Edelman and LinkedIn Launch 6th Annual B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report

Today, Edelman and LinkedIn released the sixth annual B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report examining how thought leadership influences buying behaviours among B2B decision-makers and C-suite executives. 

This year's report, set against the many challenges B2B marketers are facing in 2024, taps the collective perspective of nearly 3,500 management-level professionals across seven geographic markets and reveals how high-quality thought leadership prompts buyers to rethink their challenges, stimulates business demand and serves as a proactive defence against competitors.  

“Economic challenges and longer sales cycles are hitting many B2B companies hard. To grow, B2B marketers must engage buyers who aren't actively shopping yet,” said Joe Kingsbury, global chair of Edelman business marketing. Our research shows that prompting these buyers to see their challenges and opportunities in a new light is the key to kick starting their purchasing process.” 

In today’s environment, where economic uncertainties lengthen sales cycles and digital discovery dominates, businesses face unprecedented hurdles in reaching and engaging out-of-market buyers. The report's findings provide actionable insights on how organisations can revitalise their approach to thought leadership, delivering content that resonates with decision-makers and drives demand for essential offerings. 

“Success in B2B marketing is reaching the right people, with the right message, at the right time,” said Tusar Barik, LinkedIn’s senior director of marketing. “Thought leadership can be a powerful tool for brands to build awareness over long sales cycles and engage with audiences on topics that matter. It’s an opportunity for B2B brands to differentiate themselves while establishing credibility and creating a lasting impression.” 

Notable takeaways from the research include: 

• Thought leadership that spurs business leaders to rethink their challenges is a powerful tool for stimulating demand for your business’s products and services. Nearly 3/4 of B2B decision-makers (73%) say that an organisation’s thought-leadership content is a more trustworthy basis for assessing its capabilities and competencies than its marketing materials and product sheets.

• Effective thought leadership exerts a surprisingly strong influence on sales and pricing. 90% of B2B decision-makers and C-suite executives say they are moderately or very likely to be more receptive to sales or marketing outreach from a company that consistently produces high-quality thought leadership.  

• Offence is your best defence: Protecting your existing customers is critical. 70% of C-suite leaders say that a piece of thought leadership had at least occasionally led them to question whether they should continue working with an existing supplier.  

• Despite the clear power of thought leadership to drive business results, most organisations say it is under-resourced, misused, and not measured appropriately. 30% of producers of thought leadership say their organisation does not really know how to use thought leadership as a sales or marketing tool. 

• Effective thought leadership has three key attributes: it cites strong research and data, helps buyers understand their business challenges, and  offers concrete guidance. 30% of respondents say the overall quality of thought  leadership they read is of mediocre quality. Only 13% say the quality is very good  or excellent.  

Click here to learn more and download the full report. 

Edelman Business Marketing, Edelman’s recently launched unit dedicated to boosting reputation, driving business demand, and increasing revenue for B2B clients worldwide, is led by Joe Kingsbury and David Whiting. Kingsbury and Whiting’s team craft integrated marketing strategies for B2B buyers, offering services such as audience research and thought leadership. With leadership roles filled across regions and a focus on global expansion, Edelman has seen significant revenue growth, reaching nearly $1.1 billion in 2022, with clients including Microsoft, HSBC, and Shell. 

The report, conducted in English, surveyed 3,484 global business executives across a wide range of industries and company sizes in the United States, Canada, United  Kingdom, Germany, Singapore, Australia and India, to help B2B companies understand the impact of thought leadership. 

“Geopolitical and economic uncertainty mean that business buying cycles remain lengthy. Marketing and communications programmes need to nurture relationships with customers for longer and stimulate interest from prospects who may not be actively shopping yet,” said Andrew Mildren, managing director of Edelman Business Marketing EMEA. “Yet, during challenging times, businesses are hungrier for fresh insights, guidance from people they trust and provocative opinions that challenge existing assumptions.  Thought leadership is the natural home for sharing new perspectives and our research outlines how companies can earn the attention of busy business decision makers.”