Using Social Media to Establish Thought-Leadership: The Costs and Benefits

Often times, social media is overlooked for B2B marketing. It is seen as a tool for businesses to reach consumers, not other businesses. However, the truth is when people are on social media, they are looking for content that provides value to their lives — at home and at work. When looking at B2B marketing, some of the most valuable content you can create is content that educates.

Just think about it: How often are you looking for information regarding your industry? Whether reading about best practices, how to do something, or researching the best solution to a business problem, odds are, there are a few resources that are your go-to for industry news and information.

Those resources are businesses that have invested in thought-leadership, marketing which establishes you as an expert within your industry. When done correctly, you have already shown the value of your services without having to make personal contact. Now, do you see the value in thought-leadership?

The Cost

Since thought-leadership is built around content creation, it can be a big investment. The key here is to push out quality content consistently, and that can be time-consuming. The content doesn’t always have to be a detailed blog post, it can also be short easily-consumable content like videos or infographics. As long as the content is helpful and educational as it relates to your customers’ or industry's biggest problems, how you push out the information can vary depending on your resources and audience preference.

Additionally, to truly establish your credibility as a thought leader and show that you know what you’re talking about, you will need to back up your content with reputable sources. By doing so, you show that you aren’t pulling things out of thin air and are committed to having the right information. It also shows that you keep up with industry news and information.

Establishing thought-leadership isn’t only done by creating purposeful content. Using social media, it can also be established by engaging in conversations that matter to your industry. This can be done by your company’s profiles or by utilizing your executive team.

By building up your leadership team’s personal profiles, you can use them to extend the reach of your business beyond your company’s social pages. Who better to sell your company and demonstrate your wits than those who head it? With that said, your leadership team must be willing to engage in conversations and seek out opportunities that show you all are passionate about what you do.

The Benefit

Competition is stiff these days. Thought-leadership is a great way to position yourself ahead of the pack. Businesses are always looking for content on how to improve, and by consistently putting out helpful content, you build trust and solidify yourself as a go-to resource. By becoming a thought-leader, you make it easy for current clients to spread the word about your business and for potential clients to find you.

The content you put out starts to establish your value to the potential customer without having to be sales-y. Because let’s face it, nothing scares away potential clients more than a sales pitch. Over time, establishing that trusting relationship with potential clients will make it much easier to sell them on your services once the need arrives.

How Texas Creative Can Help

It’s very easy to waste time creating content and posting to social media if you don’t have a strategy behind it. At Texas Creative, we can help you establish your social media strategy around thought-leadership by determining who you want to see your content, what type of content they value most, and which actions they can take that will positively impact your business goals.

It’s no coincidence that you are reading my blog about a service we provide — which you likely found on one of Texas Creative’s social media profiles. If establishing thought-leadership sounds right for you, do not hesitate to contact us. As a full-service agency, we have the expertise to help you determine your marketing strategy, and the experts who can make it happen.