The best firms take a slightly different approach to publishing their thought leadership relative to the broader community of professional services marketers. What do they do differently? Here’s what our research found.
When you invest in a thought leadership program, you want to do everything you can to drive ROI. From sharpening your POV to conducting research the right way, there are plenty of known strategies to win over skeptics, kickstart business conversations, and hit your goals. But it’s all for naught if you aren’t smart in your approach to publishing your content in the first place.
In our latest thought leadership research we sought to better understand the intersection of thought leadership publishing and program success. It revealed that the leading firms aren’t afraid to go deep — both in the length of content and level of insight offered. Top firms don’t shy away from producing long-form, substantive pieces unpacking unconventional ways to solve highly pressing business problems. (For more on this research, and how it was done, see About This Research at the end of the article).
Our survey of high-performing firms found that prioritizing earned media, hosting presentations, and supporting their thinking with research are three ingredients to thought leadership publishing success.
USE EARNED MEDIA TO ESTABLISH CREDIBILITY, EXTEND REACH, AND MORE
The leaders allocate nearly 30% of their media budget to earned media (getting articles published in third-party business journals such as Harvard Business Review or industry publications like American Banker or Entrepreneur.)
This compares to just 24% for their peers. This greater emphasis on earned media for amplifying their thought leadership is smart for three reasons.
- Establishing Credibility. Content published in well-respected and widely consumed external outlets proves you know what you’re talking about, so much so that it passed through an editor whose job is to separate the wheat from the chaff. Getting over that editorial hurdle is an unofficial endorsement of your authority on the subject.
- Extended Reach. Not only does publishing your content in a third-party publication net you credentials, it also puts more eyes on your insights. Your ideal clients frequently seek out problem-solving ideas and industry-tested wisdom in said publications, so it’s a win when you meet them where they already are.
- Sharpened Thinking. It’s no small feat to be successful with earned media placement. That editorial hurdle we talked about? It forces you to prove your intellectual rigor. It requires more evidence to substantiate your claims in order to meet the editorial standard the publication follows. This benefits your audience, yes, but also your own perspective on the matter at hand.
For the best firms, earned media is an essential component of their publishing, not a nice-to-have option when it works out.
DIRECT ENGAGEMENT BUILDS CRUCIAL CONNECTIONS AND ENABLES TRUST
I’ve heard it a lot throughout my career: “Jason, nobody wants to read anything long form anymore. Everybody just wants videos and short sound bites.” That may be true in B2C marketing. And, even in some transactional B2B marketing. But is anybody really going to buy high-value consulting services off a two-minute video? Not likely. They’re going to buy a 7- or 8-figure consulting assignment because you illuminate a better way to solve a costly business problem. And that takes time.
A client’s time is their most valuable resource. Yet, they’re willing to share it to get to the heart of a solution to a truly difficult business challenge. Your goal, as a marketer, is to earn a prospect’s trust such that they’ll share more and more time with your thinking.
Our research backs this up in the form of how top firms present their insights: 58% of leaders highlighted hosted presentations (virtual or in-person, or hosting a conference, event, or summit) as critical to driving impact with their thought leadership programs, compared to just 49% of other firms. Why?
- It Humanizes Their Insights. Presenting your insights instead of merely uploading them to your website allows clients to directly interact with your people. Hearing an expert digging into a novel way of solving the sticky business issue you’ve been losing sleep over is one of the most valuable ways to experience thought leadership.
- It Builds Connection. People ultimately buy services from the people behind them, not because of the blogs, spreadsheets, or statistics sent to their inboxes. Don’t get us wrong, those have their place. But by sharing your POV in a human way, you’re familiarizing ideal clients with the thinkers behind the content.
- It Opens Opportunities for Bi-directional Dialogue. Rather than just broadcasting their POV as a final product, top thought leaders value the space for questions, answers, and alternative viewpoints that are borne out of presentations. The insights from outside perspectives bring even more rigor to the POV itself.
Think of it this way: Your goal is to incrementally earn enough trust to get that next degree of the client’s attention—from seconds, to minutes, to hours, to days, and eventually, the opportunity to work together. The best firms recognize that earning escalating levels of audience attention is pivotal to success. Hosting summits, conferences, or YouTube Live events takes your owned content and brings it to life through essential human connection.
THE POWER OF A RESEARCH-BACKED PERSPECTIVE
You may rely on a narrative to attract a prospect’s attention. But what really hooks someone enough to pursue a business conversation? Data to back it up.
Fifty-six percent of leaders in our study reported data as crucial elements in their thought leadership content, compared to 44% of all other firms.
This thinking extends upstream as well. Leaders are much more likely to invest in original primary research annually (69% of leaders vs. 29% of all other firms). The best firms recognize research:
- Uncovers new pathways. Research is not a box to be checked off. Instead, leaders know it illuminates unfound ways to solve pressing problems. Research is the foundation of new products and services.
- Develops new and original POVs. We all have our assumptions. But when approaching research, the best firms put them aside. They define a hypothesis going into research while maintaining an open mind. They follow where the data leads, rather than forcing their narrative.
- Substantiates thinking. Your clients may find your POV compelling, but it alone isn’t enough when it comes to making key business decisions like hiring your firm. That unique perspective needs to be backed up by data. The combination of qualitative and quantitative data you present is powerful in building confidence and trust.
Read more about how research and thought leadership go together here.
THE TAKEAWAY: THE BEST THOUGHT LEADERSHIP GOES DEEP
Whether pulling a client into a meaningful, thought-provoking conversation via a hosted presentation or investing resources into original primary research to validate their thinking, firms with top-performing thought leadership programs are bold. They sharpen their thinking to win over an editor with high standards, dig deep with research to find novel ways to address their clients’ pressing issues, and put more emphasis on producing long-form content.
For more on thought leadership, download our Thought Leadership Handbook. It covers how to develop and implement a thought leadership strategy that drives both top-line and bottom-line growth while enhancing enterprise value.
ABOUT THIS RESEARCH
Our latest thought leadership research was conducted between 12/13/23 – 2/11/24. 233 professional services firms responded to a 25-question online survey.
The leaders in our study were self-identified by rating their firms’ prowess on a scale of 1-5 across eight dimensions of thought leadership effectiveness. They are those who self-identified a total score of 36 or better out of a total potential score of 40 on all 8 dimensions (the top quartile of firms by effectiveness). These firms annual revenue growth rate was 23.4%. All other firms in the sample grew at a mean rate of 17.7%, a 6% point differential.
