What is
Thought Leadership
Thought leadership doesn’t require delivering some grand ivory tower thesis or accumulating intimidating bylines from elite publications. Rather, it’s thinking more deeply about foundational ideas, leaning into high-level, industry-leading conversations, connecting to others in a broader context, asking previously unasked questions, and sharing your perspective on a more strategic scale.
Thought leadership can help you grow, attract and nurture clients, and build your clout, but it isn’t about convincing others of your worth. Instead of being a “look how good I am” billboard, it’s a way to get others thinking “look at how we can all do better,” with you as a key thinker leading the way.
The Value of Thought Leadership
Engaging in thought leadership can aid the sales and delivery cycle by:
Opening a conversation & vetting potential clients
It’s easier to generate warm, inbound leads from people who are already impressed by your thinking, whether they’re commenting on an opinion piece you publish, striking up a conversation after a presentation you give, or asking you to sign their copy of your book.
When you write and speak clearly and boldly about your most important values and beliefs, if prospective clients aren’t well aligned, you’ll both discover that early — saving wasted time and unnecessary stress for both parties
Nurturing a sales lead & guiding a prospective customer or client
If a prospect is interested but not yet sure you can deliver, send them your thought leadership piece on a topic relevant to their needs, reassuring them of your thoughtful expertise while furthering the conversation.
Your thought leadership can help bridge the gap between what clients say they want and what you know they actually need — helping them achieve their goals and become satisfied customers.
Closing a deal & supporting a successful client relationship or project
When included with a final proposal or contract, your thought leadership pieces will help demonstrate why you are the one right person to lead this project.
Use your thought leadership content to further educate your clients about what will lead to their success.
Keeping the conversation going
Thought leadership can help you connect more deeply with a past client or customer who may need you again, or one who may refer you to someone in their network.
How can Rootstock help harvest the bounty of your best ideas?
Benefits of Thought Leadership
Thought leadership isn’t a resume-builder or a credential that affirms you know what you’re supposed to know. No matter the size of your company, it’s the means by which you show that you have big ideas.
To be an effective thought leader means expressing the depth of knowledge that is unique to you. Rootstock solves the problem of what to think about next, and how best to execute.
How does this benefit you and your team?
Encouraging you to focus on what you know best, and identifying optimal opportunities for expressing it frequently while qualifying you as a credible, reliable source of insight and information who can also influence and inspire others.
Boosting your industry presence and building your brand, by increasing your authority and influence through content marketing, social media, speaking gigs, and other means as well as crafting a more comprehensive, global view that connects your specialty to larger ideas or a broader context.
Offering unique guidance for deep, forward-faced thinking in your field, down to first principles and foundational ideas. This inspires both internal and external innovation.
Helping you identify and share your early expertise around a new or emerging topic in your industry that few people yet understand and encouraging you to ask compelling questions no one else is asking, including those to which you don’t necessarily have the answers.