Objective
Thought leadership
Being the voice people turn to on a subject that matters to the business.
Thought leadership makes the organisation and its experts the voice people turn to on a subject that matters to the business. Because almost everyone now publishes something under that name, substance decides: original research, a clear point of view and real expertise, carried by content and press relations and extended through speaking, newsletters and professional networks.
What matters when choosing
- A subject the organisation can credibly own, close to what it sells but bigger than its products.
- Experts with the time and permission to speak, and support to turn their knowledge into content.
- Original insight (research, data, a point of view) rather than summaries of what others have said.
- A rhythm that builds a body of work over time, instead of one big report a year.
- Measures of what people understood and did: invitations, citations, sign-ups and qualified conversations, not page views alone.
Questions to ask vendors and agencies
- What do we know or believe that others in our field are not saying?
- Which experts will put their name to this, and how much of their time can we count on?
- How will we tell whether it changed what our audience thinks or does?
Common mistakes
- Publishing product promotion dressed up as insight, which readers recognise at once.
- Ghost-writing so heavily that the named expert cannot defend the ideas in person.
- Measuring success in page views instead of influence and relationships.
Typical disciplines Content marketing Public relations Events and experiential Email marketing Influencer and creator marketing Social media
Platforms that fit (2)
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