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Chapter 20—Why do you need content?

One of the biggest differences between B2B and consumer
marketing is thought leadership. A thought leader is a
company or individual recognized for their expertise in a
particular area. A thought leader can guide their industry
towards the implementation and application of new ideas.
Being recognized as a thought leader makes you the “go-to”
for particular products or services and is a powerful way to
increase brand equity, achieve price premiums, and avoid bid
competition.

B2B companies need to be thought leaders in order to
dominate their industries. But how do you become recognized
as a thought leader?

The starting point is to have deep expertise in a particular
area and a demonstrated track record. If you don’t have proof
that your solution works, your first step is to get that proof.
Without it, buyers won’t have any evidence of your expertise
or qualifications—making it less likely that they’ll choose to
buy from you. This means that any marketing you do without
a track record might be dollars badly spent.

Once you have a track record, the next step is to establish
your reputation as a thought leader. This happens by sharing
your experience and expertise through content, such as white
papers, case studies, blogs, and articles.

Generating content is simple to plan but much harder to
execute. I’ve seen many companies recognize the importance
of generating content, commit to it whole-heartedly, and then

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© 2012 Lisa Shepherd