We all know that thought leadership isn’t about selling a product or service; it’s about creating content that educates your audience, ignites conversation and positions your brand as an authority or pioneer in its field.
As a facet of PR, it is very much a central component of the ‘raising brand awareness’ pillar. But thought leadership should go beyond this to enhance credibility and authority, with the end goal being trust and recognition that drives consumer engagement, and ultimately sales.
So how do you become a thought leader?
A vital element is establishing a strong values policy, which includes identifying and training key spokespeople. This can be rolled out in a reactive way when issues arise in the wider landscape that relate to your brand’s stance. Think along the lines of getting your MD on BBC Breakfast to talk about an industry issue that has arisen, or sending a quote to a journalist writing about an emerging topic related to your sector.
This requires groundwork to create a values statement, and media training of spokespeople if necessary. You will also need a nimble and clever press or communications team to keep scanning the media landscape to take advantage of arising opportunities.
When it comes to a proactive thought leadership strategy, a cornerstone is the creation of thought leadership content that will engage and inform your audience. It is this type of content we specialise in at Perspectus Global, working with global brands to cement and grow their thought leadership credentials.
After years of producing thought leadership content that gets cut-through, here are our top three content suggestions for thought leadership success:
White papers. A well-executed white paper on a topic that is relevant to your sector - or the sector of your customers - has longevity (typically around 12 months). It is an opportunity to bring in valued stakeholders via expert commentary, and can drive the news agenda with the findings of the research it presents. We typically combine quantitative, qualitative and desk research; the result is an illuminating, weighty asset that can be cut and repurposed across many channels.
Blog posts. Using your internal experts, ‘horizon scanner’ content can help educate your customers about what lies ahead, and a focus on challenges will allow your brand to be seen as the solution to potential pain points. By sharing your expertise and giving your customer base a heads up, your authority and trustworthiness will be boosted.
Research pulses and snap polls. If you’re looking for media coverage and marketing collateral that will add to your thought leadership credentials, running either a regular pulse survey - to gauge your customers’ views on a topic - or a one-off snap poll is a great way to do this. Using quantitative research via an online survey, the data can be used to create a news release, with your expert quotes, and submitted to the media. This approach has less weight than a white paper, but is more cost effective and a great way to help create a media splash when you need it.
This list isn’t exhaustive - there are many other ways to cement thought leadership, such as setting up awards, attending events, and running webinars. But the above content - especially the white papers - can be used to drive all of this wider activity, and more.
For a well-rounded PR and marketing strategy, thought leadership activity is a must for brands that want to stay ahead of the competition, and have meaningful conversations with their customers.
Find out more about Perspectus Global here.