What is thought leadership marketing?

Thought leadership marketing uses credible individual voices to build influence with professional audiences. It enables organisations to amplify content from employees, customers or external experts, rather than relying solely on brand-led communication.

In B2B, the effectiveness of content depends not only on what is said, but on who says it. The opportunity is to identify the people whose expertise, experience and perspective are most relevant to the audience, then develop content around those voices and extend its reach to the right decision-makers.

LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads enable organisations to scale this approach. Instead of relying solely on organic reach, organisations can promote posts from individual LinkedIn profiles, with the author’s permission, to targeted B2B audiences. This combines personal credibility with LinkedIn’s paid targeting, ensuring that valuable insights from executives, specialists, customers, or partners reach the most relevant industries and decision-makers.

Why does thought leadership matter?

Trust is central to B2B decision-making, especially for complex purchases involving multiple stakeholders or significant organisational risk. LinkedIn research shows that 70% of B2B marketers believe buyers rely more on peers, trusted experts, and creators than on brand-produced content.

This influence starts early in the buying process. Sixty-three per cent of B2B buyers consult creators during their research, and 77% of marketers believe buyers must know and trust a brand before engaging.

Content does more than generate attention; it demonstrates expertise, reduces uncertainty, and builds familiarity before formal sales discussions begin.

The key question is: Who is best positioned to provide the expertise, evidence, or experience buyers need?

Depending on the topic, this could be the CEO, a technical specialist, a product leader, a frontline employee, or a customer. Seniority alone does not determine credibility.

How do you do thought leadership marketing?

The process starts by identifying the questions your buyers need answered. Next, find individuals with the expertise, experience, or perspective to address those questions credibly. LinkedIn suggests seeking the intersection of a person’s expertise, interests, and their community's interests.

Content can then be developed around first-hand experience, specialist knowledge, customer insight, industry change, or a clear point of view. We suggest publishing organically first to identify which ideas generate the most attention and engagement for each creator. The strongest content can then be amplified through Thought Leader Ads to reach specific industries, organisations, roles, and decision-makers.

Thought leadership in action

Human Digital applied this approach with ABB in the pulp and paper sector. The programme centred on ABB specialists and industry perspectives, using video to translate technical expertise into credible, accessible content. LinkedIn distribution then extended those voices beyond their existing networks, helping ABB reach relevant professional audiences while preserving the authority and context that made the content valuable.

The campaign generated 123,039 LinkedIn impressions and 2,605 clicks, with a 2.12% click-through rate. Engagement also extended beyond paid distribution, with posts from ABB leader Stefano Cinquina generating up to 303 reactions, eight comments and 18 reposts. The campaign reached professionals at major pulp and paper organisations including Suzano, WestRock and Amcor, showing that ABB’s expert-led content was reaching and engaging relevant industry audiences.

How can Human Digital help B2B brands with thought leadership?

Human Digital helps B2B brands identify individuals whose expertise, experience, and perspective are most relevant to their target audiences. We work with marketing teams to develop clear, relevant content on issues important to buyers, publish it through appropriate LinkedIn profiles, and identify posts that generate the strongest response.

We then amplify the best-performing content through LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads, targeting specific industries, organisations, roles, and decision-makers. This approach creates more deliberate B2B growth, driven by credible people, relevant ideas, and evidence of what resonates with your audience.