Why Thought Leadership Drives Business Needs

CEO of agency management laboratoryserving over 250 marketing agencies, helping owners evolve, scale and build profitable agencies.

Becoming an established marketing agency takes time and effort. Through our dedication and quality work, we have earned a high profile client roster and the privilege of being sought after by the right clients. While it may be tempting to listen to the grindstone and focus on producing better work, it’s also important to set aside time for the agency’s sort his leadership strategy.

The truth is that each of you reading this has deep expertise and knowledge. This is clear. Everyone knows this. But that’s not true. It’s easy to forget that we also have knowledge, context, and personal experience to share.

Establishing thought leadership not only helps you educate your customers on important topics, but it also establishes you as an industry expert. Its trusting relationships and prime position help us maintain a steady stream of new business over the long term. That’s why not being able to establish yourself as a thought leader can put you at a disadvantage. If your competitors publish consistently fresh and useful content, your prospects may put them first before you.

It’s comforting to hear that thought leadership doesn’t have to be intimidating. You can start small and scale up over time. The most important step is to start now. Here are some tips to get you started with your thought leadership strategy.

Pick the brains of an account executive.

Account executives are client-facing and are ideally suited to help inform content strategy. What are the questions your clients ask you most often? What resources do they typically share with them? Use these answers to inform your content. Additional industry research can also be conducted as needed.

Do some soul searching.

Where do your passions align with the topics you identified in Step 1? It’s easy to see that the author is passionate and knowledgeable about the subject. Genuine enthusiasm and passion are contagious. So if you choose a topic that excites you (or the writer if it’s not you), your readers are more likely to keep reading.

Create a simple editorial calendar.

Create a simple editorial calendar. If you can only write one or two articles a month, that’s fine, but stick to that schedule. Even if it’s just an Excel grid, summarize the publication date, channels where you share content (such as blogs or social media pages), job titles, responsibilities, etc. Then coordinate with your marketing or communications team to make sure someone is accountable for follow-up and execution.

Thought leadership is a simple strategy that can give you a big return on your investment. By following the steps above, you’ll be able to establish your agency’s expertise in the industry, retain clients, and invite even more new clients to your door.

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