The content marketing industry is changing more rapidly than ever, and if you’re struggling to keep up, you’re not alone. Thanks to artificial intelligence and machine learning, generating content only takes a few keystrokes and clicks. We’re finding that content doesn’t perform as intended when these tools aren’t used correctly. With 90% of businesses using content as part of their marketing strategy, competition is stiff. How can you make sure your content ranks and resonates? What you produce has to be meaningful… Enter—thought leadership.
What Is Thought Leadership in Content Marketing?
Thought leadership in content marketing allows you to create unique content that establishes your brand as a reliable source of information in your industry. Even if it’s not intentional, it’s all too easy to create generic content that repackages insights your target audience is already familiar with or can otherwise access. With thought leadership, you set the trends that others will reference. By sharing your unique perspective or working with subject matter experts, you can produce excellent content that will leave an impact on your readers.
Types of thought leadership content that tend to be most attractive to potential customers include:
- Research-driven content
- Industry insights and analysis
- How-to guides and tutorials
- Case studies and success stories
Benefits of Focusing on Thought Leadership for Your 2024 Content Strategy
The internet makes it a breeze to research a topic and create content — and there’s nothing wrong with that! But if all you’re doing is regurgitating content that already exists, you’re not truly helping your readers. When you integrate thought leadership in each piece you create, you can:
- Generate more conversions
- Demonstrate authority and boost brand visibility
- Improve your search engine rankings
Generate More Conversions from Your Ideal Target Audience
The cornerstone of an effective thought leadership strategy is producing content that strikes a chord with the right customers. Subject matter experts can shed light on what matters most to your target audience, whether that’s by breaking down the science incorporated in your products or by providing a use case they wouldn’t have thought of. When you understand your buyers and you create insightful content that’s backed by industry leaders, you’re more likely to prompt conversions. Even though generating more traffic is always a plus, targeted content is more likely to get you results beyond just sessions.
Demonstrate Authority & Boost Brand Visibility
When your content is written or reviewed by a thought leader, you stand out from competitors. Consumers are spending more time researching before making a purchase, and you have to earn their trust before they’ll give you their business. Over time, if you show that you regularly create helpful content, you can become the go-to resource within your field. Your website has the potential to expand your digital footprint, and you want to ensure that the content you’re creating represents you well and showcases your expertise.
Earn Favor with Search Engine Algorithms
Over the last several decades, search engines have played a crucial role in helping brands connect with potential customers. Unfortunately, marketers sometimes prioritize getting seen over creating an excellent user experience for searchers. Search engines were created so people could better access the information they need — but in recent years, users have found the content they were shown was hard to navigate at best or wasn’t actually relevant at worst. And with AI in the mix, marketers can publish massive amounts of content with minimal effort. Google rolled out the helpful content update in 2023, and other search engines have taken similar actions to create a better experience for searchers across the globe.
Thought leadership content is, at its core, helpful! When you lead the charge by creating meaningful, unique content, Google takes note. And even though there will never be a sure-fire way to cheat the search algorithms, we’re big believers at 434 that a great user experience will always yield positive results.
434 Marketing Can Help You Create a Content Strategy that Meets Your Goals.
Creating a successful thought leadership content marketing plan may seem daunting, but you don’t have to do it alone. 434 Marketing is equipped to provide the necessary guidance and assistance required to develop and implement a potent thought leadership strategy aligned with your goals.
We can help you with:
- Brainstorming what content is helpful to your audience
- Identifying subject matter experts to interview
- Consolidating insights to create excellent thought leadership content
- And more
If you’re looking to create more valuable content that resonates with your target consumers, we’d love to discuss your goals.
Brianna Arnold holds the role of Content Manager at 434 Marketing. As part of the 434 team, Brianna brings with her a career of experience in the agency world. She is responsible for ensuring client goals are achieved with measurable success. Brianna’s digital marketing experience spans a myriad of skills, including copywriting, content strategy, brand messaging and more.
