Thought Leadership and the B2B Buying Journey

RH Blake defines thought leadership as content that delivers expertise, guidance or a unique perspective on a professional topic. And when we talk about the buying journey, we are talking about the stages that a typical B2B buyer goes through when making a purchase decision, from start to finish.

To keep things simple, let’s picture a buyer journey that consists of three stages: Awareness, Consideration and Decision.

• At the Awareness Stage, the buyer discovers that they have a challenge that they must address. They strive to understand their issue, and to give it a name.
• During the Consideration Stage, the buyer considers remedies for their challenge. These remedies include fixing the issue themselves, buying a product or service, or doing nothing.
• At the Decision Stage, the buyer has chosen to go with a product or service, and narrows that choice to one vendor.

At the awareness stage, the buyer asks, “What is my challenge?” At the consideration stage, they ask, “How do I meet my challenge?” At the decision stage, the buyer asks, “Who should I choose to fix my challenge?” Your goal as a marketer is to create thought leadership content that gives buyers what they need at each of these three stages in their journey. Here’s how.

To illustrate what we recommend, we will use by way of example a B2B manufacturer who is having problems with unexpected equipment shutdowns during production. We are using this fictional use case simply to demonstrate how thought leadership influences buyer behavior at every stage of the buyer journey. Your results will vary based upon your industry, product or service, budget, and more.

Consideration Stage

In the consideration stage, buyers are actively evaluating solutions and narrowing down their options. Thought leadership at this stage should provide in-depth analysis and actionable insights and establish credibility to help buyers make informed comparisons.

Whitepapers and research reports excel here. A whitepaper titled “How Predictive Analytics Transforms Asset Performance Management” provides deep insights into a specific technology or solution, backed by data and real-world examples. Research reports that include industry surveys, case studies or benchmark data allow buyers to evaluate their current practices against industry standards, strengthening the case for change.

Webinars and videos are also highly impactful at the Consideration Stage. Webinars enable manufacturers to showcase their expertise live, often with interactive Q&A sessions that address audience concerns in real time. A webinar on “Reducing Downtime Through Predictive Maintenance: Lessons from Top Performers” might attract buyers eager to learn from peers or experts. Videos, meanwhile, distill complex ideas into engaging formats, such as animations explaining how an APM software platform integrates into existing workflows.

When creating content for this stage, prioritize specificity and credibility. Use hard data and case studies to build trust. Ensure webinars are well-promoted across email and social media, and include opportunities for follow-up discussions or demos.