Why Does Thought Leadership Matter?
Driving membership, revenue, sales of widgets, brand awareness—all of this comes at a cost, which is why thought leadership matters so much. While a lot of companies spend a lot of time adjusting their advertising budgets in support of these goals, they also should rely on the less-expensive concept and credibility of thought leadership.
Yes, it is expensive to hire the kind of people industries see as thought leaders, but you’re hiring them with or without this additional brand exposure. So why not capitalize further on hiring the right subject matter experts by putting them out in the spotlight and driving your customers’ journeys from the top down?
Why not capitalize further on hiring the right talent by putting them out into the spotlight and driving your customers’ journeys from the top down?
The Trickle-Down Effect of Greatness
Have you ever been in the presence of greatness in a corporate setting? I have. It’s powerful, it’s enlightening, it changes your perspective and it makes you want to be better at what you do.
Furthermore, as a marketer, it makes you want to scream from the rooftop of your logo’d building: World, are you listening?! Because this person and their ideas are awesome!
Translation: Buy our widget, because you’re buying from greatness, and greatness has an incredible trickle-down effect. Trust us, you will be pleased.
Thought Leaders Establish Brand Trust
When you advertise your visionary leaders to your industry, your brand becomes elevated. It becomes more well-known, trusted and credible. Here are some ideas to thrust your thought leaders, and thus your company, into the spotlight to create a brand your industry trusts.
4 Ideas that Put Your Thought Leader (and Company) in the Spotlight:
Apply to Speak at Conferences. Each industry has conferences with requests or “calls” for subject matter experts. Find the dates of these Calls for Speakers, Calls for Papers, Calls for Presentations, etc., brainstorm a compelling topic with your thought leader, and submit the paperwork (on time).
Hold Your Own Events. Hold an event of your own. Perhaps it’s an onsite annual users’ group or a client advisory council. This kind of buzz gets to the ego of your biggest supporters and as we all know, word-of-mouth speaks volumes. What about a webinar? With invitations sent only to the C-Suite. All of these concepts establish a type of leadership club for decision makers only.
Write Great Content. Does your thought leader consistently write a blog, a newsletter article, social media posts, or perhaps industry musings for the highest-echelons of client leadership? They should. With the help of a highly developed ghost writer (give me a call—I’m happy to help), the development of relevant, timely content keeps your company at the forefront of thought.
Network Consistently. Consider the fact that your thought leader might be an introvert or so intelligent they can’t hold small talk. Be open to the idea of supporting your subject matter experts with training, so they can consistently and more openly engage in conversations, from small talk to large commentaries and anything in between.
Signing Off…
There are so many ways to advertise your brand to the world. If you believe in your brand as much as I believe in my clients’ missions in the marketplace, then there is no reason not to put your best foot, er, thought leader forward.
Read a compelling article on thought leadership from the LinkedIn Marketing Solutions Blog: Using Thought Leadership to Drive Results. (Not a subscriber? Click on this link to sign up for daily or weekly push communications: Marketing Solutions Blog.)
About Jill Collins
Jill Collins at j.comm marketing is a marketing and data professional who specializes in breathing new life into brands by crafting exceptional content. She is a proven and trusted partner when it comes to understanding an organization and its culture. Her talent lies in marrying a client’s wants and needs with logistics. Give Jill a shot. She won’t let you down.