Establishing a reputation as a thought leader is crucial for companies to remain competitive in today's B2B landscape.

Most B2B marketing teams often lack the in-depth industry knowledge required to create impactful thought leadership content in-house.

Marketing teams can partner with external industry leaders to co-create thought leadership content, media, and experiences to solve this.

Here are six types of external industry leaders that B2B marketing teams should consider partnering with to instantly inject decades of hard-earned industry expertise into their GTM programs:

1. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): SMEs have deep knowledge and expertise in a specific field or industry. Partnering with SMEs can help B2B companies create relevant, informative, and authoritative content. SMEs can provide insights, data, and trends that marketers can use to create content that resonates with their target audience.

2. Target Market Influencers: Influencers have a significant following on social media or other online platforms. Partnering with influencers can help companies amplify their message and reach a broader audience. It can also help build credibility and trust with the target audience.

3. Academics and Researchers: Academics and researchers are experts in their fields and can provide valuable insights and data that can be used to create thought leadership content. Partnering with academics and researchers can help companies establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry by showcasing their ability to stay up-to-date on the latest research and trends.

4. Industry Associations: Industry associations represent specific industries or sectors. They can provide companies with access to industry-specific data, insights, and trends that can be used to create thought leadership content. Partnering with industry associations can also help build relationships with key players in the industry.

5. Customers: Customers are the ultimate experts on a company's products or services. Partnering with customers can help companies create relevant content that resonates with their target audience. Customer case studies, testimonials, and success stories can provide powerful examples of how a company's products or services can help solve real-world business problems.

6. Target Market Buyers: Target market buyers are industry leaders who are also potential customers. Partnering with them can help build deep relationships and foster a sense of loyalty towards the company. By working closely with target market buyers, companies can better understand their needs and pain points, and create content that addresses those issues. These partnerships can also lead to future sales and referrals.

Collaborating with external industry leaders on GTM programs is a powerful approach that B2B marketing teams can leverage to co-create thought leadership that generates significantly more awareness, demand, and sales than marketing alone.