have the discipline to study market dynamics to find patterns and solve real-world problems
Listen to others and embrace the spirit of constant learning while focusing on understanding others
Build and maintain an authentic online reputation and active social media presence
Work with mentors and influencers
Attend in-person networking events and offer to speak at conferences
Get into guest posting as often as you can
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Pat Walls