Thoughtleading The Art of Separating Yourself from the Pack
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Lately the age-old business dilemma of how to stand out from the
crowd has been haunting companies and professional service firms
more than ever before. All too many firms nowadays look too much
alike, with marketing strategies seemingly unable to distinguish
them from their competition. Glossy brochures, snazzy websites,
press releases, advertising: when everyone employs the same
methods, everyone ends up vying for the same narrow window of
client and prospect attention.
To escape this marketing black hole, many companies have adopted
an uncommon strategy that elevates both principal and firm above
the fray. This approach positions the firms expert professionals as
thought leaders.
Names of superstar thought leaders are not only well known but
the stuff of legend: Bill Gates, Tom Peters, Richard Branson,
Martha Stewart, to name a few. Rather than abandoning marketing to
a marketing department, they inject themselves into the heart of
the process, churning out books, articles, conference speeches,
media interviews to keep their visibility machines boiling. Amid
the resulting excitement and industry debate, they simultaneously
personalize their company, expand their products exposure, and
deepen both market share and loyalty from their customers.
Richard Branson, for example, has taken his Virgin conglomerate
literally to new heights by attempting such stunts as piloting an
air balloon around the world. Martha Stewart, despite her legal
troubles, has made herself and her firm rich beyond words by
melting away the branding lines that traditionally divide a
companys products from a CEOs personality. These are only two
examples of results the process can produce.
This capacity to reach beyond traditional marketing approaches
is available to us all, a process that only needs to be committed
to and then implemented within often-ignored channels. There are
two main vehicles to employ: (a) publishing articles and/or books,
and (b) delivering talks and presentations. Such center-spotlight
marketing attracts attention and recognition from a target market
in ways that more commonplace marketing tools cannot attain.
Dan Cassidy, President of Argus Consulting Ltd (Concord MA), for
example, has published many articles in leading HR and benefits
planning journals in the US, Canada and the U.K. Attendant
publicity around these publishing credits has led to Cassidy be
interviewed by such high-profile media outlets as The Street.Com,
Institutional Investor and Wall Street Journal Radio. As a result,
Cassidy is known beyond the borders of his own client/prospect
community for a higher-level benefits planning expertise. To
capitalize on this heightened credibility, he never fails to calls
attention to these media credits whenever strategically
advantageous occasions arise, such as during a trade show,
marketing campaign or in the midst of an actual sales call.
Given thought leadership's competitive advantages, taking the
plunge would seem to be a no-brainer. Yet many consultants and
companies hesitate out of fear that the process will not work for
them, or out of ignorance of where to begin. Yet embarking on just
two simple stages will get the process moving in the right
direction, building confidence as the effort succeeds.
Stage One: Publish your ideas as articles in business
publications, a seemingly daunting task until this challenge is
broken down into baby steps. First compose a list of article ideas
that align with your business objectives, asking yourself: Which
services do I most wish to promote? What expertise/service do I
most want to be known for? Are there services even my oldest
customers may not realize my company has to offer? Your answers
will translate into publishing ideas.
Next, after answering such questions, go searching for an editor
who sees a fit for your ideas with her publication. Pitch to
magazines read by decision-makers who typically hire your firm or
by referral sources that can spread word of month about your firm.
Create this list using library directories or by searching the
Web.
Whats important to realize at this point is that business
editors out there regularly depend on professionals just like you
to feed them publishable ideas. After all, they only can know what
to publish in their pages as a result of input from those of us on
the front lines. So dont underestimate the publishability of your
day-to-day knowledge, expertise, value or insights. Ideas that
might seem mundane may be viewed as among the best-kept leading
edge secrets in the business world when you share them with an
editor.
After you getting published, Stage Two involves speaking at
business events. Some engagements may come about because a
conference planner read your article and invited you to come and
speak about it, but most gigs will get arranged when you actively
leverage your published works. Send email announcements to your
business e-list, send a news release announcing your published
articles, post the article on your companys website, pass out your
article to customers, colleagues, prospects, employees, even
vendors. Dont sit around and wait for people to see it, instead
leap into action, insuring that your work gets read. Build a
buzz!
At your actual talks, always distribute your article for free,
promoting your availability as a speaker too. And when you get
offered any kind of speaking gig, dont turn it down! Larry Winget,
a highly sought-after motivational speaker, has stated, The very
best way to get speaking engagements is to simply go out and speak!
Exposure breeds exposure, exponentially growing your speaking
schedule. Speaking can then lead to more article assignments as you
never know when an editor may be sitting out there in your audience
and loving what you have to say.
By taking these actions, your credibility, and that of your
firm, will leapfrog you over your competitors. Third party
endorsements from publications and conference planners will solidly
establish you as an author/speaker and a leading thinker in your
field, elevating your firms services as well. Once this happens,
bona fide thought leadership will have officially arrived. Once
that happens, enjoy the ride!
About the Author
http://www.thoughtleading.com
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Article Published/Sorted/Amended on Scopulus 2006-06-08 23:34:47 in Marketing Articles
