When I first started out in PR & Marketing (and maybe for a while afterwards…), I found industry jargon really confusing. Thought leadership, for instance, sounds pretty dystopian. Terms like these can lead to scepticism. You might ask, why do I need this? How will it help my business and boost sales? In my experience, though, business leaders become advocates in their own right when they try it out and see the benefits.
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So what is thought leadership? It’s about sharing your expertise, starting conversations and setting the direction in your industry. Whether it’s through intelligent articles, keynotes, or social media posts, thought leadership offers value to your customers and prospects, before they’ve even worked with you.
It’s not just creating content for the sake of it – it’s creating content that matters. For instance, talking openly about the struggles you’re having to meet sustainability targets, and how you’re resolving these challenges. Your peers will look to you as a leader and your customers will feel safe with a transparent partner who has a realistic environmental roadmap.
A strong strategy balances industry insights, innovative products and bold company vision – guiding your audience, addressing their challenges, and inspiring them with your perspectives.
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Next, who sees your content once its published? We regularly see blogs and press coverage go unnoticed, because the company makes no further effort to extend their reach.
Here is an A+ example from one of our clients.
We drafted a blog about how the company helps pressurised vet practices to invest in the latest diagnostics equipment.
The sales manager for this sector used the blog as a hook to reach out to prospects – ahead of an upcoming event.
Of course, not many replied. But when she got to the event, a prospect approached her booth and said, “I got your email, just didn’t get round to replying.”
That was the beginning of a productive sales conversation. They didn’t have to start from scratch, because the prospect had already done some background reading. And there were several others like this.
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We’re all bombarded with content every day. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have an impact – as long as you’re writing something valuable and interesting for your target audience. You need to plant the seed.
How am I doing on the front? 😏Let me know: book time to meet with me or email me at sarah@thoughtsparkagency.com.
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If you regularly work with global teams, I highly recommend The Culture Map: Decoding how people think, lead, and get things done across cultures. The author Erin Meyer has the very interesting job of helping professionals and business leaders navigate cultural differences. Of course, every individual is different and may not always conform to cultural norms.
However, in this book, Meyer provides a spectrum for measuring how people in different countries generally approach feedback, hierarchy, trust-building, disagreements, scheduling and more. The book is peppered with anecdotes from her career so you can see how a lack of understanding can create serious blockages between merging companies, or suppliers in different regions.
How do us Brits fare in this appraisal? Well, it’s no secret we tend to favour euphemisms when providing feedback and drafting emails – which can be confusing for more blunt communicators in Germany or the Netherlands.
If you choose to read the book, let me know your thoughts!
