Creating an earned media thought leadership program for B2B companies can seem time-consuming and counterintuitive. Businesses selling to other businesses are often niche and specific; as a result, those companies may prefer to stick to media outreach around product or service announcements and corporate updates.
But, in a public relations landscape that is increasingly fast-moving and AI-driven—and with consumer trust declining across all industries—thought leadership programs are an opportunity to present executives’ perspectives on the unique industry concerns of their customers while positioning them as insightful partners in navigating the greater business and economic landscape. These programs can contextualize product and service offerings within the organization’s larger goals and mission, driving interest, trust and connection with potential partners and customers across earned media.
Taking Strategic First Steps With PR
Big picture thinking can be a challenge for some B2B companies. PR professionals, whether in-house or with an external agency, can help structure a successful program that expands executive’s thinking and makes connections between what’s happening in the zeitgeist, whether within the industry or beyond. Sharing news stories and engaging in messaging conversations, future-casting roundtable conversations, and how products and services may shape or change the industry are all strong strategic first steps. This kind of brainstorming can also help to develop source voices as credible and authentic.
Online Platforms as Trust-Builders
Leveraging online platforms where broad scope industry conversations are already taking place cannot be underestimated. LinkedIn in particular lends itself to professional exchange and debate. Social sites want to keep users on their platform. As a result, leading customers to your website through social media can require paid advertising, but thought leadership consumed on the platform itself has no cost, and is even “rewarded” with increased visibility. Today, many decision makers spend some of their workday on these platforms, and consistent thought leadership, including earned media, stand-alone posts and video and even commentary on others’ posts, increases recognition and trust.
Challenges Unique to B2B Executives
Mastering storytelling that connects well with audiences can be an inherent talent for some, while for others it is a learned skill. It can also be challenging for B2B leaders to switch gears to the more conversational style of storytelling from granular, niche market or promotional language, which can be highly effective for sales, investors, board members—and, in the case of nonprofits, grant applications. Understanding where insider terms and language will be effective (vertical trades, narrowly focused podcasts) and where translation into lay language is needed (mainstream media) is crucial to this effort.
An Example: Appealing to New Markets
Warner’s own thought leadership campaign for B2B right-sized packaging technology company Packsize employed many of these tactics to notable success. Before the company engaged with Warner as their PR firm of record in 2022, Packsize had niche market success with technical and product-specific campaigns that demonstrated the company’s ability to create unusual box sizes for specific products. But, as Packsize looked to expand into the e-commerce market, it needed to appeal to new decision-makers.
The strategy focused on communicating the company’s own existing internal culture and mission, which highly values sustainability and climate change reduction, as well as how packaging could, now and in the future, help various sectors remain competitive and better meet changing environmental regulations.
The resulting earned and paid outreach program demonstrated that investing in right-sized boxing solutions could have enormous returns with companies’ end-user customers, who are concerned with sustainability and the unboxing experience, and established executives as experts in the field. Since this engagement, Packsize increased its share of voice by 11% year-over-year and had a 63.5% surge in social media follower growth on LinkedIn and X.
The time put in up front on thought leadership programs can yield ongoing benefits that make it truly worthwhile. Working with B2B companies to demonstrate their business value via their authentic perspective and predictions on larger industry issues that matter can ultimately elevate brands beyond the confines of B2B.
Jennifer Avril is Account Manager at Warner Communications.