How Thought-Leadership Content Can Help Your Company Attract Funding This form of content helps prove that a company has a strong leader and serious earning potential.
By Josh Johnson Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
It isn't enough for companies to have great products or services. Investors need to know the people behind the business and why they're worth big investments. Executive branding through thought leadership speaks to a company's sophistication, credibility and marketability -- and content plays a critical role in developing the kind of authority that attracts investors.
Thought-leadership content can help turn savvy companies into influential ones. Rand Fishkin, founder and former CEO of Moz, opened many doors for his company through thought leadership. Fishkin became the go-to guy in SEO through articles, webinars, speaking engagements and other content. His expert voice helped Moz attract more than $19 million in investments.
Related: How to Use Content to Gain Credibility in Sales
Here are some tactics you can use to build the type of professional brand that's attractive to investors and clients:
1. Talk about business-building tactics.
Create and publish articles that showcase your unique approach to running a company. Publishing on the process of building your business demonstrates your process of overcoming challenges and problems, which is possibly the most important thing to any investor. Investors need to know their money is going to someone who knows how to lead a business, keeps the finances in order and makes wise decisions.
Related: 5 Steps to Becoming a Thought Leader in Your Industry
2. Show your niche industry expertise.
In addition to a general ability to lead and grow a business, investors need to know you're the right person to do that in your industry. What makes you uniquely qualified to scale a company in your industry? Are you applying a new way of thinking to old problems? In the end, what makes you different from the next company in trying to solve those problems? Share your stories, ideas and general thoughts about the challenges you're solving on your company blog and in relevant industry publications.
3. Establish influence among your key audiences.
A young company that has an engaged following of key customers has an advantage over one that key customers haven't heard of yet. Building your brand as an influencer in your industry is an investment that will go a long way toward bringing opportunities to your business.
4. Develop discoverability and distribution strategies.
If you're investing in your executive brand, make sure your efforts are discoverable. Share your published articles and blog posts on Medium, LinkedIn and social networks, and send relevant pieces to peers and investors to maximize potential opportunities. You want to make it easy for someone who's researching you to find out how valuable you really are. For more tips on how to leverage your content, check out our content maximization checklist.
Executive branding serves as a powerful tool for attracting investors. Executives who have a strong body of published work can point to it as a resource for potential investors who like to see initiative and momentum before they come aboard. Thought-leadership content helps prove that a company has a strong leader and serious earning potential.
