Engineering Trust and Authority: How Thought Leadership Propels Technical B2B Brands

Technical B2B companies in manufacturing, robotics, aerospace, and semiconductors thrive on trust and expertise. A thought leadership campaign – sharing expert insights, visionary ideas, and industry guidance – can transform these companies from mere suppliers into authoritative partners.

In an era of complex, high-stakes buying decisions, cultivating thought leadership isn’t a “nice-to-have” – it’s a strategic necessity. In a world of AI-generated answers, engineers are looking for expert voices. 

In the 2025 State of Marketing to Engineers Report, we found that engineers rated their trust in answers generated from AI platforms at an average of 4.4/10. Instead, they’re looking for trusted voices who have worked with the technology they're handling and overcome the challenges they're facing.

Why Thought Leadership Matters for Technical B2B Companies

For engineering-driven businesses with long sales cycles, thought leadership is a powerful differentiator. By consistently publishing credible insights (whether via articles, white papers, videos, or speeches), companies demonstrate that they help solve a challenge, rather than just sell a product – a crucial advantage when buyers are risk-averse and overwhelmed with options. 

And this makes sense, because many of these sales cycles are 12-24 months and longer – and your prospects want to learn and grow during that time. They want to be nurtured in their careers rather than be sold to day in and day out.

High-quality thought leadership content directly builds trust and shortens the path to purchase. In fact, according to a new B2B study by Edelman, 73% of B2B decision-makers say thought leadership is a more trustworthy basis for assessing a company’s capabilities than traditional marketing materials. This trust has enormous commercial value. Their research shows that 86% of business buyers are more likely to invite a brand to bid on a project if that company produces strong thought leadership, and 54% say they have begun doing business with a new vendor because of that thought leadership.

Those numbers underscore a critical point – technical credibility drives sales. In the manufacturing space specifically, RH Blake found that 84% of C-level executives have started a purchase relationship with an organization because of its thought leadership content. And, nearly 9 in 10 decision-makers (92%) say consistent thought leadership makes them think more positively of a company. Put simply, demonstrating expertise through public insights makes industrial buyers more comfortable and confident. 

Thought leadership can open doors and close deals by de-risking big technical purchases. 

Equally important, thought leadership protects existing business. If you’re not leading the conversation in your niche, a competitor might step in. Indeed, that same Edelman study found that 70% of C-suite executives say that a compelling piece of thought leadership content caused them to reconsider an existing supplier. About 25% even reported that such content led them to end or reduce a vendor relationship. 

The message is clear: remaining silent is a risk. 

In complex fields like aerospace, robotics, and semiconductors, buyers gravitate toward partners who demonstrate forward-thinking. Thought leadership is how technical brands prove their innovation and foresight over time – and win loyalty for it.

Real-World Examples of Thought Leadership Success

Leading industrial companies have embraced thought leadership campaigns to boost their brands and drive growth. Sometimes it’s with specific individuals within the company, and other times, it’s the brand voice coming through to speak for the company as a whole. Here are a few standout examples of how technical B2B brands are building authority – and what results they’ve seen:

Path Robotics

Company: Path Robotics 

Industry: Robotics/Manufacturing

Approach: PR, SME Interviews 

This Ohio-based robotics welding startup executed a PR-driven thought leadership campaign to announce a breakthrough partnership. Rather than quietly issuing a single press release, Path Robotics worked with TREW Marketing to craft multiple news releases, expand media outreach from 5 to 30 outlets, and contribute an in-depth technical article to a top industry journal. The results were dramatic: they secured seven media articles (exceeding their goal of four articles) and five press interviews with the company’s CRO and technical leads around the Automate trade show, even landing an article on Machine Design’s homepage during the event. 

This content filled search pages with third-party coverage and made Path Robotics highly visible to its target engineering audience during the Automate conference, giving the brand a surge in credibility. By sharing its technical vision (AI-driven welding automation) through media and thought pieces, Path Robotics positioned itself as an industry leader.

The thought leadership here was solidified through quotes and interviews with specific SMEs – Heather Carroll, CRO at Path Robotics; Andrew Lien, Head of Product at Path Robotics; Andy Lonsberry, CEO and Co-Founder of Path Robotics; Mike Renn, VP of Operations at Path Robotics; Pat Pollock, President/CEO of ALM Positioners; Kevin Toft, Chief Revenue Officer at ALM Positioners (a Path Robotics partner); Russ Janzen, VP of Operations and Engineering at TYCROP (an ALM Positioners/Path Robotics customer).

nVent SCHROFF

Company: nVent SCHROFF 

Industry: Quantum Computing

Approach: Technical Content 

In highly technical B2B markets, taking a leadership approach to content can influence customer decision criteria. nVent SCHROFF, a global leader in electronics connection and protection solutions, specializing in enclosures, racks, and thermal management systems that support electronic infrastructure, created a quantum computing campaign that exemplifies this strategy. 

Rather than a generic brochure, they created a detailed article that takes a bold stance: it argues that Quantum systems require highly controlled environments with strict specifications for thermal management, shielding, and system integration to function effectively. With expertise in advanced enclosure and protection solutions, nVent SCHROFF can truly support the quantum computing ecosystem.

By publishing this well-reasoned viewpoint, nVent SCHROFF isn’t just pitching its products – it’s shaping the narrative in the quantum computing industry. This kind of thought leadership positions nVent SCHROFF as a strategic partner and advisor, potentially swaying procurement preferences in its favor. It’s a savvy way to use content to influence complex sales: the article educates design engineers and executives on an emerging best practice, which in turn makes them more likely to seek out nVent SCHROFF (the expert source) when making decisions. 

As a result, nVent SCHROFF strengthens its brand as a knowledgeable leader in quantum computing, not just a commodity vendor. The company then goes further to provide a case study on its site to help design engineers see a precise solution – furthering the concept that nVent SCHROFF understands exactly how technically acute these solutions need to be.

The thought leadership here was solidified through the brand voice – nicely packaged, powerful corporate deliverables.

Knowles Precision Devices

Company: Knowles Precision Devices

Industry: Electronic Components

Approach: PR, Contributed SME Content

Knowles makes high-performance capacitors for critical applications including high frequency radar applications. Their customers can often use off-the-shelf capacitors for much of their application, but for the critical part of their application that truly differentiates their technology, they need extremely specialized, high-performance capacitors. Knowles shows their thought leadership in the area of specialized, high-performance capacitors through deep, technical content like trade publication articles and webinars. For example, in a two-part series in Microwaves and RF (Part 1 and Part 2), Peter offers an educational overview of radar technology – a focus for Knowles, but purely educational for the reader, rather than promotional. As a next step, Peter gives a more in-depth look at digital, multi-mission radar receivers in Microwave Journal. These articles continue to build a case for Knowles as an expert in the field of capacitors, particularly for radar.

In addition, Peter has begun to pursue thought leadership opportunities by exploring future topics. For example, this recent article about upcoming challenges the AI industry will face in the coming three years and how high-performance capacitors are positioned to help solve these challenges. With this approach, Peter is bridging his existing thought leadership as a deep technical expert into a new space of helping the companies that are navigating future challenges like advanced AI. 

The thought leadership here was solidified through a specific SME, Peter Matthews, who bylined each article, showing deep expertise as a technical lead at Knowles.

Each of these examples demonstrates how thought leadership campaigns can elevate technical brands. By consistently contributing valuable insights – whether through media campaigns, viral educational content, executive blogs, or authoritative guides – B2B companies make themselves memorable and credible to their target audiences. 

The brand growth over time is evident: increased media visibility, higher engagement from prospects, greater trust from customers, and often expanded market share or new revenue streams linked to thought leadership efforts. In essence, these companies became go-to voices in their fields, translating expertise into tangible business advantage.

How to Create a Thought Leadership Campaign

To kick off a thought leadership program, start with a focused minimum viable campaign rather than trying to approach every channel. As the examples above show, each successful campaign focused on one or two key channels to maximize impact. By limiting scope, you can execute deeply and learn what resonates before scaling up. For an initial campaign, select two channels that best reach your audience – for example, an owned channel (like your company’s blog, a technical white paper, or a webinar) and an earned channel (like trade PR or contributed articles in an industry publication). 

This paired approach lets you deliver value on your own platform while also gaining third-party credibility. Remember to focus on providing insight, not a sales pitch – remember, the content should solve a challenge, rather than just sell a product, addressing real industry challenges to build trust with your engineering audience. Here is a 90-day roadmap to get started:

Month 1 – Strategy, Develop

• Define the core topic or problem you’ll address based on what your customers care about (ex. a new technology trend, regulatory change, or design engineering challenge). Identify an internal subject-matter expert (or several) who can provide deep insight on this topic – this could be an engineer, product manager, or executive who lends technical credibility. 
• Decide on your two channels; for instance, you might choose to write a bylined article for a major trade magazine and publish a companion piece on your own blog. 
• Outline the key message or unique point of view you want to deliver – something distinctive that demonstrates expertise beyond your product’s features. 
• Start developing the content: interview your experts, gather data or case studies, and draft your thought leadership assets (e.g. the article, white paper, or webinar deck).
  
  

Month 2 – Launch 

• Finalize and publish your content on both channels this month. For your owned channel, this might mean posting the in-depth blog article or releasing the white paper on your website (gated or ungated depending on your strategy). For your earned media channel, execute your PR plan: for example, pitch your bylined article or press release to targeted industry outlets and journalists. Timing can boost effectiveness – if possible, align your thought leadership push with relevant news or events (for example, Path Robotics timed their PR around a key trade show). Work closely with your internal experts to make them available for any media follow-up (interviews or quotes). 
• Promote the content through your existing marketing touch points: share the new blog post or article on LinkedIn, include it in your company’s newsletter, and have your sales team share it with prospects as educational material.

The goal in this phase is to get your ideas in front of as many of the right eyes as possible, leveraging both the credibility of the press and the reach of your own channels. Throughout, maintain that helpful, problem-solving tone as you’re positioning your company as a helpful expert, not just a vendor.

Month 3 – Amplify, Measure 

• Repurpose and reinforce your message across other formats to extend its life: for example, clip out a short infographic or key chart from your white paper to share on social media, or host a live Q&A webinar where your SME answers audience questions about the article’s topic. 
• Continue to nurture interest – if your thought leadership content sparked comments on LinkedIn or inquiries from journalists, respond and keep the conversation going. 
• Start tracking metrics. How many readers viewed or downloaded your content on your site? Did your press outreach result in any media pickups or backlinks? Track engagement signals like social shares, comments, and time spent on page.
• Capture qualitative feedback: ask your sales engineers if prospects bring up the ideas from your campaign in conversations. 

By the end of 90 days, compile these results and lessons. You should have tangible outcomes, like increased traffic or visibility in your niche, and internal buy-in from seeing content successfully produced, that prove the value of thought leadership. Use this to make the case for continuing and scaling your thought leadership efforts.

After executing this 90-day MVP campaign, you’ll have a baseline to build on. The insights gained will help refine your strategy, which you can expand with more channels or bigger initiatives (like additional publications, a series of videos, or an industry speaking engagement) in the next phase. 

Most importantly, you will have started the cultural shift to educate before selling within your organization – a crucial mindset for long-term thought leadership success. With a focused plan, a couple of well-chosen channels, and consistent expert-driven content, even a technical B2B company with limited marketing resources can start establishing a leading voice in its industry

Long-Term Success: How to Tell a Thought Leadership Campaign is Working

Thought leadership does take time. While your MVP project described above will help you get started, the true benefits will come after building your brand over the course of a few years. That may seem like a long haul, but starting today gets you one step closer. You can’t afford to be in the same place you are today a year from now.

How can you gauge if a thought leadership campaign is successful over years for a technical B2B brand? 

First, define clear goals tied to brand awareness and authority, rather than immediate lead gen. Common metrics include: the volume of media coverage and mentions garnered (e.g. news article pickups, trade press features), audience engagement with content (views, shares, discussion), and improvements in brand perception (often surveyed as increased trust or preference). For instance, a PR-driven thought leadership push might track how many independent publications cover your story and the total impressions those articles receive. 

In Path Robotics’ case, success was measured by counting industry news hits and seeing a full page of Google News results about their innovation – a concrete sign of increased awareness. 

Likewise, on digital platforms, one could monitor growth in followers, subscribers, or time spent by engineers reading your technical blog posts. Then, look for downstream indicators of influence on the sales pipeline: 

• Did more prospective clients invite your firm to bid on projects after your campaign? 
• Have you seen upticks in inbound inquiries or demo requests referencing your content? 

Thought leadership often drives what marketers call “lower funnel” behavior in subtle ways. For example, if more buyers have made a purchase decision based on thought leadership content, a spike in new deals or RFP wins following a content initiative is a telling ROI signal. Some companies even quantify the revenue influenced by buyers who engaged with their white papers or webinars. Over time, sustained thought leadership should also correlate with intangible gains like brand prestige and customer loyalty – measured by higher win rates against competitors, repeat business, or anecdotal feedback (“We keep seeing your experts in Electronic Design, and it reassured our board to choose you.”).

Finally, thought leadership success can be seen in the quality of conversations around your brand. Are industry influencers or trade journalists citing your research? Do customers ask your team about topics you’ve been educating the market on? When your content begins to shape the industry dialogue, you’ve achieved true thought leadership. A great campaign doesn’t just generate clicks – it earns your company a seat at the table in important discussions. This kind of credibility becomes self-reinforcing: as more people trust your expertise, your influence – and business opportunities – continue to grow.

Conclusion: Lead with Expertise, Win with Trust

In technical B2B sectors like manufacturing, robotics, aerospace, and semiconductors, thought leadership is far more than a marketing buzzword – it’s a strategic asset.

By sharing valuable knowledge and visionary thinking, companies demonstrate the substance behind their solutions. The payoff is multifaceted: stronger reputation, higher customer engagement, and ultimately accelerated growth fueled by trust. As we’ve seen, brands that invest in thought leadership have reaped tangible results – from Path Robotics’ surge in media visibility and leads to nVent SCHROFF article and case study. They validate what surveys confirm across the board: decision-makers want to buy from thought leaders.

In a world where B2B purchase processes are longer and more complex than ever, being a credible guide for your audience is a differentiator that competitors can’t easily copy. Thought leadership content helps potential customers make sense of a complex world, de-risking big decisions and positioning your company as a long-term partner. It also galvanizes your internal experts – turning engineers and scientists into brand ambassadors who proudly share their ideas. When done right (focusing on education over promotion, backed by real expertise and data), thought leadership programs create a virtuous cycle of trust.

For technical companies on the fence, the message is persuasive and clear: Invest in thought leadership to lead your industry. Publish that insightful engineering blog, speak at that conference, pitch that case study to the trade journal. 

Over time, you’ll not only see greater brand recognition, but you’ll also find doors opening to new business that would have remained closed. In the high-stakes B2B arena, the company with the most credibility wins – and there’s no better way to build credibility at scale than through consistent, high-quality thought leadership. 

Read more about how individuals from your company can build authentic, personal brands to grow their own thought leadership.

Need help building a campaign like this? TREW Marketing specializes in brand marketing and PR for technical B2B companies. Let’s talk.

TREW Marketing partners with engineering and B2B technology companies to elevate their brand, engage their audiences, and generate new opportunities through insightful research and unrivaled industry expertise. Contact us today to learn more about the services we offer.