Why is thought leadership content so valuable?
Because it can:
- inspire more than 47 percent of C-suite executives to share their details with your brand
- encourage close to 60 percent of decision-makers to work with your company
- motivate 61 percent of decision-makers to pay premium prices to work you
But creating thought leadership content that makes an impact isn’t easy, or every company would be considered an authority in its sector.
So, how can you make thought leadership content work for you?
Our Orange County SEO specialists have the answers …
Support Points with Original Research and Data
Conducting your own research is one of the most effective ways to help your thought leadership content stand out. This might be as simple as creating a poll on social media or as complicated as surveying industry experts around the world.
Regardless of its scale, original research provides readers with insights they can’t find anywhere else and ensures your content is unique. You offer more value than a competitor regurgitating others’ data, and establish your site or business as a useful resource.
Create Gated Thought Leadership Content to Generate Leads
Most of your thought leadership content might appear on your business’s blog or other websites e.g. industry news publications. But you can create longer pieces as gated content to capture leads.
For example, a free 40-page ebook packed with unique, actionable insights can inspire visitors to submit their email address more than the promise of a monthly newsletter.
Newcomers can check your existing content before deciding whether to sign up or not, and you can incentivize them further with a small discount or free trial.
Look at Competing Thought Leaders (and Do Better)
One simple step in creating thought leadership content is to explore your competitors’ output. What blog posts, articles, whitepapers, and even books are they publishing? How do they promote it? Do they use special offers to attract interest?
But remember: your content must be unique. So, be inspired by competitors but focus on establishing a distinctive presence.
Make Content Relevant to Industry Changes, Product Releases, and Events
Good content is relevant. Not just to your audience, but to industry changes and events.
That’s why it’s important to create a content calendar and schedule pieces to make the biggest impact. For example, if your business is attending an expo in two months, start gathering material for a deep post as soon as you can.
This might document the creation of a product you plan to reveal or explore said product’s expected market impact.
Whatever the topic, the content can generate interest in the product and vice versa. And both can bring curious new visitors to your site.
Thought leadership is a fantastic addition to a content marketing strategy and helps drive traffic. But what else can you do to attract more visitors, build authority, and boost engagement?
Our Orange County SEO experts are here to help. Just get in touch for your FREE Relevancy & Quality Score Report now!