2021 B2B Thought Leadership Impact Study

Overview

Our 4th annual Thought Leadership Impact Study reveals a huge wave of content marketing.

Executive Summary

Our previous research confirmed the full-funnel, business-generating impact of strong thought leadership — and the tangible risks of publishing low-quality content.

But just as COVID-19 has disrupted so many aspects of business and life, this year’s study reveals a tidal wave of content marketing, making it harder for companies to connect with B2B customers and prospects.

We’ve gathered insights from nearly 3,600 management-level professionals who consume thought leadership to help marketers, communicators and salespeople better understand when to use thought leadership and what attributes B2B audiences want to see from companies.

Key Learnings

A pandemic-induced glut of low-quality content is diluting the perceived value of thought leadership among B2B decision-makers.

Thought leadership remains critical to customer engagement but breaking through the noise is harder than ever.

Earning trust and credibility with decision-makers requires strong thought leadership – especially if you are not an established market leader.

High-performing thought leadership strikes a balance between being authoritative and provocative yet human in tone and even fun.

With increased competition for attention and rapidly shifting buyer preferences, now is a good time to re-evaluate whether your thought leadership strategy is meeting your customers' needs.

Thought Leadership

Thought leadership material refers to content — for example, thought pieces, essays, videos, webinars, live presentations, PowerPoint slides, and research reports — that organizations make available to the public for free (or in return for registering or giving them your contact information).

In this context, “thought leadership” does not include content that is primarily focused on describing an organization’s products or services or thought leadership that you pay to receive — such as client deliverables, subscription services, or reports that must be purchased.

Audiences in the report

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B2B Decision-Makers

Company executives who consume thought leadership and are involved in recommending and/or making final decisions on their company’s choice of professional service providers or products.

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C-Suite Executives

Company owners, partners with complete or partial ownership of a company, or C-Suite Level executives with responsibility for a business function.

Survey Respondents & Methodology

To help B2B companies understand the impact of thought leadership, Edelman and LinkedIn surveyed 3,593 global business executives across a wide range of industries and company sizes.

Seniority Level