You have the experience and impressive track record to walk the talk.
You may have even carved out a niche within your specialisation. But clients (at least the ones worth your time) just aren’t knocking on your door. What gives?
The harsh truth is, it’s not always about offering the best product, but whether you can influence with authority.
Being an expert isn’t enough. You must command with authority
Nearly anyone can claim to be an expert these days. Scroll through LinkedIn and you’ll find countless professionals with outstanding resumes. But not everyone who claims to be an expert can get people to sit down and listen to what they have to say.
This is because showing what you know is not enough. You must prove why your perspective matters. For example, a fintech founder might understand regulatory compliance like the back of his hand. But he’s not going to get many inquiries until he can show how regulatory compliance impacts bottom lines and why he’s the go-to person to fix compliance issues.
These aren’t just semantics, either. Moving from expertise to authority means that you’ll finally be quoted by the media, invited to speak at events, and selected above your competitors when clients are ready to purchase.
What builds authority?
Believe it or not, authority isn’t some airy-fairy concept that some people are born with. It actually consists of solid foundations that can be broken down into identifiable concepts.
1. Signature topics
If you haven’t already, select a handful of topics that concern your target audience the most. Try to be as precise as possible. For example, instead of talking about ‘sustainability’, which could mean anything from the environment to striking a work-life balance, zoom in on ‘how startups can leverage ESG for business growth.”
2. Point of view
This next step is the most important. Have an opinion about the subject you’re addressing. Too many ‘business leaders’ play it safe by parroting trends or summarising reports. But guess what, if you’re saying what everyone else is saying, you’re merely a conversation follower, not a leader.
You must have confidence in your own opinion before clients can have confidence in you.
3. Proof
Of course, business owners on the other side of the spectrum exist as well. We’re talking about the ones who are too cocky for their own good. Don’t get us wrong, confidence is not a bad thing, but make sure that you’re able to back up big claims with big evidence. This can come in the form of feedback, testimonials, or data. The best part is that publishing your own insights and statistics comes with the bonus of drawing in backlinks from reputable sources, too.
…and what doesn’t build authority.
At this point, you might be telling yourself, ‘but I’ve already been creating content to build authority, what gives?’.
Too often, organisations stumble into predictable traps that lead them to think that they’re building thought leadership when nothing could be further from the truth:
1. Confusing promotion with leadership.
Talking about your products alone doesn’t build authority. Your product may be the best thing since sliced bread, but the majority of your audience will tune out once they see content that’s even mildly self-serving. The key is to stop talking about yourself and start talking about your audience.
2. Prioritising volume above all.
If you’re still playing the churn game in 2025, you need to stop because the only thing you’re achieving is carpal tunnel syndrome, overheating AI servers, or, in most cases, both. As the saying goes, Don’t work hard, work smart. It’s time to sit down and map out a plan for high-impact content. (Or reach out to experienced marketers who can do it with you).
3. Ignoring distribution.
The best content pieces will go unappreciated until they’re placed in front of the right audience. Figure out where your dream audience is and craft a content distribution channel that will position your brand in a way they can’t ignore.
Building authority with a content ecosystem.
The most effective thought leadership pieces are built within an ecosystem. This is especially the case for small businesses or marketing teams with limited resources.
Use long-form research reports to fuel a series of LinkedIn posts, or reiterate points within a conference talk or industry podcast to bring the same brilliant message in front of more people. Too often, business leaders are too self-conscious about how they’ll be perceived. But if you don’t have the time of day to trawl through your competitors’ archives, chances are that your customers don’t have the time, either. This also circles back to our earlier point about being confident. If you know what you’re talking about and have consistent messaging across platforms, then there’s literally no reason to worry and every reason to amplify.
How to measure thought leadership impact.
Contrary to popular belief, thought leadership can be measured by tracking meaningful signals.
| Brand visibility | Number and quality of mentions, backlinks, or share of voice in your field |
| Engagement quality | Likes, comments, invitations to collaborate, and inbound opportunities. |
| Sales alignment | Length of deal cycles and customer conversion rates |
| Long-term signals | This one is more subtle, but you’ll know you’ve made it when others start citing or even copying original soundbites from you. |
Establishing authority = Better sales conversions.
Clients who have mastered the authority game have a much better time on sales calls. Because once customers trust you as a credible voice, they’ll be much less hesitant to commit. This is especially so when you compete in a space where products and pricing are similar.
In fact, building authority tips the scales so much in your favour that customers might choose you for assurance even if you have the slightly pricier product.
Consider the difference between a founder who regularly publishes his latest thoughts and findings on fintech compliance, versus one who posts generic content about the basics of fintech.
Both may be equally skilled, but the former will build a reputation over time by weighing their opinion on industry developments that concern their target market, the customers.
Interested in finally transforming your expertise into a sales-driving authority?
Book a call with us or explore our thought leadership services.
