White paper

An authoritative report issued by any organization; a PDF-formatted document that identifies a market problem or argues a specific position and supplies solution; common tool used to introduce technology innovations and products;  many times, white papers do not mention your company or products at all.

E-Book

Electronic book; any book published in electronic or digital format; a hip young sibling to the nerdy whitepaper; a fun and thoughtful way to get useful information to buyers.

E-Newsletter

A written report, usually issued periodically, prepared by or for a group or institution, as a business firm, charitable organization, or government agency, to present information to employees, contributors, stockholders, the press and public; tremendous value as a way to deliver a regular series of thought leadership content.

Webinar

A live online educational presentation during which participating viewers can submit questions and comments; often used by technology companies as a primer about a specific problem that technology can solve; often feature guests who do not work for sponsor company.

Wiki

Used by companies who want to be seen as important players in distinct markets; to reach people you want to reach and help them to organize content; used to allow customers to add their our FAQ’s and others supply answers; companies need to be  fearless enough to allow people to write their opinions

Blog

A personal website written by someone who is passionate about a subject and wants the world to know about it with the benefits rubbing off on the company that he or she works for; easiest and simplest way to get your thought leadership ideas out and into the market.

Podcasts

An ongoing series of audio downloads available by subscription; very popular as thought leadership content in some markets

Video content, vodcasts, vlogs

A form of blogging for which the medium is video; regularly updates offer a powerful opportunity to demonstrate thought leadership.