Six reasons thought leadership articles benefit you and your company
Thought leadership articles are an opportunity to influence change and raise your profile by sharing your knowledge and expertise in the media.
What is thought leadership?
Thought leadership is about you, as a business leader, offering your take on an issue through a column in a newspaper or magazine, website, LinkedIn post, industry report or white paper. But it’s not a rant by ‘Angry of Tunbridge Wells’.
Instead, thought leadership – also known as an op-ed – demonstrates your knowledge as a trusted voice on an issue impacting your industry, whether that’s the economy, politics or something global.
It shows current and potential customers – and your peers – that your reputation is built on knowledge, experience and authenticity.
It’s also very different to being interviewed by a journalist, who will fish for the best soundbites to suit their angle. It’s not a press release either. And is certainly isn’t written by AI.
How to become a thought leader
As a business leader, entrepreneur (or even the PR professional looking after members of the C-suite), you’re probably wondering how you become a thought leader.
First up, think about the topics that you want to talk about. Don’t underestimate what you have to offer: the managing director of a small factory has as much to say on supply chains, taxation and employment policy as the CEO of an international conglomerate (if not more).
Consider your own experiences running a business and why it’s important to start a conversation with a wider audience – whether that’s through mass media or B2B titles.
Below, you’ll find handful of reasons that the thought leadership articles, which we specialise in writing for business leaders, will supercharge your professional journey and benefit those all in your professional circles too.
But don’t just take our word for it. Dorie Clark – a leadership author named three times as one of the top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50 – was reported by Forbes as saying: “Sharing your ideas publicly helps magnify your impact, unite your team, and ensure that the causes and opportunities most important to you get the attention they deserve.”
1. Thought leadership gets you noticed
The digital world is noisy with so many people and companies competing to shout the loudest. Search engine optimisation and the algorithms of AI want strong, quality content written by humans. It’s not enough to have just featured in a newspaper, now you need to be at the top of online search results and front and centre of clients’ LinkedIn feed.
Remember when the phrase, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” occupied the summit of career-oriented wisdom? It implied that personal connections and relationships supersede skills, experience, wisdom and qualifications. But that’s no longer enough in the era of mass digital communication. Why? Now “It’s who you know, what you know – and who knows what you know.”
Becoming a thought leader elevates your standing. It gets you noticed by customers, clients and the AI algorithms that increasingly decide prominence online and on social media.
2. Thought leadership bolsters credibility and authority
Sharing your experience, insights and wisdom is a surefire way of asserting, to your business community, that you have all three in spades. It’s a chance to unveil to the world your grasp of the finer nuances of industry trends, and the challenges and innovations dominating your milieu of operation. There’s really no better way to cultivate trust in your personal authority. If it’s ever in doubt, it will also bolster your own sense of your authority, helping to organise and clarify your thoughts on the topics currently deserving of your commentary.
3. It enhances your organisation’s reputation
Not only does your personal brand stand to benefit from a thought leadership strategy, but your company’s image also does too. Why? Because a CEO's voice and personal brand are so closely tied to their company’s image and kudos. It’s not only customers and potential clients, but also investors who will, outwardly or subconsciously, feel a deeper sense of trust in your organisation. And let’s not forget potential further media attention, plus employees (potential and existing): they, too, will come away with a stronger sense of faith in the company which employs them. Especially during times of crisis, a well-executed piece showcases transparency and responsibility as well as leadership.
4. Thought leadership leads by example
Any leader tapped into the zeitgeist knows that a progressive corporate culture values knowledge-sharing, and the pooling of innovation and leadership ideas. Thought leadership articles set the tone for this, and encourages those at every party of the organisation to follow your lead. And, of course, the actual insights being shared should trickle down the organisation, too.
5. It will improve your profession’s standing
Companies with genuine confidence don’t fear sharing trade know-how through thought leadership: a blossoming sector in which all competing organisations thrive benefits all. Pooling your own insights for a wider audience through a thought leadership strategy can elevate industry standards, generate high-equality conversations, and provide a roadmap for success for all: and you know what they say about boats and rising tides?
6. It influences industry conversations
What CEO would rather respond to the zeitgeist rather than play a part in shaping it? A foresighted leader would much rather drive forward new trends and influence what issues should be considered pressing by their wider professional community. Thought leadership pieces also present an opportunity to be a voice for change, and to impact public discourse and even policy and regulatory decisions.
Talk to us about building your thought leadership strategy.
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