Picture the scene. You’re at a major conference. You are there to network with your peers, to talk to potential clients, perhaps you’re even doing a presentation yourself. Over the course of the day or days that you spend at the conference, you will introduce yourself a number of times.

Now, imagine what you hear once you have introduced yourself. Will it be a vague ‘Nice to meet you’ or will you see something spark in the person’s eye: ‘Oh, yes, I’ve been reading your articles…’

What we are talking about here is not ego (although who doesn’t love to see their name in print/on screen), but networking, positioning, getting your name and your company’s name out there.

Meeting someone at a conference or in their office or even just on the phone who has seen your content means that half your introduction is already done. Your company walked through their front door long before you met face-to-face. Whether it’s networking for you, or acquiring new business for your company, the people you’re dealing with feel like they already know you.

Now, will you actually be writing this content yourself? No, if you’re clever you’ll work with a specialist agency who have a stable of writers and editors who blend journalism with marketing expertise. Will you have input? Most definitely – a good agency will leverage your expertise, without taking too much of your time.

So let’s look in more detail at 5 reasons business leaders like yourself should be (ghost) writing content.

1. Get ahead of the faceless competition

Even giant companies are at pains to ensure their leaders come across as relatable. As people you can trust. The business leader book industry attests to that, but content is a faster way to get your name out there, establish your company, and start to create an online community that can be converted into sales.

No amount of straight advertising can create community in the same way that content can, and with your name at the top of it, published across all your platforms, with your community having the chance to like and comment on your content, you are creating a strong bond that will pay dividends for years afterwards.

 2. Build trust in your company

Tied in with the point above, the goal of creating engaging content is that you do it regularly, so your customers (current or future) see a sufficient number of articles from you that they start to form a relationship with your company. When they google a problem (that is related to your product or service) it’s your content that pops up, helpfully guiding them through to a solution. No hard sell, just sharing your industry expertise.

So when it comes time to purchase, whether that’s the same day or many months down the line, they think of you. Because your name is on content which has been addressing their problems.

3. Give back to your community

You have worked hard to get to your current position. Now you’ve made it to the top, maybe you feel like it’s time to give back. Perhaps you had a mentor or someone you looked up to when you were young and trying to build a career. A solid content campaign can do just that – providing advice to the ‘younger you’, covering things you wish you knew when you were first starting out.

It’s important to remember that those young leaders listening to your advice will one day end up in the talent pool. By acting as a mentor and passing on your wisdom to others you’re able to not only give back but you’re building strong relationships that mean your company will have its pick of the best up-and-coming talent when it comes to future recruitment.

4. Strengthen links with employees

When your employees see your content go out regularly, it’s a way for you to set the tone of the company internally as well as externally. They get to see what you’re thinking, the way you see leadership, the direction of your industry, and so on.

It shows them that you’re engaged at every level, and by encouraging their input, you will find open communication leads to better teamwork and the emergence of the next generation of leaders within your organisation.

5. Get more from your marketing budget

In short, producing content supercharges your marketing. Whether you’re putting content on your website, across social, having beautifully written articles means that when you do put out straight promotional material, the reader doesn’t feel like they’re being bombarded. You use a blend of info and promo, and stretch your marketing budget to lengths that without content it could never reach.

 So, back to that conference or meeting. When you’re meeting your future customers, talking to future employees, or even huddling with your own team before a presentation – having high-quality content out there means you are starting the race already half way down the track.

Why give your competitors a head start?