What B2B audiences want out of thought leadership – and what they never want to see

Words like trust and authenticity are often used when talking about B2B thought leadership.

That’s because audiences want real insights from those in the trenches.

But trust must be earned. B2B thought leaders today must be equal parts compelling and concise; personal as well as professional. With so much content available on virtually any topic, the bar for successful thought leadership programs continues to rise.

Building trust online is a serious commitment, albeit one with immense potential to drive both sales and brand reputation. According to a 2022 study by Edelman and LinkedIn, 61% of decision-makers believe an organization’s thought leadership can be either moderately or a lot more effective at demonstrating the potential value of its products and services compared to traditional product-oriented marketing.

With B2B thought leadership such a critical part of an organization’s marketing mix, how can you build trust and elevate your voice to make a measurable impact? We isolated some best practices to help you stand out, along with a few notes on what to avoid at all costs.

Keeping it real

If you can earn a buyer’s trust, you can influence their decisions. More often than not, this means shedding the corporate-speak and engaging on a personal level. This is especially true when using social media platforms like LinkedIn, as there is an expectation that content on social networks will be more personable and approachable.

Here are three things B2B audiences want to see from thought leaders they engage with:

A personal brand

Whether it’s on social media, a podcast or an essay for a popular publication, showing your personality should be a good thing. Compelling first-person anecdotes with biographical details spliced in go a lot farther in helping you connect with a B2B audience than simply providing a list of achievements, previous roles or product specs. Buyers want to know the person behind the content just as much as they want to know about the company or products being discussed.

Have a point of view

Don’t drown your content in the ocean of sameness. Have an opinion, share an insight or provide valuable advice and solutions that address your audience’s pain points. Most of all, share relevant personal experiences to make your content more relatable and memorable. It’s those experiences inside a relevant niche – not something the author once read in a competitor’s white paper – that make them a true thought leader.

Make time to engage

Social media thrives on participation. And thought leaders can’t gain followers unless they engage. Audiences will gravitate toward subject matter experts who respond to comments and messages personally, or participate in industry discussions both in person and virtually. Even if you aren’t posting something yourself, you can comment on other posts to show your interest and appreciation for other perspectives. A convincing 93% of marketing professionals say user-generated content is more credible and authentic than content produced by brands themselves.

Worst practices – and how to avoid them

Just as great thought leadership can bring buyers in, the wrong moves can push them away. Do your best to avoid these mistakes:

Making it about the thought leader, not the audience

The term thought leadership sounds lofty – as though it’s practitioners have the solutions to all the business world’s problems. But the reality is your thought leadership won’t have any value – no matter how many truly insightful and smart takes you cram into a white paper or LinkedIn post – if it doesn’t prioritize the audience’s interests and pain points over your own. This is a situation brands must be especially mindful of, as it’s easy to turn a well-intentioned thought leadership content concept into a self-serving product steer if you’re not relentlessly focused on serving the best interests of your target audience.

Mismatched thought leader pairings

“How are those two together?” isn’t usually a flattering question. So don’t put your brand in that position when partnering with thought leaders. The thought leaders you associate with need to be in your same niche and sharing solutions or opinions about topics you have a mutual interest in promoting. Random or mismatched pairings can come across as disingenuous, or worse, damage both your personal and brand reputation.

Wait, was that an ad?

The fastest way to lose a B2B buyer’s trust is by trying to pawn off sales messages as insights, or by turning a well-meaning article into an infomercial. But it’s deceptively easy to do, especially if your brand happens to be pulling every sales lever possible during an economic downturn. Thought leadership rule No. 1 is to be authentic. If your thought leaders aren’t providing real value, demonstrating expertise, and positioning your brand as a trusted advisor, no one will care what they have to say when they mention your product.

The best thought leaders require one more important quality: Patience. Thought leadership won’t result in an immediate sales boost. It’s a long-term investment in building trust and cultivating a loyal customer base.

It’s important to start this journey from a place of authority, where your marketing team has a strong grasp on your key audience personas and a strategy in place to create content to engage them. Assuming that’s in place, you must then take the time to align your partnerships to focus on delivering authentic value. Once you’re aligned, the best content comes from prioritizing your audience’s needs and interests, informing and engaging rather than merely selling. It’s this sustained commitment to quality and trust that will set your brand’s thought leadership apart in the crowded B2B landscape.

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