At Westgate Communications we have long been advocates of positioning our clients as thought leaders in their fields. This can be done in a number ways, using a range of targeted tactics and a variety channels. One element that is essential, whatever the industry, is the production of in-depth and hard-hitting articles, white papers and reports. Time and time again, we have generated outstanding results for clients by creating this kind of content – especially when it comes to business-to-business organisations that are trying to reach senior decision makers.
In an age when people are bombarded with a plethora of content, from video and webinars to infographics and sound-bites, across an ever growing range of channels, there are some who would argue that the days of long-form content – and print in particular – are numbered.
We strongly believe that precisely because there is so much content clamouring for peoples’ attention, it is more important than ever for organisations to ensure that they are generating quality content which makes them stand out from the crowd.
This doesn’t necessarily have to be in the form of longer-style content such as articles or white papers, but we know from extensive experience that they work particularly well when trying to reach senior leaders. So you can imagine our delight when we read the results of a recent study carried out by Forbes and Deloitte.
They questioned nearly 300 C-level executives globally to analyse how top executives prefer to receive business insights. The resulting report, “Thought Leadership in Action: Strategic Content to Help CXOs Learn and Lead,” explores how executives consume the thought leadership insights that shape how they steer their businesses into the future.
The report counters the general perception that brevity and digital content are most effective in the field of communications in the 21st century. In fact, it shows that many C-level executives buck these trends, with more than one third of them preferring traditional longer data-based formats, in print. In fact, feature length articles and reports topped the list of preferred format for business insights.
One of the many wonderful aspects of marketing and PR communications is that there is such an incredibly diverse and wide ranging way of getting a message across, depending on the type of business you are and the audience you are trying to reach. Although of course not all tactics and channels will be appropriate for all organisations.
However, for those trying to establish themselves as thought leaders in their fields, who want to engage the C-suite, relevant, timely and engaging content is absolutely vital.
Forbes Insights – Thought Leadership in Action