Thought Leadership Impact

Earning Trust

Gaining credibility requires strong thought leadership, especially for non-market leaders.

Gaining recognition as a challenger

60% of buyers say thought leadership builds credibility when entering a new category where the brand is not already known.

57% of buyers say that thought leadership builds awareness for a new or little-known brand.

53% of buyers say it’s important for new and small companies to produce thought leadership if they want buyers to consider working with them.

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47% of buyers say thought leadership led them to discover and ultimately purchase from a company that was not considered to be among the leaders in a particular category (i.e., a challenger brand)

Changing perception of your brand, and repairing reputation

65% of buyers say thought leadership significantly changed the perception of a company, for the better, due to a piece of thought leadership

46% of buyers say that thought leadership can be important in repairing the reputation of a company that is mired in controversy

Earning trust and credibility

64% of buyers say that an organization's thought leadership content is a more trustworthy basis for assessing its capabilities and competency than its marketing materials and product sheets.

64% icon and hands shaking depicting trust

Related - 63% of buyers also say that thought leadership is important in providing proof that an organization genuinely understands or can solve your specific business challenges.

Mitigating the impact of shrinking newsrooms and media blind spots

Newsroom employment in the U.S. declined 26% between 2008 and 2020, from roughly 110,000 to 85,000 employees, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

The decline of newsrooms combined with COVID- dominated news cycles may exacerbate the challenge of securing media coverage for many B2B companies, especially those focused on niche topics.

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54% of buyers say that thought leadership is important for drawing attention to topics that news media rarely cover but are nonetheless meaningful within their industry.

Recruitment:

50% of buyers say thought leadership can be important in attracting the best talent.

With over 40 percent of the global workforce considering leaving their employer this year, thought leadership can boost an organization’s ability to bring in talent.

Microsoft Work Trend Index

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Learn more about how we arrived at these finding below:

Overview

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Digital Glut

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Breaking Through

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Striking Balance

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Strategy Review

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