Companies that claim a thought leadership position see their sales efforts paying off more, their solutions are considered more valuable, and their good reputation makes companies more attractive for new colleagues and even reduces the cost of loans. If they haven’t claimed such a strong position in the market, they notice the loyalty of their customers decreases. Thought leadership content is necessary.
Thought leadership content
“Publishing content and claiming expert status. Why bother with it? Customers will come to us if our product is good enough. Isn't marketing just about buying ads in trade magazines, Google, or LinkedIn? Are we now obliged to blog so that perhaps we might have an extra customer after a while? Honestly, I really don’t want to get into LinkedIn.” These are common reactions to the ambitions of a B2B marketer. Account managers have better things to do than 'keeping up' with their channels. Directors or entrepreneurs feel uncomfortable in the spotlight.
Yet, at some point, you must overcome this imaginary threshold. Edelman (an international PR agency) conducted research among 1,200 marketers. What did they find? About 58 percent of the decision-makers at a B2B company indicated they use thought leadership content to award business to a certain company. The opposite is also true: companies that do not have such content will not be considered as partners. Sales and marketing departments should recognize the value of this type of content: make thought leadership content a priority.
More value and more sales
Research indicates that presenting a clear vision through thought leadership content contributes much more to a company's sales efforts than they often expect. Throughout the entire purchasing process, the expert status contributes more to the business than manufacturers and sellers anticipate. From the moment companies get to know other companies, to when prices become relevant, or when other services are offered: expert status helps companies. The following image (from Edelman) illustrates this difference at a glance.
Only fourteen percent of companies think that expert content contributes to legitimately asking for higher prices. Yet nearly sixty percent of the market players are willing to pay premium prices for companies that issue thought leadership content. Count your profits. Also, selling other solutions or services and inviting companies to a pitch are much more likely to succeed if one is seen as an expert.
Some other notable findings from the study:
- About 63 percent of decision-makers think that particularly small or starting businesses benefit from issuing thought leadership content;
- 69 percent of them say it allows them to get a sense of how an organization operates;
- 47 percent of executives say they have left their contact details after reading thought leadership content.
Reputation is more important than ever
Organizations with a strong reputation notice that they have numerous advantages, benefits that you might not expect immediately. A German study shows that companies with a strong reputation pay lower interest on their bond loans. Research from Harvard indicates that companies with a bad reputation pay each employee at least ten percent more in wages. That companies with a less good reputation are less attractive in the job market goes without saying.
Conclusion
Publishing content that emphasizes your organization’s expert status is not a luxury. If you want to optimize the sales process, organizations can no longer do without this content. But a good reputation helps you in numerous ways: from cheaper bond loans, reducing wage costs to improving your employer marketing.
