Thought leaders are influencers in their niche, and their community recognizes these notable experts for their unique ideas and valuable insights.

In B2B marketing, we constantly see buzzwords fly around. And it seems as soon as a term brings value to marketing, it gets overused and outdated. But what does that mean for the term “thought leadership”? How does this term play a role in marketing right now?

Is being a thought leader and a subject matter expert the same? That is the question we ask every guest. Of course, opinions differ, but that makes the discussion even more exciting. Therefore, we’ll continue expanding on the topic. According to our guest today, a thought leader is an expert in their field that shares their experience with their specific community.

Thought leadership is another popular buzzword in the B2B marketing space. But even though it’s a buzzword floating around, it’s still critical for business growth. And very few companies know how to approach it. In this episode, Tracey Wallace, the Director, Content Strategy at Klaviyo, joins Erin to share her perspectives on what thought leadership means. Tracey pinpoints what it takes for an individual to be considered a thought leader. And she also outlines how thought leadership and content marketing can work together.

According to Kari Hanson, the VP of Marketing at Spiro.ai, thought leadership is all about building credibility in your market. This could be achieved in a number of ways, such as being super smart or very controversial. The key is to have credibility behind your opinions and views in a specific market. Kari believes that thought leadership is misunderstood because it is so broad. Within a startup or smaller company, it is important to figure out what thought leadership means to you and what the goal is. You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room to be a thought leader.

Thought leadership has become an essential way for companies to generate demand and create a following. But what exactly is thought leadership and how does it work from an SEO perspective? Evan Bailyn, CEO of First Page Sage and an expert on the subject, defines thought leadership as sharing valuable insights with an audience that makes others want to follow or work with you.