The Content Strategy of Thought Leadership
IABC World Conference 2015 Stacey King Gordon @staceykgordon
I was looking for an individual who was addressing the big questions with which today’s most senior executives are wrestling. These questions relate to business strategy … and the ways in which society itself is changing.
“Thought Leadership” c. 1994
20% Of marketers say they believe the content their companies distribute establish them as thought leaders in their industries.
46% Of marketers say their content is OK but has room for improvement — and doesn’t position them as thought leaders
13% Of marketers believe their content reads like sales collateral
Companies are trying to grow into thought leaders through content.
IMN Content Marke-ng Survey, 2014
Why thought leadership matters
Long-term benefits of thought leadership
More inbound inquiries More short listing
Faster sales cycles Higher close rates Bigger deal sizes
Increased customer loyalty Higher lifetime value
Early stage Middle stage Later stage
Source: Laura Ramos, Forrester
Brand value and thought leadership
#1: Apple #2: Google
#3: Coca-Cola #4: IBM
Integral to the culture and brand
Thought leadership is: Thought leadership isn’t:
Something that originates in the marketing or PR department
Based on a unique, informed perspective
Based on repackaging others’ ideas
A long-term commitment An occasional tactic or focused on short-term gains
Accessible to the customer and community
Esoteric, difficult to use, hard to find or access
Content strategy is essential to achieve thought leadership
Efforts are fragmented. Different departments are doing different things.
Leaders and experts aren’t involved. Executives and subject matter experts don’t have time to participate or interest in participating.
No sense of what’s most important or impactful. Teams have difficulty prioritizing projects.
What we hear from marketers
FOCUS
SUSTAINABILITY
STANDARDS
Focus
What you uniquely know
What your audience
cares about
Where You
Credibly Play
Getting to the brand POV
• Brand positioning
• Existing content
• Company strategy
• Leaders’ vision for the future
• Competitive landscape
Awareness Research Consideration Purchase Relationship
WHAT THE CUSTOMER IS DOING Deciding to buy; beginning to plan
Researching online; educating himself about the basics
Comparing products in store to what he saw online; narrowing down choices; consulting others
Making his final decision and deciding on a purchase
Implementation, thinking about growing the solution
CUSTOMER MINDSET Excited, anxious/nervous, overwhelmed with options, discouraged about cost
Interested, engaged, tentative
Hopeful, careful
Satisfied, relieved, happy, proud
Excited and relieved, then overwhelmed
CONTENT GOALS Help consumer overcome sense of being overwhelmed or discouraged; give him a logical starting point to understand options and decisions.
Help consumer explore options, understand tradeoffs and factors, embrace variety and choice
Answer more advanced questions and help consumer make his final decision
Help consumer make his final decision and feel good about it
Bring consumer back for “what’s next” and continue to serve him through the next stage
CONTENT THEMES, TOPICS, TYPES 101-level basics, answers to basic questions, checklists, primer videos, easy infographics and “maps”
Basic overviews, comparison charts, decision guides, answers to basic concerns that arise during early research
Answers to more advanced concerns that come up during research, tips for weighing choices
Emotion-driven content (testimonials, proposal stories), confidence-building content (post-purchase issues)
Guidance on processes, issues, getting most mileage out of product
Figuring out your audience needs
Standards
Relevance
Structure
Credibility
Accuracy & Timeliness
Clarity, Readability & Focus
Findability & Organization
Tone & Style
Overall Experience & Effectiveness
The quality umbrella
• Define what quality means to your brand
• Use guidelines as your efforts expand and more people get involved
• Use a benchmark for evaluating and measuring success
Checklists
Style Guides
Sustainability
Lean teams
Limited time
Little to no budget
Sustaining thought leadership success
Ownership & Communication
Publishing Strategy & Prioritization
Processes & Planning
Organization & Lifecycle
Sample: Three Tiers of Content
Premium/Proprietary Content
Best Practices/Solution Content
Current Awareness/Expertise
Sample: content priorities/production guidelines
Tier 1: Premium/ Proprietary Content
Criteria: Original research, first-time publication, data-driven but with a narrative, fostering external credibility Tone: Educational, more formal, smart and incisive, upbeat Frequency: Quarterly/semi-annual Creators: Professional writers/marketing, or subject matter experts with support of professional editors Extending the Value: Complementary content to support sharing at every level: social content, video, PPT decks, infographics, blog posts
Tier 2: Current Events / Awareness Content
Criteria: Smaller bites of thought-provoking content, highlighting individual expertise, conveys unique POV, timely Tone: Smart, conversational, upbeat, succinct, humorous (when appropriate) Frequency: Regularly (a few times a week) Creators: Subject matter experts, salespeople, marketing Extending the Value: Sharing on social channels, curating and packaging “best of” content into more premium publications
Measuring success
Start small and stay focused
• Benchmark where you are today on: engagement, relevancy, and quality.
• Start with 5-7 KPIs related to goals. • Software and processes in place to measure regularly. • Focus on long-term, brand-level results.
Thought leadership communication is a commitment. Content strategy can help.
You have to prepare for it to be hard. It takes awhile to settle into the groove. There’s a lot of trial and error involved. If you stick with it, you’ll start to see results.
Thanks!
Stacey King Gordon Twitter: @staceykgordon
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