Tara Robertson believes that thought leadership is a misunderstood term, and that it often gets conflated with other marketing strategies like demand gen and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. She argues that thought leadership is a long-term strategy that can pay off in ways that other marketing initiatives may not, even though it can be difficult to measure the results. According to Tara, the most misunderstood part of thought leadership is that you don’t have to be a C-suite executive to be one. Anyone with expertise and credibility can be a thought leader. Tara discusses how thought leadership is about connecting with peers and sharing learnings and insights on what’s changing in your industry.

In this conversation, Erin Balsa and Chris Walker (CEO of Refine Labs) discuss thought leadership and how it can be used to generate demand. Chris shares how he has been able to get employees to share the company’s unique POV on social media, and how this has helped drive business growth. Chris further breaks down how having a unique point of view is essential for thought leadership, and how your specific point of view can evolve over time.

In B2B, the term thought leader is becoming increasingly common. But what does it actually mean to be a thought leader? And how are top B2B marketers using thought leadership to generate demand for their companies? Ashley Faus, the Director of Integrated Product Marketing at Atlassian, provides some insight in this episode of The Notorious Thought Leader. During the conversation with Erin Balsa, Ashley explains how thought leaders are those who have credibility, a strong profile, and depth with their ideas. They are also prolific, meaning they are constantly driving the conversation forward.