Thought Leadership

Thought Leadership The MarketingSavant Group www.marketingsavant.com 888.989.7771 dana@marketingsavant.com CSI CONSTRUCT2011September 16, 2011

If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less. General Eric Shineski, Retired Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Monday, May

What is Thought Leadership? “Thought leadership centers on earning trust and credibility. Thought leaders get noticed by offering something different—information, insights, and ideas, for instance. Thought leadership positions you and your company as an industry authority and resource and trusted advisor by establishing your reputation as a generous contributor to your industry.” RainToday.com

Thought Leadership is a Way of Being “It’s not about trying to pontificate on how great you are, or just trying to edify yourself. In a lot of ways, it’s truly a way of being. It’s something you can’t say about yourself… it’s really what others say about you.” Brian Carroll

Why Become a Thought Leader? • Professionally rewarding • Personally rewarding • Opportunity to serve others • Right thing to do • Communicates excellence

Thought Leaders Have a Point of View Too often, firms capture their ‘thought leadership’ expertise - articles, speeches, newsletters, books, press pitches and so on—without a point of view. Source: The Bloom Group’s 2006 survey “Attaining Thought Leadership”

The Thought Leadership Equation Competence, purpose and core market understanding inform the point of view & thought leadership platform. Thought leaders outshine their competitors who compete on price and advertising. Strategic use of TLM tools and channels with media collaboration garner your share voice in the industry and spark the industry dialogue around your ideas. As buyers seek out more real market dialogue, SOV is an increasingly important factor contributing to marketplace success. Thought leaders and trusted advisors occupy the greatest share of mind among business buyers. Share of mind predicts share of market. Thought Leadership Marketing steadily increases your SOM with buyers, growing your share of market.

Thought Leadership is Attained • Your members and the industry grant you TL status • You can influence using TL tools & tactics • It’s not about budget – it’s about Intellectual Capital and Content • Set yourself apart through mandatory TL attributes “Thought leadership is the recognition from the outside world that the company deeply understands its business, the needs of its customers and the broader marketplace in which it operates.” Elise Bauer

The Thought Leadership Mindset • They love what they do – energy & motivation • They have the drive to teach – no strings attached • They reach out and communicate – to everyone • They take risks with messaging – on the edge • They balance confidence with curiosity & learning – learn from everyone • They put in the time today (TL activities) for tomorrow’s benefit • They never stop working, connecting and communicating – not drip marketing, but constant education • Everyone is now in marketing – they’re ALL tied to the business – thought leadership is fully integrated

Thought Leaders Develop the 4 C’s

The 4 A’s of Thought Leadership Marketing Assets – Attitude – Acceptance – Alignment

Thought Leadership QuestionsDiscovery • Why are you considering thought leadership? • What are you trying to accomplish — what are your goals and objectives? • Who is your audience? What issues are important to them? What do they need? • How do you know the answers to the questions above or how will you find out? • Will the thought leader be you, someone else in your organization, your organization as a whole? • Do you have the knowledge and expertise needed on issues that matter to be a thought leader? If not, what do you do about it? • Are you willing to take risks with your thought leadership position (be controversial, live with public attention and judgment)? • Who in the organization do you need to involve in your thought leadership marketing program? • How will you stay focused on delivering value? • Are you willing to make the long-term investment needed to succeed? • How will you demonstrate that your thought leadership position is valid and can be trusted? • Will your organizational culture support thought leadership marketing?

Thought Leadership QuestionsDevelopment • Who’s responsible for the overall thought leadership marketing program, making sure that everything is planned for and seeing that everything gets done according to plan? • Whose role is it to develop the ideas before they are put into articles, books, speeches, etc? • Who is going to create the thought leadership content (you, a subject matter expert, an executive, a subcontractor)? • What issues are you trying to address — what’s your point of view? • What research is needed to support your thought leadership position? • Who will engage in this research? • If you need to rely on sources outside your organization, how will you select them? Who will manage them? • Who in your organization needs to review and/or approve content? How will you manage this review process? • How will you demonstrate your thought leadership — books, blogs, white papers, speaking, e-mail, etc. — and which is your best choice? • How will you ensure that you’re providing valuable information, insight, and ideas to your market?

Thought Leadership QuestionsDelivery Decisions • How will you determine which media to use to reach your market? Do you know all the print, online, and event options that are available to you? • If you use multiple media, how will you integrate the content so you deliver a consistent message? • Do you target your market (can you?) and possibly deliver different versions of your thought leadership content to different targets? • Do you sell your thought leadership content? If so, at what price? Do you give it away? If so, how much? • Who’s responsible for the ongoing management of delivery, making sure that everything is getting done according to plan? • Do you have the expertise needed to deliver your message effectively? If not, how do you get it? • How will you manage subcontractor relationships? Who evaluates the relationship and whether or not it should continue? • How can you partner with others aligned with your message to reach your market? • How much will all this delivery cost? • How will you know which distribution method is best — in terms of image and delivering results as well as being cost effective?

Thought Leadership QuestionsDeployment • Are you getting the results you projected? What else do you have to do to continue getting the results you need? • Does your market understand what you are saying? What do they think about it? How has it changed the way they think? • Do you have the reach you want — How many received your message? • Who are they? Are they the right market? How many times have they “touched” your content? • Have you acquired new prospects? Did you get their attention? Have they become engaged with you? • Have you converted prospects into leads? Did you gather information about them? • Is your thought leadership marketing helping you retain customers? Are they continuing to engage with you? • Do you have the data you need, in the format you need, to provide information to others in your organization that explains the value of your thought leadership marketing program? • Have you built in ways for your audience to actively engage with you — using surveys, premiums, website integration? • Are you prepared to deal with the feedback you get? • Has the value of thought leadership marketing been ingrained in your overall business culture?

Do you love what you do? Passionate enough to push TL Sustain interest in years to come Are you willing to teach? “Educate the market” mentality Do you “enjoy helping your customers & prospects”? Are you comfortable with “reaching outside”? Expand beyond your existing network Are you will to take a stand with your message? Do you have a unique position on industry issues? Can you frame & express those views? Can you get people to notice? Are You Ready for Thought Leadership Marketing?

Are you a “confident learner”? Balance your positions with listening Ears to the ground for trend shifts & opportunities Do you have a “long-term” perspective? Spend time today for reward tomorrow “Faith in the future” Are you comfortable with “no end point” to TL? Willing to work a long time toward this goal Stay motivated! Are You Ready for Thought Leadership?

Recognizing A Thought Leadership Opportunity • Significant shifts or changes in your industry or field • Trends, competitive shifts, societal shifts • Recognition that getting your ideas out ahead of your competitors is critical to success • “What business are we in?” Crisis • No one’s having the conversation you want to have in the industry or local area • Your business process and culture is counter to the industry • The desire to ‘attract’ more of the right clients than to ‘hunt’ the “right now” clients

Summary Five Keys to Successful Thought Leadership • Be Generous With Your Knowledge • Share beyond the marketing speak • Be Consistent • Calendar your activities – daily, weekly, monthly routine • Always Deliver Value • Listen, think, revise, teach, repeat • Take A Stand • Take your strong positions to market • Focus On The Long-term Benefits • Track your results in months & years

After-Event Slides & Resources • The slides and resource links are available electronically after the event: www.marketingsavant.com/csi2011

Thought Leadership