INSIGHTS
Listen up! We have all kinds of opinions about how to do this stuff right. No ranting — we promise.
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.
“Can I have the meat, please?” (not if you want well-done thought leadership content)
Imagine going to an upscale steakhouse known for the finest cuts of prime beef and telling the waiter “I’ll have the meat, please.” In the world of thought leadership content, that’s a lot like saying “I want to write a 10-page white paper — and I want to start writing next week.”
Six Ways to Make Thought Leadership More Effective
A new study by Edelman and LinkedIn reveals that 58% of respondents said thought leadership directly led decision makers to award business to an organization. More startling: 29% decided not to award business to a company based on its thought leadership.
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.
Beware of thought leadership that’s deep-fried in data
Too much of a good thing is… bad. And way too much of it is really bad.
4 things that just aren’t thought leadership
Every well-meaning marketer wants a piece of “thought leadership.” But apparently not everyone knows what it is. Here are four things I often see posing as thought leadership.
What Makes You Think Your White Paper Is Any Good?
After months of debate and discussion, your big new white paper is out. But is it really any good? How will you know? Hint: scorecards.
Compelling Content Requires Pressure Testing Your Ideas
Hurry-hurry! You know the situation: the big industry conference is looming and your authors are getting their ideas together …
A lesson in how not to write thought leadership
It’s surprisingly easy to slip into promising something and not quite delivering, to become overly focused on the firm’s approach or methodology, or to create something that doesn’t have a strong engaging story.