Authenticity and expertise are essential on social media and thought leadership is key to establishing both. Thought leadership goes beyond sharing knowledge; it can position you as a recognised authority in your field. Thought leaders inspire and educate other professionals by offering fresh insights, forward-thinking ideas and higher standards across their industries.
Based on a talk delivered at the Building Brands Conference in June 2024, this blog explores thought leadership, its link with personal branding, and the impact on B2B buying behaviour.
What is Thought Leadership?
Thought Leadership is the practice of being recognised as an authority in a particular field or industry.
It can be utilised across different levels:
- Brand thought leadership – highlighting the company and it’s solutions
- Industry thought leadership – highlighting the business sector your company serves
- Executive thought leadership – a face behind the words; personal views
Thought leaders are trusted sources who inspire and guide others based on their knowledge and experience. They extend their influence beyond mere information sharing by actively shaping the narratives and predicting future trends within their industries.
Each of us will identify different thought leaders based on our unique goals, values, and interests — those whose expertise, vision, and insights resonate most deeply with our personal and professional growth.
At the core of thought leadership is deep expertise in a specific area. Thought leaders are individuals who have spent time honing their skills and accumulating insights. This expertise enables them to provide unique and valuable perspectives that capture the interest of others.
Influence is another key aspect of thought leadership. The ability to sway opinions and drive conversations within an industry is a hallmark of a thought leader. They possess a persuasive communication style that resonates with their audience, making their insights impactful and their recommendations noteworthy among peers and followers.
Credibility is what ultimately positions someone as a thought leader. They earn recognition and respect from their peers and the broader community by consistently delivering accurate, insightful, and actionable information. This credibility fosters trust, making their audience more likely to follow their guidance and adopt their recommendations.
Lastly, visibility is crucial for thought leaders. An active presence and engagement on relevant platforms and forums ensure that their ideas reach a wide audience and have a meaningful impact.
What Thought Leadership Isn’t
While thought leadership is a powerful tool for influence and industry progression, it’s important to distinguish it from other activities that might be mistaken for it.
Here are some key aspects that do not qualify as thought leadership:
Self-promotion involves marketing your achievements, which is an important aspect of building your professional reputation. However, true thought leadership goes beyond simply talking about yourself. It’s about contributing valuable insights and engaging with the community in a meaningful way. While self-promotion might help increase visibility, it doesn’t establish the authority and trust that come from sharing genuine expertise and innovative ideas. Thought leadership is focused on adding value to others, not just elevating your profile.
Similarly, while promoting products or services is a common business activity, it does not equate to thought leadership. Thought leadership is centred on sharing knowledge and ideas, providing value without an immediate sales pitch. The emphasis is on building trust and credibility through insightful content and expert advice, rather than trying to make a sale. The primary goal is to educate, inform, and inspire the audience. Although thought leaders may indirectly influence purchasing decisions, their content is driven by a desire to enlighten and engage, not to push products.
Creating viral content, which is content that rapidly gains popularity and engagement, is also not the same as thought leadership. While viral content may attract widespread attention, it doesn’t necessarily establish authority or expertise. The true measure of thought leadership lies in the lasting impact and influence of the ideas shared, rather than the number of views or shares.
What is the Difference Between Thought Leaders and Influencers?
The terms “thought leader” and “influencer” are often used interchangeably, but they represent distinct roles, as highlighted in this article by Inc.
Focus and Content
- Thought Leaders: Thought leaders are recognised for their deep expertise in a specific field. They share knowledge, provide innovative solutions, and address complex issues.
- Influencers: Influencers tend to focus on a broader range of topics and may not have deep expertise in any one area. Their content is engaging and designed to resonate with a wide audience. They often leverage their personal lives to build a connection with followers.
Purpose and Goals
- Thought Leaders: Thought leaders aim to educate, inspire, and drive change within their industry. They shape the direction of their field through insights and expertise, engaging in research, publishing, speaking at conferences, and mentoring.
- Influencers: Influencers aim to build a large, engaged following and often promote products or brands for compensation. Their goal is to drive trends and consumer behaviour through their popularity and engagement levels.
Authority and Credibility
- Thought Leaders: Thought leaders earn authority through years of experience, advanced knowledge, and contributions to their field. They are respected by peers and often published in reputable journals or invited to speak at events.
- Influencers: Influencers build credibility through their ability to connect with and engage their audience. Their authority comes from popularity and the trust followers place in their recommendations, often collaborating with brands to promote products.
Engagement and Interaction
- Thought Leaders: Thought leaders engage through intellectual discourse, professional networks, and industry-specific platforms. Their interactions are meaningful, adding value to their followers’ understanding and professional growth.
- Influencers: Influencers engage primarily through social media, using platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Their interactions are more casual and personal, aiming to build community and relatability with their audience.
Thought Leadership and Personal Branding
To understand how thought leadership can be effectively leveraged, let’s consider personal branding, which serves as the foundation for establishing and promoting one’s expertise and unique value in the industry.
Personal branding refers to the process of establishing and promoting an individual as a brand. By positioning themselves as subject matter experts and thought leaders, individuals can leverage their personal brand to enhance their professional reputation, attract opportunities, and connect with their followers and connections on a deeper level.
Here’s how personal branding integrates with thought leadership principles:
- Visibility and Expertise: Like thought leaders, a well-crafted personal brand highlights your expertise, making you a trusted source in your domain.
- Quality Over Quantity: Both focus on meaningful content and genuine connections.
- Multi-Platform Presence: Utilise various platforms to share insights, increasing your reach.
- Authenticity: Authentic personal experiences build trust, a cornerstone of effective thought leadership.
- Balancing Corporate and Personal Branding: Leveraging employee advocacy while maintaining authenticity enhances both personal and organisational thought leadership.
Employee advocacy, the practice of empowering employees to promote the company’s brand and offerings on their personal social media channels, plays a crucial role in enhancing thought leadership.
According to Linkedin’s Official Guide to Employee Advocacy, employees typically have 10 times more first-degree connections on LinkedIn than a company page has followers, making their reach significantly broader. Additionally,
- Content shared by employees is eight times more likely to engage audiences and 24 times more likely to be reshared compared to content shared by brands.
- Additionally, such content is clicked through twice as often, indicating higher effectiveness in driving website traffic and engagement.
This heightened engagement and wider reach through employee advocacy amplifies a company’s thought leadership, positioning both the company and it’s employees as thought leaders.
Supporting employees in becoming thought leaders can be a game-changer for your business. But why does it matter? Imagine the impact on your brand when your employees are recognised as experts in their field. Their knowledge and insights don’t just boost their personal reputation—they enhance your entire company’s credibility. This kind of recognition builds trust with customers, partners, and the broader industry.
Have you ever considered what makes a company attractive to top talent? It’s not just about the perks or the pay. When your company is known for nurturing thought leaders, you naturally attract the best and brightest. People want to work where innovation is encouraged and expertise is valued.
But the benefits don’t stop at attracting new talent. When employees feel empowered to share their ideas and insights, they’re more engaged and satisfied with their work. This sense of purpose and belonging doesn’t just make them happier—it also means they’re more likely to stay with your company, reducing costly turnover.
What sets your company apart from the competition? Thought leadership can be a key differentiator. By sharing unique perspectives and innovative ideas, your employees can position your business as a true leader in the industry. And it’s not just about standing out; it’s about expanding your reach. Thought leaders often connect with wider professional networks, attend industry conferences, and collaborate on exciting projects. These connections can open up new opportunities for growth and partnership.
When clients and customers see your company as knowledgeable and forward-thinking, they’re more likely to trust you with their business. Plus, encouraging thought leadership within your team fosters a culture of innovation. Your employees will stay on top of industry trends, adopt new technologies, and continuously improve your business processes.
And let’s not forget about the customer. How do you educate them about industry trends, best practices, or new products? Thought leaders can play a crucial role here, helping to build customer loyalty by offering valuable insights that deepen their understanding and appreciation of your offerings.
Finally, consider this: in times of crisis, who do you want to speak for your company? A well-respected thought leader can provide the kind of authoritative voice that reassures customers and stakeholders, helping you manage difficult situations with confidence.
The Impact of Thought Leadership on B2B Buying Behaviour
The 2024 B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report by Edelman and LinkedIn provides valuable insights into the role thought leadership plays in engaging B2B buyers. Here are some of the key findings from the report:
- Engaging Out-of-Market Buyers: At any given time, 95% of business clients are not actively seeking goods or services. In this context, thought leadership is essential for stimulating demand by prompting buyers to rethink their challenges. This can help move buyers off the sidelines and initiate the purchasing process.
- Trust and Credibility: The report highlights that 73% of decision-makers view thought leadership content as a more trustworthy basis for assessing an organisation’s capabilities than its marketing materials. High-quality thought leadership can significantly enhance an organisation’s credibility and positively influence buyers’ perceptions.
- Impact on Sales and Pricing: High-quality content makes buyers more willing to seek out and even pay a premium for the expertise of an organisation.
- Protecting Existing Customers: Thought leadership is not only about attracting new customers but also about protecting the existing ones. By helping customers think about their challenges in new ways, thought leadership can protect an organisation against competitors and support retention.
- Re-evaluating Relationships: Approximately 54% of C-suite executives stated that thought leadership had led them to question whether to continue working with their current supplier. This indicates that competitors’ thought leadership can significantly influence existing customer relationships.
In summary:
- People trust thought leaders who inspire and guide others with their deep knowledge, innovative solutions, and influential communication.
- Effective thought leadership relies on expertise, innovation, influence, credibility, and visibility.
- Thought leadership is not self-promotion, selling products, being a generalist, or creating viral content without substance.
- Thought leaders focus on deep expertise and industry impact, while influencers often engage a broad audience.
- Thought leadership content significantly influences B2B decision-makers, enhancing trust, driving sales, and protecting existing customer relationships.
- Personal branding on social media enhances thought leadership by establishing trust, and building genuine connections.
- Empowering employees to promote the company’s brand on personal social media channels can greatly amplify thought leadership efforts.
If you would like support in defining your thought leadership content and amplifying it through social media, get in touch.