What business out there isn’t looking for more sales? Even big players like Amazon, Netflix and Google want to continue growing, so unless you’re the rare kind of business that’s happy to be stagnant, expanding your customer base and your profits will definitely be on your wish list.
So how can you use thought leadership to get more sales?
Lots of businesses and business leaders strive to become thought leaders in their niche because it can prove particularly valuable for sales.
In the field of content marketing, there are varying opinions about what thought leadership is. Some think it’s about being controversial, and others view it as simply being a subject matter expert [SME]. In our opinion, it’s about creating forward-thinking, inspirational and educational content that encourages change.
What are the benefits of thought leadership?
Whether you write informative, relevant blog posts on a regular basis or share your insights on social media channels, thought leadership can help grow your following and increase your credibility.
- Thought leadership establishes you as a reliable, trusted source of information.
- It can boost the presence of your brand in your industry.
- Your ideas can educate others and inspire innovation.
- Thought leadership can encourage you to be more forward-thinking and take responsibility for staying ahead of the game.
Can anyone be a thought leader?
Typically, people think thought leaders have to be CEOs, consultants or coaches, but that’s not necessarily the case. You could be an administrative assistant who wants to inspire others in your line of work. You could be a forward-thinking zookeeper who consistently shares your knowledge and actionable insights with other zookeepers.
You should be passionate about your niche, keen to stay ahead of the curve and have a desire to honestly share what you know to help others learn and grow.
Thought leadership content strategy
Effective thought leadership doesn’t just have to come from individuals. Businesses can be thought leaders too. So, how can you incorporate thought leadership into your content strategy?
Set goals that outline what you want to achieve by becoming a thought leader. Do you want to raise your brand awareness? Broaden your audience? Increase conversions?
Figure out who your audience is and where they spend their time. Are you looking to reach decision-makers? CEOs? Do they hang out on LinkedIn or at in-person conferences?
Do some research and find out what’s already out there. What thought leadership already exists in your niche and how can you both compete with them?
Decide who will communicate your thought leadership content. Will it be more beneficial for your opinions to come from a figurehead or the business in general? What are the benefits of each option?
Create your content using what you already know, your [continuing] research into current trends, up to date industry statistics and even collaboration with other thought leaders.
Distribute your content on social media, a podcast, via a white paper, a YouTube channel or even by pitching it to journalists and publications.
Measure your results by looking at organic traffic, social media engagement, actual leads, backlinks, PR mentions and email subscribers. What worked and why? Are the results in line with your initial goals?
Ready to become a thought leader?
If you’re hoping for more sales in 2022 and beyond, becoming a thought leader is one way to get a competitive advantage and inspire positive change. It requires you and your business to have deep expertise, challenge the norms and communicate your ideas well.
If you need a hand with your content marketing strategy, get in touch with 3PM today. We’re content marketing specialists with years of realllly effective [oh, and award-winning] digital marketing under our boastful belts.
