If you are a business owner today, you know that the worst thing you can do is get lost in the crowd. If you don’t establish yourself as an authority on your brand, you may as well just watch your clientele drift away as they search for the voice in your industry. Becoming that voice means establishing yourself as a thought leader, which is a lot of work, but well worth the effort. Need convincing? Read the research that is proving thought leadership is what it takes to get your business ahead.

With Whom Are Your Peers Doing Business?

Chances are a good deal of your business is done B2B (business to business). Since they know your industry as well as you do, these clients are the hardest to fool. Studies show that 35% of B2B consumers review thought leadership content for about 1-3 hours each week. So they know who the thought leaders are. You must be genuine with your marketing to keep your reputation pristine. When you are, your B2B partners will notice – 88% of business decision makers are inclined to have more respect for your brand after engaging in your thought leadership.

It works both ways, of course. After reading poor quality content, 49% of B2B buyers will have a lesser opinion of a company. A third of these representatives will not consider buying from a company with output from their thought leadership.

From Whom Will They Buy?

How about the shoppers who are not B2B, your average American consumer? While about half of the B2B marketing representatives attribute their trust in an organization to thought leadership, the buyers are even more so swayed—up to 83%. These buyers will draw more attention your product more available to the rest of the public. And there’s a direct connection between a company’s reputation and the possibility of customers sharing the word about your brand. Authenticity is one of the top qualities that consumers are looking for when they are choosing a brand.

To Whom Will the Customers Listen?

Think about what you are using to promote your brand. Simple ads aren’t enough anymore. Buyers are looking for more. The output of thought leadership overrides any other kind of advertising, studies, or collateral in terms of what convinces consumers of the superiority of a brand. People aren’t listening to the C-suites. Across the world, 63% of citizens find little or no
credibility in CEOs. Just a position, high as it may be, isn’t enough for today’s educated consumer. Information is a major part of the brand they are consuming.

Numbers don’t lie. How can you tell? We’ve done the research. We know what people are looking for when they shop. The public is saying they want an authentic, genuine brand. They will devote themselves to the industry leader. Be that leader.

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