Effective B2B thought leadership

A thought leader is an individual who is recognised for their insight and innovative ideas in a particular field or niche. More than this, they can command and communicate these ideas effectively to a wide audience and lead their field or niche to the implementation and application of these ideas. From a B2B point of view, positioning yourself as a thought leader and demonstrating your grasp on your particular discipline can be a great way to generate demand for your products or services. If someone sees you as “the go to person” for widgets, social media or syndication then they are more likely to come to you and your organisation to help them with implementation. With incoming business at stake, how best can you brand yourself as a B2B thought leader?

1. LinkedIn – As the business orientated social network, LinkedIn provides a great platform for you to build your network and position yourself as a thought leader. Either by joining a group or better still by starting and running a group yourself, you can demonstrate on a regular basis the insight and knowledge you have in your niche. Do this is sparingly. No-one likes a smart arse commenting on everything and anything. You can try to find obtuse and thought provoking things to posts – but relying too heavily on what other people are saying about your industry will not build your reputation as a thought leader. If there is a particular challenge to your industry as a whole is there a way you can effectively argue a solution from a point of view as yet unexplored? Can you demonstrate how you and your company did something innovative that set you apart from your competitors? Use LinkedIn to tell people about it.
2. Content Marketing – This is one of the best tools available to position yourself as a thought leader. Content marketing is about writing and distributing free content to other professionals via means such as blogs, white papers, articles etc. While the underlying strategy to this approach is to generate demand and encourage companies to work with you, it is not done solely for this reason. If you are trying to build your reputation as a thought leader then content marketing is a great way to visibly demonstrate the insight and innovative approach you have.
3. Events and Speaking engagements – Effectively, if you are trying to position yourself as a thought leader, you need have something to say. The best way to get people to hear it, and engage further with you, is by standing on a stage a presenting your ideas. Getting these types of engagements is not as difficult as it may at first seem. There are plenty of niche conferences, events and open floors you can find via LinkedIn and another social media, Meetup. These will give you the initial platform to push yourself and your most importantly your ideas forward.

Effective thought leadership is about conveying good, well thought through ideas to a receptive audience. To get an audience you have to demonstrate your ability and worth via the above means. Becoming a thought leader is not something that happens overnight.  Nor is it a challenge that everyone can rise to. It is a slow process that if done properly can reap rewards for you on a personal level as well as put money on your company’s bottom line.