8 Go-To Resources for Thought Leadership

Thought leadership is like a chess tournament, where each game piece has a different role. It relies on several resources that build credibility, establish trust, and transform a leader into the go-to authority figure in their field. These resources include software tools and professionals like content editors, designers, marketers, and PR teams.

You can tap into these eight go-to resources for TL when starting a new campaign.

1. Content Editor

A content editor plans, revise, corrects, and reformats content that serves the publishing needs of a marketing team specializing in thought leadership. An editor will check facts in written content, improve grammar, and ensure that content adheres to a publishable standard.

Content is one of the essential thought leadership pillars because it establishes credibility, authority, and trust with an audience. An established leader might write a blog post and share their knowledge about a specific topic before turning the post to an editor for improvements. You can find examples of this content on the Accenture Research Blog , which includes articles from successful and inspirational leaders in the IT consulting field.

2. Content Writers Think in a Thought Leader's Voice

Writers can ghostwrite content for leaders and convey their thoughts about a subject in the written word. An example of this content might be a blog post or white paper that summarizes the findings of a thought leadership survey . The content might appear on websites, blogs, and social media platforms.

Good writers communicate complicated concepts that reflect a thought leader's voice. That might mean writing about topics such as CMO insights, data-driven marketing, research-based marketing, and the B2B marketing landscape in the marketing sector.

Marketers usually plan long-term content marketing strategies that span many months. Not only will constant content creation get a leader noticed, but it can help to establish a loyal audience interested in the leader's thoughts and opinions.

3. Designers

Designers are responsible for the aesthetics of TL materials, such as surveys and research papers. Their job is to ensure all content reflects the values of the leader whose name is attached to it. That might involve presenting data in a way that doesn't jeopardize the reputation of another brand or adhering to accessibility guidelines by using the correct fonts and white space in the content.

Hiring a designer for your thought leadership strategy can improve content quality and ensure leaders don't face legal issues when sharing their thoughts in materials. A designer can also ensure that content includes images that are culturally diverse and reflective of the audience.

4. Marketers

Marketers are among the most important individuals in a thought leadership strategy. They commission content like blog posts, webinars, social media posts, thought leadership videos, or a thought leadership podcast. Then they coordinate a thought leadership marketing plan that dictates when to publish content on various channels.

Most marketers will also preside over conventional marketing methods alongside TL content. These methods include SEO, paid ads, and email marketing. A marketer's job is communicating information and defining and managing a brand.

5. PR Teams

Public relations (PR) teams use thought leadership marketing strategies to protect the image of a successful leader across different platforms. A PR professional might create press releases and social media marketing strategies that influence public opinion of a brand or leader and increase awareness of products and services.

Say an established leader with hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter posts a controversial statement that could jeopardize their reputation. The fallout could impact the company the leader works for and result in a loss of sales . A PR professional will control this damage by maintaining the positive image of the leader through well-crafted marketing materials.

6. Sales Enablement Tools

Sales enablement tools can support thought leadership B2B marketing and B2C marketing. This software bridges the gap between marketing, sales, and customers, helping marketers track content strategies across the marketing lifecycle.

Sales enablement software can streamline a thought leadership marketing strategy by allowing marketing teams to manage content and resources from a single location. It provides a 360-degree overview of a thought leadership strategy and how campaigns affect sales and the customer experience.

7. Analytical Tools

Analytical tools help marketers track TL campaigns across different devices and channels. For example, a marketer can learn which content types perform the best with audiences over time and then invest more money into this content.

Analytical tools present campaign data in various ways. The best software lets users identify patterns and trends in data sets through heatmaps, graphs, charts, and other data visualizations. Users can then share these insights with sales, marketing, design, and PR teams.

Performance marketing — where brands only pay marketers for measurable results — is becoming increasingly common in TL. Data analytical tools can help marketers gauge the success of their campaigns and drive commercial performance.

8. Marketing-First Agency

A marketing-first agency can plan, coordinate, and execute TL campaigns for a brand. Outsourcing content creation, editing, planning, design, PR, and other tasks to one of these agencies can free up in-house resources and make it easier to implement a thought leadership strategy.

The best marketing-first agencies execute research for TL, helping you identify target markets and discover market dynamics. They can implement a research framework that provides companies with insights about business performance and makes driving through leadership more successful.

Final Word

Executing a thought leadership campaign requires professionals and software tools. That makes it easier to create, share, manage, and track content that resonates with audiences. The resources above can help you achieve your thought leadership marketing goals and allow you to think in a thought leader's voice.

Takeaways for Your Thought Leadership Strategy

●     You can use various resources for your thought leadership marketing plan, including content editors, writers, PR professionals, and designers.

●     Software tools like sales enablement programs and analytical platforms help you track and monitor TL campaigns and content.

●     A marketing-first agency can help you identify target markets and discover market dynamics for successful thought leadership.