Every day, we are exposed to hundreds, if not thousands, of brands. Studies show that the average consumer is exposed to up to 10,000 brand messages a day, and that number is only growing. Whether it’s an e-newsletter with a voucher code, an advert on the side of a bus for the latest box office hit, or a sponsored post in your Instagram feed, companies are finding cannier ways to reach us as consumers. Messages are getting bigger, bolder and brighter, and while we are big fans of ingeniously crafted advertising campaigns, we know there’s always going to be space in the marketing mix for that steady, reliable and influential voice that comes with targeted thought leadership — especially in the B2B space.

Thought leadership helps you position yourself as an expert with your target audience through smartly crafted opinion-led content, and we’ve seen businesses transformed by powerful thought leadership campaigns. In a world where brands are shouting louder and louder, thought leadership is here to stay. And here’s why:

An intelligent way to differentiate

Thought leadership content is a great way to share what drives your business and what sets it apart from competitors, which you often can’t do to the same extent with other marketing material. Compelling and engaging copy can position you as a trusted advisor, and when utilised within a long-term thought leadership campaign, works to raise your profile on key topics relevant to your industry.

Show where your expertise lies

By identifying key issues that your audience wants or needs to hear about, you can focus trends, requirements or challenges relevant to the industry. This approach positions you as an expert on these topics so that when they see you’re writing content on this subject – whether that’s in an industry leading magazine, a national paper, on your website or even on your social media channels – they can have confidence in your expertise. It’s likely that you already have well-formed opinions on subjects that are relevant to your audience, so make the most of them!

Multifunctional copy

When you create a piece of content for a desired purpose, there’s no rule that says that’s the only function it can fulfil. Have you written a whitepaper to share directly with prospects? You can create smaller articles from that same content, or a blog for your website. When written in the right way, thought leadership content can have longevity and be replicated for multiple marketing and PR functions. With its lasting appeal, this content is the gift that keeps on giving.

At Whiteoaks, thought leadership campaigns are our bread and butter and we intentionally draft content by looking at what the customer wants to know first, rather than beginning with what a business wants to talk about. This ensures it’s always applicable and appropriate for its readers. An interest in informed, expert and relevant insight for your audience will never die, nor would any of us want it to.

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