B2B Thought Leadership Content Study Shows Impressive Results
by Emily Swet
The 2019 Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Study has been released, and here’s the key takeaway: thought leadership can be a veritable marketing goldmine. To make sure we’re all on the same page, thought leadership is trustworthy, authoritative content that taps into the talent and experience of your business. (For an example, check out our client Safety Products Group).
The study questioned over 1,200 business decision-makers on how they viewed thought leadership content. Turns out, thought leadership has a lot more influence on sales than marketers realize — and it’s growing. Take a look at the stats:
Thought leadership drives sales.
- 81% of decision-makers said thought leadership increased trust in vendor organizations.
- 60% of respondents said strong thought leadership led them directly to awarding business.
- 49% said thought leadership can command premium pricing.
- 47% of C-suite executives gave their contact info for thought leadership.
- 45% of respondents said thought leadership helps close deals.
But if poorly done, it drives risk.
Impressive, no doubt. But before you run to the nearest content mill, these stats offered a double-edged sword. Just as well-done content brought in impressive reactions, poorly executed pieces did just the opposite:
- 60% said they’d stop following a writer or organization if the content was poorly written.
- 46% said they decreased respect and admiration for such organizations.
- 29% said they’d decided not to award a piece of business on account of poor thought leadership.
Our two cents: you’d be remiss to shrug off thought leadership in your strategy. But if you can’t do it well, don’t do it without help.
Whether you’re in B2B sales or marketing, your goals are the same: bring in revenue. Thought leadership can be a heavy hitter in this capacity, but it’s not a job for the novice. Your content creators not only need to know your business inside and out but your verticals and audience as well. They’ll also need a solid content strategy in place. (If you don’t have one yet, this is a good place to start). If you want your thought leadership to have legs, it’s got to offer relevance, value, and trust. When you hit home with the right subscriber, they’ll share it with the decision-makers that count.
Tags: b2b, B2B content, B2B digital marketing, B2B marketing, B2B marketing strategy