Lead the Pack! How to Use Thought Leadership to Set Your Organisation Apart

Are you (or your company) a thought leader? What is a thought leader, anyway? Business circles often bandy this term about with an effect that can either annoy or impress people. CEO of PR and marketing firm Idea Grove Scott Baradell wrote in Forbes that thought leadership has become one of the most overused phrases in the world. Everyone, it seems, is a thought leader.

However, the founder of PR firm Intelligent Conversation Libby Howard, writes that “true thought leadership is ‘content gold.’” In an essay for the International Public Relations Association, Howard writes that she has worked on effective campaigns that have resulted in downloads, impressions, new connections, speaker opportunities, and the potential to influence public policy.

According to NYTLicensing, The New York Times’ content marketing arm, creating compelling thought leadership can improve content marketing ROI. A 2020 survey on content preferences conducted by B2B marketing publication Demand Gen Report found that 67% of buyers are relying more on thought leadership to help determine their purchase decisions. You must create quality thought leadership pieces to stand out from the numerous brands claiming to be thought leaders in your industry. The idea of doing so may seem daunting, but being a notable expert in your field – and sharing said expertise – can benefit your organisation and bring in more business.

What Is Thought Leadership? According to content marketing firm Click 2 View, thought leadership pieces are content types that “must demonstrate a higher level of expertise.” Let’s face it, with the advent of the internet, everyone can claim to know many things thanks to a mere tap or click of a mouse. Here’s where thought leaders and thought leadership differ – they have knowledge that others haven't heard before, ideas they have gained from their professional and personal experiences, and things that would inspire people to question what they already know. Good thought leadership can help drive innovation because it sparks conversations about new topics or points of interest in the industry.

Per Forbes, some qualities of a good thought leader include:

• Insightfulness 

• Disruptive and analytical thinking

• Empathy and relatability

• Creativity

• Authenticity

Thought leadership can be expressed in many forms. It can be an article, a white paper, a speech or even a podcast. 

To demonstrate a high level of expertise, thought leaders would have honed their skills in their sector. They should have a mastery of a particular subject or topic to be able to add something of value to the conversation. Usually established authority figures in their organisation, thought leaders offer a fresh perspective to their industry, which helps spark conversation and drive curiosity among their peers.

For example, in 2010, Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington spoke at a TEDWomen event about the importance of a good night’s sleep. In a culture that glamorises the idea of functioning on very little sleep, Huffington’s speech was considered ground-breaking and has amassed over 5 million views on the TED website. Today, she leads Thrive Global, a tech startup that aims to resolve the burnout crisis.

1. Thought leadership expands your reach and increases your influence.  According to FT Longitude, a B2B thought leadership agency, companies create thought leadership because it enhances their reputation, builds business relationships with existing and potential clients, and increases revenues. 

Being a notable thought leader in your field gets your name noticed. Once you have successfully established yourself as a reliable source of helpful industry insight, more people will recognise you as an expert. Various groups, whether people in your industry, clients, or even journalists, may look to you for advice and input. It will also impact the organisation you belong to – people will take notice of what firm you work for and might be interested to connect.

By imparting your knowledge to your industry peers and clients, you build credibility and trust – two essential ingredients that will lead to a successful business opportunity.

2. It can give you access to new opportunities. Thought leadership raises your profile, which could lead to new and exciting opportunities for you and your organisation. Thought leaders may get invited to speak at events where they get to grow their network and share their expertise even further. Potential clients might reach out and ask your company to pitch for them on a project. 

Thought leadership is a good marketing tool for bringing in more business for your firm. For UK-headquartered insurance firm Aon, producing the thought leadership campaign C-Suite Series: An analysis of risk management in M&A helped them build their reputation in the mergers and acquisitions space and create opportunities for them to do business in the sector. Upon release, there have been over a thousand downloads of the report – on top of a 600% increase in brand preference from their target audience. 

3. It establishes more credibility and trust.  As you highlight your expertise through thought leadership, your audience will see you as a credible source that they can trust. This can put you at an advantage against your competitors because once clients already trust you, they will go directly to you for advice. This can prove helpful for SMEs, as they compete against bigger companies with more familiar names in the market. SMEs can use their expertise to share quality thought leadership content with their markets. Once they have successfully positioned themselves as thought leaders, they can make a name for themselves and have just as much brand recall as a major multinational.

4. It can help your company attract talent.  Raising your profile through thought leadership won’t just attract clients, it can bring talent closer to you, too. If jobseekers find your thought leadership compelling, they may decide that they would like to work for your company. The topics you cover in your thought leadership pieces may also be indicative of what your organisational culture is, a factor that many jobseekers consider when applying for a job.

1. Stick to what you know.  What is your company’s bread and butter? Make sure you’re going to be talking about a topic you know and understand well, not merely an interesting phenomenon that everyone is talking about. For example, if you are a healthcare company, you might want to talk about innovations in the health space and not the current buzz surrounding the viral chatbot ChatGPT.

You can also link to trending issues that may be relevant to your scope of work. Content marketing firm With Content shares how spend management platform Spenmo took a different approach to discussing the WeWork IPO issue in 2019. When the company failed to launch its IPO, many articles discussed the dangers of overvaluing companies.  

Instead of following the same route, Spenmo took a different approach, choosing to write about the spend management angle surrounding the issue. Because this is their firm’s specialisation, they were in the prime spot to discuss the topic and they were also able to stand out from the rest of the pack. 

2. Think out of the box.  Good thought leadership pieces make people think, “wow I’ve never thought of it that way before!” Thought leaders develop new ideas and help drive innovation with their thinking, inspiring people to see things from a different perspective. Thought leadership can also present ideas differently, connecting common knowledge in a new way like new thought synapses.

3. Figure out your WHY.  Keep your audience in mind while developing your topic. Why would they care about your thought leadership piece? FT Longitude recommends focusing on the insights and knowledge they need and the issues on which they want to know more. Not sure what they want? Do some research beforehand to ensure you’re reaching them correctly.

4. Make it factual.  Your discussion will be further strengthened by facts and examples, giving you a better chance of convincing your readers. You can even share case studies from previous projects you have worked on, which can help provide a clearer vision of what you’re talking about.

5. Be clear, concise and credible.  Speak simply and in a straightforward manner, avoiding long-winded sentences that would only confuse the audience. Don’t forget to establish your credibility by sharing your credentials. Who are you? What do you do that makes you an expert in this field? Again, back up your discussion with data from reliable sources to ensure that your argument is sound.

6. Seek help.  Identify notable individuals in your firm that can share their experiences about specific topics. A variety of perspectives can enrich your thought leadership piece even further. Are you feeling lost on how to start your thought leadership? You can seek advice from content marketing firms or firms which specialise in developing thought leadership campaigns for various brands.

7. Check out the competition.  Remember that you’re not the only organisation creating thought leadership campaigns in your sector. In a thought leadership survey conducted by SurveyMonkey, Orbit Media, and Mantis Research amongst marketers, 66% of the respondents considered thought leadership a top priority for their organisation. Endeavour to pay attention to the content your rivals are pushing out and see how you can differentiate yourself from them.

Quality thought leadership can help raise your company's profile in its industry. Being seen as an expert in your field will get you attention from potential clients, jobseekers, and even the media. When done successfully, your thought leadership can help spark new conversations in your sector, as well as bring your organisation more work opportunities.

Want to hear from thought leaders doing what they do best? Check out #seekTALKS, SEEK's podcast series focused on bringing key ideas and conversations about recruitment and the world of work to life. JobStreet will invite today’s foremost thought leaders and industry lighthouse partners to share their perspectives regarding topics shaping the talent world today and tomorrow.