The readership of thought leadership content has increased since 2016, with 99% of senior executives citing thought leadership as important to their decision-making, according to research by content agency, Grist.
In a survey, some 68% of senior executives said they read thought leadership content to give them a competitive edge (a 20% increase from 2016), while those stating that they used the content to answer their problems rose by 15%. Some 64% also said they used thought leadership to help them make more informed decisions.
Those that read content to assess the expertise of the author saw the biggest increase, with 57% citing it as their main motivation (an increase of 21%).
The Value of B2B thought leadership survey aimed to uncover what the c-suite want from thought-leadership and how they consume it.
It also found robust data was the highest rated quality in thought leadership content. This could explain why 58% of respondents said ‘unsubstantiated opinions’ were their biggest turn off when it came to content.
The research surveyed 525 enterprise firms across Europe, the US, and Asia.
