It’s not often you get to present at the top of the Gherkin in London, but I had the pleasure of doing so at Tribal Impact’s Social Business Exchange event. During my talk, I shared insights on Thought Leadership Ads and why they are a game-changer in building brand awareness and establishing yourself as an industry authority.
As a LinkedIn Consultant and Trainer, I show people how to use LinkedIn as a powerful platform for B2B lead generation. But what if I told you there’s a way to take your LinkedIn strategy to the next level, not just for leads but also to build trust and credibility with your target audience?
This is where Thought Leadership Ads come in. In this blog post, I’ll share why and how best to harness the power of Thought Leadership ads.
Why Thought Leadership Ads?
People are bombarded with generic advertising everywhere they go. Traditional B2B ads can easily get lost in the noise. Thought Leadership Ads offer a refreshing alternative. Promoting insightful content from your company's thought leaders, connects with your audience on a deeper level, establishing yourselves as trusted advisors.
Here's the thing: the power of thought leadership isn't limited to B2C marketing anymore. Research by Nielsen shows that influencer marketing in B2B can drive a whopping 70% increase in ad recall!
Think about that – your audience is more likely to remember your brand if they’re exposed to it through a trusted voice.
The Benefits of Thought Leadership Ads
Thought Leadership Ads are designed to look and feel organic while being powered by your company. This approach effectively positions the thought leader and drives more engagement, profile views, connection requests, followers, and potential leads.
- Communicate Via a Trusted Voice: People are more receptive to information from industry experts. Thought Leadership Ads let you leverage the credibility of your company's thought leaders to build trust with your audience. This strategy allows you to showcase the human side of your brand, fostering a more genuine connection.
- Grow Your Brand Community: When you promote valuable content, you attract a wider audience interested in your company's expertise. This creates a sense of community around your brand and its thought leaders.
- Organic Look and Feel, Powerful Results: Thought Leadership Ads seamlessly blend into the LinkedIn feed, appearing as native content. This organic feel increases engagement compared to traditional ads.
Beyond Brand Awareness: The Full Potential of Thought Leadership Ads
To maximise the impact of your Thought Leadership Ads, it's essential to have a well-defined strategy. Here’s how you can structure your campaigns to achieve the best results.
Brand Awareness
Thought Leadership Ads can introduce your brand to new audiences. By featuring your thought leaders, you make your brand more engaging and authentic than traditional advertising methods. This approach not only attracts attention but also builds trust and credibility.
Employer Branding
Showcasing the expertise and experiences of your employees through Thought Leadership Ads can attract potential talent. Sharing insights and achievements of your employees not only showcases your company's culture, but also attracts like-minded professionals who are drawn to your company’s values and mission.
Full Funnel Marketing
Implement specific campaigns for each stage of the marketing funnel. Use engagement reports in Campaign Manager to monitor campaign effectiveness and use Sales Navigator for insights into buyer intent.
This helps you prioritise and measure the impact of your campaigns, ensuring that you are effectively reaching and engaging with your target audience at every stage of their journey.
Building a Winning Thought Leadership Ad Strategy
Now that we've explored the benefits let me share with you how to craft a winning Thought Leadership Ad strategy.
Firstly, identify your thought leaders. Look within your company for subject matter experts with a passion for sharing their knowledge. This could include executives, product managers, or even customer service representatives with unique industry insights.
The quality of your content is paramount. Focus on creating informative, engaging content that addresses your target audience's pain points and interests. Remember, it's not about selling; it's about providing value.
Don't waste your ad spend by promoting your content to everyone. Utilise LinkedIn's powerful targeting options to ensure your Thought Leadership Ads reach the decision-makers who matter most.
Here are some additional tips to ensure your Thought Leadership Ads are successful:
- Keep it Relevant and Timely: Ensure your content addresses the current needs and interests of your audience. Timely and relevant content is more likely to resonate with your audience and encourage engagement.
- Visual Appeal: Including compelling images, videos, or newsletters in your ads can capture attention and make your content more engaging. Visual elements help to break up text and make your ads more visually appealing.
- Strong Point of View: Sharing unique perspectives that provoke thought and discussion can make your ads stand out. A strong point of view demonstrates your expertise and can help position your thought leaders as industry authorities.
- Useful Information: Providing valuable insights and information that your audience can benefit from helps to build trust and credibility. When your content is useful and informative, it encourages your audience to engage with and share your ads.
- Personal Touch: Making your content personal creates a deeper connection with your audience. Personal stories and experiences can make your ads more relatable and memorable.
- Start a Conversation: Encouraging engagement by asking questions or prompting discussions can increase interaction with your ads. Starting a conversation helps to build a community around your brand and thought leaders.
Why Thought Leadership Ads Work
Remember, in today's B2B landscape, building trust is more important than ever. A whopping 90% of B2B decision-makers say referrals from people they know and trust increase their earnings in attention and purchase consideration (LinkedIn).
Thought Leadership Ads tap into this very principle. By showcasing your company's thought leaders as trusted experts, you establish a sense of credibility and reliability. People are more likely to do business with a company they perceive as knowledgeable and trustworthy.
Don't forget to leverage the power of employee advocacy! Encourage your employees to share your Thought Leadership Ads on their own LinkedIn profiles to further amplify your reach and build brand awareness.
If you want to know more about training your thought leaders and subject matter experts, I recommend talking to the team at Tribal Impact.