Thought Leaders, people or businesses that are recognized as expert and authoritative in their market, are more likely to be called to tender (an opportunity for potential suppliers to submit an offer to supply goods or services against a detailed tender) say 72% of UK businesses, according to a
survey of more than 2,000 UK companies by consumer and business analyst MindMetre Research.
But the material they publish must be genuinely informative and credible.
The survey findings:
- When compiling a tender list for technology and equipment, 61% of companies research possible candidate suppliers on the web and will visit the company website to validate its expertise
- For companies looking for a business services supplier, the proportion rises to 70%
- 72% of UK businesses report that they are much more likely to invite a supplier to tender if their website not only describes the sales proposition, but also gives access to informative and relevant thought leadership material
- Fully 80% of businesses warn that thought leadership must be based on credible, independent research
Paul Lindsell, Managing Director of MindMetre Research says: "Companies other than management consultancies are increasingly recognizing that they can gain tangible competitive advantage by demonstrating commercially valuable ‘thought leadership’ in their customer markets. By addressing issues in the customer’s market the company shows that it is knowledgeable about these issues and can help find a solution.
"Buyer organizations evidently consider the demonstration of thought-leadership by potential suppliers to be important, and influential when deciding which supplier to use. So, while thought leadership confirms its key role in building a reputation for a new entrant into a market, established market players can also build their reputation further with customers, influencers, and stakeholders through the generation of interesting material."
Although not part of the survey, I would add that publication of your company's thought leadership content on a respected third-party industry site like APMdigest provides even more credibility - and possibly more exposure - than posting the content on your site. Just make sure to provide a link from your site to the content on APMdigest, so your potential customers will be sure to see it when they are browsing your website.
If you are a vendor in APM or related markets and would like to blog on the APMdigest Vendor Forum, CLICK HERE, and follow the first few points on the list.
