Is Your Thought Leadership BS?

 Try These Three Simple Tests

Thought leadership is the beating heart of content marketing. What company would not want to be regarded as a thought leader in their industry? Too bad that much of what tries to pass as thought leadership is…well…not.

AI provides a not-terrible definition

I promise that this will be the only use of AI in this human-written article. But I couldn’t resist seeing what definition of thought leadership that ChatGPT would provide. Here’s the result:

“Thought leadership refers to the practice of establishing an individual or organization as an authoritative and influential figure within a specific industry or field. This is achieved through the creation and dissemination of insightful, innovative, and valuable content that addresses key issues, trends, and challenges relevant to the target audience.”

A bit wordy, 50 in fact, but overall, accurate.

One becomes an authority by creating and spreading valuable content that is relevant to the target audience. An article that begins with, “In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving business landscape…,” and quickly transitions to “you need to buy our stuff” does not qualify.

(By the way, PLEASE don’t ever start an article with, “In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving business landscape.”)

 Content or Commercial?

True thought leadership is more content than commercial.

In a SponCon world, the line can be blurry. But let’s try to sharpen it. A commercial is something audiences put up with in exchange for content they value. The ads for Arby’s that clutter your ad-supported streaming service are something you tolerate in exchange for seeing a show. The ads are commercials, and the show is the valuable content. Some ads are entertaining, but they are not the reason you tuned in.

In thought leadership however, what you are providing IS the valuable content. People are willing to make an exchange for it – such as providing their contact information – because your thought leadership piece is itself valuable to them. 

Good thought leadership content needs to be about 90% value delivery and 10% gentle self-promotion. Further, most of even the 10% self-promotion is simply the fact that your company is the one delivering the 90% value.

It's easy to apply this broad guideline to someone else’s content, but much harder when the content is your own. To reduce the “grading your own homework” bias, here are three simple tests you can use to tell real thought leadership content from fake.
 

1.        The Promotion Test

Fake thought leadership promotes your product.

Look, there is nothing wrong with directly extolling the benefits or differentiation points of your product. In fact, I make my living developing such messages. But there is a time for direct product messaging; usually further along the buyer’s journey than thought leadership. If your thought leadership content shares too much text with your product datasheet, then it is fake.

Try again!

Real thought leadership promotes point of view (that It sets the stage for your product)

So, what should you be promoting in real thought leadership content?

The answer is a point of view – a way of looking at the world. This can be done directly in an opinion piece or white paper, such as “Why Your AI Needs Human QA.”

It can also be done less directly by letting that POV shape a how-to piece such as:

·       Best Practices to Make Your Company’s AI Safer and More Secure

·       5 Sourdough Tips for a Better Rise

·       Is Your Thought Leadership BS? Try These 3 Simple Tests (I try to practice what I preach)

Either way, you are trying to persuade the reader towards a point of view rather than directly touting the virtues of your product. When your reader sees your point of view, then they are more likely to see you as a thought leader (today) and be open to your product offering (tomorrow).

2.        The Usefulness Test

Real thought leadership is useful even when the reader isn’t buying

This means that the content is helpful to the reader, whether or not that your reader is currently in an active buying cycle.  If you promise tips to make my sourdough bread fluffier, most of them should be doable without buying your $300 super baking vessel.

If you promise best practices to make my company’s AI safer, many of the practices you recommend should likewise be implementable without buying your AI testing platform. Not all, necessarily, but many.

3.        The Focus Test

Effective thought leadership is focused on the right people

The first two tests measure whether your content is real or fake thought leadership. The focus test brings us back to the commercial purpose of the content.

Thought leadership marketing is still marketing. Your content does not have to be useful to everyone in the world. It should, however, be very useful to your Ideal Customer Profile – the people you hope to attract.

That might be procurement directors, CTOs or people in a specific industry. However you define your ICP, they are the people with whom you need to build your authority as a thought leader. Focus all the above POV and usefulness on their specific needs and concerns.

Planting and Watering Seeds

Thought leadership requires patience, but also opens up a world of additional opportunities. While you can only sell to people who are currently buying, you can work to build thought leadership authority with anyone who is likely to be buying a product like yours in the future.

Establish yourself as a source of useful information now, and you will already be trusted when they do start shopping.

Did your content pass the test?