“In B2B tech, thought leadership means showing up with authenticity, offering insights that solve problems, spark ideas, and drive action. Positioning a client as a thought leader in their industry has become more important than ever. We make it a priority here at Smart Connections PR”
Dina Petrosky, Smart Connections PR partner & co-founder.
1. Create value-driven, high-level insights
2. Build strategic collaborations
3. Measure and iterate for continous succes
4. Expand knowledge beyond your niche
Decision-makers aren’t just skimming thought leadership content; they’re using it to guide purchasing decisions, assess partnerships, and even shape their strategies. A 2024 B2B thought leadership impact report by Edelman and LinkedIn showed that 9 out of 10 decision markers and C-suite executives say they’re:
- “moderately or very likely to be more receptive to sales or marketing outreach from a company that consistently produces high-quality thought leadership”.
From the same report, 73% of B2B decision makers view leadership content as more trustworthy when assessing capabilities and competencies of an organization over marketing materials and product sheets.
However, a 2024 State of B2B Tech Thought Leadership report shows that:
- “only 44% of respondents rate their thought leadership programs as ‘very effective’”.
Thought leadership content can be game-changing. However, producing effective & valuable content with industry stakeholders is a key challenge for B2B tech companies. For example, standing out from the large amount of thought leadership content within a saturated B2B tech market has been an industry challenge for years, with a B2B thought leadership impact report in 2019 by Edelman and LinkedIn stating: “38% of final decision-makers say there is more thought-leadership content than they can manage or keep up with, and that the market is oversaturated.”
- the same report shows that nearly half (or 47%) of decision-makers feel that most thought leadership does not seem to be created with their specific needs in mind, which is something that PR agencies need to aknowledge if they’re looking to drive tangible results for their clients by producing impactful content.
If your thought leadership seems to be stuck in neutral, here are some key principles for B2B tech thought leadership success.
Principle #1: deliver value-driven, high-level insights
Thought leadership is more about elevating the conversation than it is about promoting oneself. Fundamentally, it refers to providing critical, forward-thinking, and solution-focused viewpoints, especially when tackling significant trends or difficulties. B2B tech brands cannot compromise on this. In a field characterized by intense competition and quick innovation, audiences seek advice from thought leaders rather than sales pitches.
Focus on informing, not selling
The most impactful thought leaders understand this: audiences are tired of content that feels like a thinly veiled ad, often written with the assumption that everything not already touched upon in the text is already known or understood to the reader. What resonates instead are ideas that inspire and genuinely inform, offering actionable insights into the issues that matter to them. The value resides in offering applicable knowledge that advances the audience’s understanding, whether that be in negotiating the challenges of AI integration or getting ready for cybersecurity threats.
Authenticity is key in this regard, as while some perspectives might be deemed controversial, true thought leaders champion their genuine viewpoints with confidence. Staying true to an authentic view builds trust and sparks meaningful dialogue that can help increase the effectiveness of thought leadership strategies.
Creating thought provoking narratives
Delivering high-level insights requires moving beyond surface-level commentary. Here’s how:
- Frame the big picture: start with the broader trend or challenge, then zero in on its implications for your audience
- Offer solutions: instead of just identifying problems, propose practical, innovative strategies to tackle them
- Stay audience-centric: tailor your content to the specific needs and concerns of your audience (KYA – know your audience)
- Conduct your own research & findings: gathering your own intelligence through research (such as industry surveys) aids in the creation of an authentic voice or perspective on a particular topic, as you’re able to understand how key stakeholders are responding to a particular topic and what their views are.
In addition, good storytelling is always a winning approach no matter what.
Align content with audience needs
To truly lead the conversation, meet your audience where they are. Research their pain points, follow industry news, and align your insights with a narrative that helps them understand your viewpoints and how it affects them. Formats like case studies, white papers, or podcasts can be powerful tools, provided they prioritize substance over style.
High-level insights aren’t just about showing what you know; they’re about proving that your expertise can make a difference. Done right, this approach transforms content into influence and followers into advocates.
How LimaCharlie did it
Consider Christopher Luft of LimaCharlie. His cybersecurity podcast dives deep into the evolving threat landscape, blending technical expertise with actionable advice. Luft, we believe, has perfected the skill of simplifying technical ideas without sacrificing their meaning in a field full of jargon and complexity. His podcast offers listeners a combination of practical guidance and innovative tactics, delving deeply into the always changing threat landscape rather than merely touching on the surface of cybersecurity issues.
Luft’s ability to strike a balance between creativity, authenticity, and demonstrating real knowledge is what makes him unique. He doesn’t hold back when discussing difficult subjects, such as the moral ramifications of cybersecurity precautions or the difficulties in striking a balance between privacy and security. By consistently producing high-value, insightful content, he has established himself as a trusted voice in the field. His podcast not only educates but inspires confidence in his audience, positioning LimaCharlie as an industry leader.
Principle #2: build strategic collaborations
Thought leadership doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Working together with analysts, business executives, and even customers increases your visibility and voice. The foundation of building authority in B2B technology is strategic alliances, which let you use other people’s networks and credibility to improve your own positioning.
Tactics for strategic collaboration
- Co-branded reports: work with analysts outside your core niche to create comprehensive studies that benefit your readers. A study on the current state of AI in enterprise technology, for example, can demonstrate your proficiency and provide credibility through collaboration.
- Webinars & panel discussions: invite clients and business executives to participate in talks around hot topics. These formats foster dialogue, demonstrate thought leadership, and provide networking opportunities for your brand.
- Guest features in B2B tech publications: secure guest spots, interviews, or contributions in respected outlets like TechCrunch, CIO, Wired, Ars Technica, The Verge, 404 Media, and others. Share unique insights or case studies that showcase your expertise while aligning with the publication’s audience and tone.
Strategies to secure collaborations
- Leverage current networks: make contact with analysts, partners, or clients that you already know
- Provide value first: make content suggestions that will help partners, such as showcasing their experience or promoting their work together
- Concentrate on niche appeal: to guarantee relevance and effect, target particular subjects or trends where your brand has a distinct viewpoint
Strategic collaborations don’t just add credibility, they build trust and open doors to new opportunities. Partnering with the right voices positions your brand as an indispensable player in the B2B tech space.
Principle #3: measure & iterate for continuous success
Great thought leadership isn’t just about creating good content—it’s about constantly evolving. To stay relevant, you need to keep asking what can be improved, what information has evolved in the meantime, what startups that seemed amazing two years ago have proved to be more hype than substance, and so forth. Keep an eye on key metrics, listen to feedback (like what you get from speaking on B2B tech panels), and tweak your approach. Creating impact takes time and effort. But, as the saying goes, everything worth doing takes time.
Track the right metrics
To gauge the effectiveness of your thought leadership strategy, monitor these KPIs:
- Share of Voice (SOV): Monitor the frequency with which your brand is brought up in discussions within the industry in comparison to that of your competitors.
- Engagement rates: to find out how your audience engages with your material, track likes, comments, shares, and downloads.
- Lead generation: evaluate the quantity and funnel conversion rate of the leads your thought leadership initiatives are generating.
- Sentiment: monitor the sentiment of your thought leader / brand by reviewing comments and o discussions around a particular event (such as a podcast). This can also be achieved offline through collaborative discussions on a particular event and its impact.
Refine strategies with analytics
Comprehensive information on content performance is available through analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, LinkedIn Insights, and CRM platforms. Make generous use of such tools to find trends, such as the subjects that people are most interested in, or the media (blogs, videos, webinars) that generate the greatest interaction.
- A/B testing: Try out various headlines, formats, or calls to action to see which produces the best results.
- Content audits: Examine your library on a regular basis to find any gaps or out-of-date information that needs to be filled. This is especially important in the fast paced world of B2B tech, and sometimes it’s best to remove or update previous views or statements on a particular topic.
With the new data privacy laws coming into effect all over the world, capturing data about the performance of your content may prove more challenging, at least from a technical perspective. Improper configurations could lead to fines, the setup process could be overwhelmingly complicated, and so son. Alternatives to the big names in the industry exist, many of which comply with the privacy laws out of the box, and in some cases are even easier to use for the typical corporate content. Posthog, Fathom Analytics, Simple Analytics, Plausible, Umami, and more. We’ve grown acustomed to tracking every little aspect of how users interact with our websites, but in reality that’s often an overkill for most organisations.
Why iteration matters
The tech industry evolves quickly, and so do audience preferences, although this tends to apply more to the B2C audiences. A hands-off approach to thought leadership could put you at risk of slipping behind. By adopting a cycle of measurement, feedback, and iteration, you can remain relevant in a competitive environment and in line with your audience’s needs.
Furthermore, there is a lot of value in old content (and in some cases it’s even easier to rank with in search results than with new pieces) that’s underexploited by content marketers and SEO specialists. While many marketers appear to focus on producing more and more new content, you could easily review one of your older articles, update it to reflect the latest events and consensus, as well as your now-evolved understanding regarding the potential efficacy of certain tactics and strategies, and make it relevant once again. One example that comes to mind is how you may have dealt with a crisis scenario. It’s one thing to talk about how it should be approached, it’s a whole different thing to go through such an experience. The learning curve is strikingly different.
Thought leadership is a continuous effort rather than a one time accomplishment. You can make sure your voice stays a reliable and significant presence in the business-to-business technology sector by evaluating, refining, and enhancing.
Principle #4: expand knowledge beyond your niche
While deep expertise within a specialized niche builds authority, some of the most influential thought leaders are those who can make connections between different industries, are able to make predictions regarding future market issues based on worldwide trends, and use interdisciplinary insights to broaden their viewpoint. Decision-makers value ideas that don’t just scratch the surface but offer depth, context, and a forward-looking view. A broader knowledge base allows you to achieve this.
Thought leaders who have a broader context in relevant markets or technologies also provide new opportunities for innovation, collaboration, and engagement, which can increase the amount of thought leadership content produced and engaged with.
For example, a cybersecurity thought leader that has established credibility in exploring the implications of AI, IoT, and quantum computing on security frameworks might be invited onto a panel of other thought leaders to discuss the various implications and the latest trends of fast moving technologies on security.
Another key benefit is the generation of trust, which grows when your audience sees that you’re informed of wider contexts and can adapt to fast moving sectors, demonstrated by observations that make reference to several companies, world events, or state-of-the-art research.
Tips for expanding your knowledge beyond your niche
Expanding knowledge beyond your niche will be a lifetime pursuit, influenced largely by real world events and experiences. These are some tips to help make this process more efficient:
- Consume broad content: To identify new trends and comprehend human behavior, delve into a range of subjects you feel are most relevant to your business, such as global supply chains, consumer psychology, macro economics, or sustainability concerns.
- Take part in collaborative discussions: Join forces with influential people or businesses in related industries. Collaborative webinars or panels can help you learn what other experts have to say on various matters, with discussions facilitating learning.
- Pose questions: Interact with colleagues in other fields. Unexpected similarities and fresh concepts can be found in a straightforward discussion.
Expanding your knowledge beyond your niche doesn’t dilute your expertise, it amplifies it. By weaving together insights from diverse fields, you’ll position yourself as a visionary who can navigate complexity and offer solutions that others might overlook.
Beyond strategy: the mindset for true thought leadership
Thought leadership in B2B tech isn’t just about strategies and KPIs, it’s about embracing a mindset of curiosity, innovation, and relentless value creation. The best thought leaders don’t just follow trends, they anticipate them. They take bold stances, explore the intersections of industries, and constantly re-evaluate their approach to stay ahead. Remember, thought leadership isn’t about perfection; it’s about progress.
At Smart Connections PR, we empower B2B tech brands to lead with purpose, whether in the US or globally. By crafting tailored strategies and leveraging our media relations expertise, we help businesses position themselves as trusted industry voices while navigating challenges and seizing opportunities. We can also help leaders prepare for media interviews. Contact us to learn how we can support your journey to becoming a recognized leader in the B2B tech space.
Thought leadership case study: BitDam
Smart Connections PR engaged in thought leadership opportunities for BitDam, a cyber defense company, with the objective of raising the company profile with all stakeholders. A variety of thought leadership tactics was employed to raise awareness, interest, and momentum, helping to secure 49 pieces of standalone coverage, such as in Govtech and Intelligent CISO. You can read the full BitDam case study here.
