Thought leadership can be a valuable part of your company’s marketing program. Thought leadership is a type of content marketing that highlights your brand by capitalizing on your knowledge and experience to help grow your business.
“Thought Leadership marketing is the art of positioning your company as a leader in its field through best-in-class content.” — Cutting Edge Marketing Company, First Page Sage
In order to build a favorable attitude towards your company and its products or services, you have to consider what are the key questions or issues facing potential customers. Answers to those questions can come in a variety of formats or platforms depending on what works best for your industry. Some examples include blog articles, research reports, infographics, and online webinars or videos.
Speaking engagements can also provide you with a way to promote your expertise. There are organizations and events that are always in need of a presenter, whether it is for a conference or a 15 minute presentation at a luncheon. At the end of each presentation, there is a question and answer section that allows attendees to get your opinion as it pertains to their own situation. It is this image as “the expert” that “makes it easy to convert attendees into appointments,” according to sales strategist Mel Schlesinger.
Professional and trade associations often serve as the perfect avenue for thought leadership and expert positioning. Associations provide information to their members in a variety of ways, including publications, tradeshows, industry trends, and meetings. The value of an association membership is inherently in exclusive industry knowledge and building a network of relationships.
Not sure if an association membership will be a good fit for your marketing plan, check out our post on Association ROI. “Remember, it is not always necessary to join an association to take advantage of the opportunities for networking and engagement that it offers.”