INSIGHTS
Listen up! We have all kinds of opinions about how to do this stuff right. No ranting — we promise.
Thought leadership is getting worse (so what can you do about it?)
I think the quality of thought leadership is declining. Here’s what I see as the main sticking points — along with my thoughts on how you can start unsticking things.
Ghostwriters for thought leadership? Nothing scary about that!
Done right, using a ghostwriter for thought leadership actually mitigates risk for the companies that create it.
You really shouldn’t try to fake expertise
Far too often, we find ourselves reading a piece of thought leadership that, had we been locked in a quiet room with access to the Internet and a large bowl of M&Ms, we could probably have written ourselves.
What should customers do with your thought leadership, anyway?
So you and your subject-matter authors have labored long and hard to produce a brilliant thought leadership paper. It’s got a bold, well-differentiated argument. There’s a clear “why now.” It’s jam-packed with lively examples and proprietary data.
How PowerPoint is wrecking your thought leadership
You’ve seen them: papers that start out with a tantalizing headline and opening text that really grabs you in anticipation of learning something great. And then you get to the first chart [sound of screeching tires].
Content marketers: still having Groundhog Day moments?
It’s Groundhog Day! Remember the movie of the same name, where Bill Murray, as an arrogant weatherman, is forced to live the same day over and over again? Seems to me that’s often how many marketers experience the development of thought leadership content.
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 …
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.
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.