• by Ray Schultz , July 12, 2023

U.S business leaders have determined that thought leadership is one the most effective ways to promote themselves and build ROI, according to a study by PR agency Bospar and Reputation Leaders. 

Of the senior executives, polled, 97% believe thought leadership provides a moderate (5% to 15%) to high (more than 15%) return on investment, a higher than the average 12.4% returned by the U.S. stock market. 

When thought leadership fails, the blame belongs to poor methodology (44%) and lack of stakeholder buy-in (34%). Newsletters and search engine optimization are under-utilized tools for promoting thought leadership.  

However, leaders tend to over-emphasize company website posts, external interviews and unsolicited emails for sharing content. Conversely, few leaders themselves consume thought leadership via these channels. 

But leaders do consume thought leadership, 87% to improve their problem-solving skills. The most-viewed media outlets are ABC News, Bloomberg, CNBC, CNN, Forbes, the Economist and BusinessWeek.

Facebook is the best aligned with business strategies, 73% believe. Next are LinkedIn (68%) and Twitter (66%).  

Businesses are increasing their investment in all of those three social channels, but are reducing their spend in TikTok, probably due to its uncertain political status in Western nations.  

However, 51% prefer face-to-face events for promoting  thought leadership 

Reputation Leaders surveyed 105 US-based senior business leaders in March 2023.