INSIGHTS
Listen up! We have all kinds of opinions about how to do this stuff right. No ranting — we promise.
Why “me too” thought leadership may not be “meh”
This must sound weird coming from someone whose definition of thought leadership content hinges on “communicating insightful and persuasive ideas” but…sometimes piggybacking on someone else’s ideas is OK too.
Is your strategic content on an assembly line or coming out of skunk works?
Imagine you’re in a luxury automobile factory, watching cars come together on the assembly line. But something strange is happening: several cars are being pulled off the line, and a crew is taking them apart and reassembling them so they start looking different from the others.
So NOT Thought Leadership
When is a white paper not a white paper? When it’s a brochure (and for the record, there’s nothing wrong with brochures … it’s all about your audience and intent). But if you are marketing lead, you know the drill.
Where will your next generation of thought leaders come from?
Who are your current thought leaders? How old are they? And who’ll be authoring the bulk of your company’s thought leadership in 10 years’ time?
Q: If you’re blogging, are you a thought leader? (A: maybe not)
These days, it seems like more and more professional services firms are turning to blogs as their preferred expression of thought leadership. That’s a mistake.
The single reason why some people can’t write
What is “the Curse of Knowledge?” And why is it responsible for so much bad prose?
The Art of Story Telling
Ever sit in on a presentation as you strain to read the small font delivered in a Tolstoyan-length PowerPoint, where each chart is packed with information? And then somewhere in the middle … you start thinking about lunch. You’re done!
How to do great thought leadership when you’re short on great ideas
Admit it, marketers: sometimes your authors — your subject-matter experts — come up empty. If your thought leadership is flat-lining, it’s time to call in the story doctors.
Why Thought Leaders Should Never be Writers
Imagine this: a senior partner has a great idea for an article. She jots down a few thoughts during a break in her client meeting. She writes up that idea on the plane ride back from the client. Done! Published. Posted. Right? Not right.