{"id":17598,"date":"2021-09-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-28T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tomilli.com\/en\/2021-linkedin-edelman-b2b-thought-leadership-impact-report\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T08:28:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T13:28:05","slug":"2021-linkedin-edelman-b2b-thought-leadership-impact-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tomilli.com\/en\/2021-linkedin-edelman-b2b-thought-leadership-impact-report\/","title":{"rendered":"2021 Linkedin \u2013 Edelman B2B thought leadership impact report"},"content":{"rendered":"

B2B customer engagement is entering a new era. The Covid-19 pandemic rapidly accelerated digital selling, driving a permanent shift in how brands reach high value, business-to-business audiences. Against that backdrop, Edelman and LinkedIn collaborated on the fourth annual B2B Thought Leadership Impact Study to examine how thought leadership influences perception and buying behaviors among B2B decision-makers.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s study reveals a tidal wave of content marketing that is making it harder for companies to connect with B2B customers and prospects. We\u2019ve gathered insights from nearly 3,600 management-level professionals who consume thought leadership to help marketers, communicators and salespeople better understand what\u2019s behind this trend and how to break through the noise \u2014 including when to use thought leadership and what attributes B2B audiences want to see from companies.<\/p>\n

We hope the findings shed light on how your own organization shows up in the marketplace \u2014 and helps to spark new thinking and ideas that you can use in your thought leadership efforts.<\/p>\n

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. A pandemic-induced glut of low-quality content is diluting the perceived value of thought leadership among B2B decision-makers.<\/li>\n
  2. Thought leadership remains critical to customer engagement but breaking through the noise is harder than ever.<\/li>\n
  3. Earning trust and credibility with decision-makers requires strong thought leadership \u2014 especially if you are not an established market leader.<\/li>\n
  4. High-performing thought leadership strikes a balance between being authoritative and provocative yet human in tone and even fun.<\/li>\n
  5. 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.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    A pandemic-induced glut of low-quality content is diluting the perceived value of thought leadership among B2B decision-makers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Unsurprisingly, there is more B2B thought-leadership content being created than ever before. Who among us did not feel the flurry of virtual conferences, webinars, and pandemic-focused studies pouring into our already-inundated inboxes and social feeds? B2B decision-makers feel it too: 66% of global decision-makers say the pandemic spawned a huge increase in the amount of thought leadership in the marketplace. And nearly four in ten (38%) final decision-makers say there is more thought-leadership content than they can manage or keep up with, and that the market is oversaturated.<\/p>\n

    That said, decision-makers are still consuming: 54% say they spend more than one hour per week reading and reviewing thought-leadership content, and more than half, or 51% of C-level executives say they spend more time doing so than before the pandemic began.<\/p>\n

    But while consumption is up, satisfaction is not. The majority (71%) of decision-makers say that half or less than half of the thought-leadership content they read or watch gives them any sort of valuable insights.<\/p>\n

    Thought leadership remains critical to customer engagement but breaking through the noise is harder than ever.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Self-education among B2B buyers, a trend well underway pre-pandemic, continues to gain steam. Research from\u00a0Gartner<\/a>\u00a0shows that 83% of a typical B2B purchasing decision \u2014 researching solutions, ranking options and benchmarking pricing \u2014 happens before a buyer engages directly with a provider. The in-person, one-to-one sales model is fading away: B2B sales reps have roughly 5% of a customer\u2019s time during their entire B2B buying journey. More decisions are being made digitally, and according to\u00a0McKinsey<\/a>, 70% \u2013 80% of B2B decision-makers prefer it that way.<\/p>\n

    83% OF A TYPICAL B2B PURCHASING DECISION \u2014 RESEARCHING SOLUTIONS, RANKING OPTIONS AND BENCHMARKING PRICING \u2014 HAPPENS BEFORE A BUYER ENGAGES DIRECTLY WITH A PROVIDER.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Against this backdrop, thought leadership content has become a critical vehicle to reach and influence the C-suite and other decision-makers early and throughout their consideration process.\u00a0Our research over the past three years<\/a>\u00a0has demonstrated that thought leadership, when done well, can strengthen a business\u2019s reputation and spark meaningful interactions that lead to tangible business results. This year\u2019s results underscore that thought leadership has a unique ability to influence the C-suite, who are concerned with generating new ideas to help their business stay ahead of industry trends<\/p>\n

    But capturing their attention is getting harder.<\/p>\n

    Earning trust and credibility with decision-makers requires strong thought leadership \u2014 especially if you are not an established market leader.<\/p>\n

    Thought leadership can help B2B brands strategically reposition themselves in the marketplace, and there are a number of scenarios in which thought leadership can be of critical importance to a brand:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. GAINING RECOGNITION AS A CHALLENGER<\/a><\/li>\n
    2. CHANGING PERCEPTIONS OF YOUR BRAND<\/a><\/li>\n
    3. EARNING TRUST AND CREDIBILITY<\/a><\/li>\n
    4. COVERING MEDIA BLIND SPOTS<\/a><\/li>\n
    5. RECRUITING TALENT<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      High-performing thought leadership strikes a balance between being authoritative and provocative yet human in tone and even fun.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      B2B buyers are people too. They want content that\u2019s useful but also interesting. The vast majority \u2014 or 87% \u2014 say that thought-leadership content can be both intellectually rigorous and fun to consume.<\/p>\n

      Some notable preferences that emerged in our survey include:<\/p>\n