Thought Leadership Content Development
What Is Thought Leadership Content?
Thought leadership content leverages the voices of leaders in a given industry who are able to provide unique insights and expertise on a subject matter. By licensing thought leadership, your organization has an opportunity to build authority for your brand and attract and retain new and old audiences alike. Thought Leadership content should be specific to your brand. Once you have honed in on where your company fits in, you can begin understanding what kind of content you will need. But what is the point of thought leadership content anyway?
What Is the Purpose of Thought Leadership Content?
For many brands, thought leadership content fulfills many different roles and functions in a marketing strategy. These can include:
- Creating brand awareness
- Building credibility
- Generating leads
- Increasing engagement with customers and prospects
- Improving customer retention rates
- SEO visibility and high-ranking opportunities
What Is the Importance of Thought Leadership Content?
Take a look at recent thought leadership statistics and you’ll quickly discover the benefits it can offer your organization. Approximately 54% of decision-makers are spending at least one hour a week consuming thought leadership materials. About 53% of organizations have expanded the amount of work done with an organization after engaging with their thought leadership, and 54% of decision-makers purchased from a company that they hadn’t previously considered. When done right, thought leadership offers brands the ability to make their brand voice louder, build trust with audiences and enhance their content marketing strategy.
How Do You Create Thought Leadership Content?
Before creating thought leadership content, it’s important to understand your target audience and their challenges. Before creating new assets, your team should identify where there may be current gaps in your editorial calendar and what pieces of content have been successful. Additionally, identifying your competitors will help you understand where you stand.
Now, to get yourself recognized in an oversaturated market you will have to create content that delivers value. Thought leadership content will need to be created by an industry expert. This can include product managers, speakers, and writers. Industry experts may not be the content writers producing the articles for your team’s blog or white papers. These thought leaders are usually people who have a specific forte or understanding of a particular niche or business problem. Through copyright licensing, brands can access industry leaders across a wide range of expertise, including health and wellness, finance, entertainment, travel, and more.
Thought leadership content will need to be created by an industry expert. This can include product managers, speakers, and writers. The kind of content you actually create depends on 100% on you. The types of content available to choose from range from articles, case studies, interviews and storytelling. Identify which format your particular audience will enjoy more and carry on. The hard part is already done for you.
Thought Leadership Content: 4 Types to License
There are several ways you can demonstrate thought leadership and showcase your expertise. Here are some examples of thought leadership content that have proven to be powerful.