As the 24 hour news cycle has become an international standard, it has become ever more necessary to not only understand the conversations occurring, but to become the source of the discussion itself. An enlightening and thought provoking thought leadership campaign is usually the best means of transforming a knowledgeable business or industry leader into THE source for information on a given subject.
Thought leadership is essentially the act of contributing to a public discussion from the standpoint of an insider or expert. These contributions generate a public “thought” or theme surrounding the issue. The thought leaders position as an expert is leveraged to both answer the questions at hand as well as shed light on the work currently being done in their world that is pertinent to the issue. Thought leadership stories can take a number of forms, a few examples would be…. a female tech CEO sharing insights on how women can fight the gender gap, a wearable inventor addressing the future of the industry, or a concerned shared economy business founder discussing the implications of recent labor reform.
With such value attributed to timely and actionable tips, advice and opinions, it is crucial that those involved in a given market are constantly in the know on the latest trending news stories. Whether it’s taking a hard stance on an issue that is seldom talked about or sharing opinions on a story currently in the news, experts are in constant high demand. Media are generally quite eager to hear the thoughts of those who are operating on the inside and know the industry first hand. This curiosity creates a mutually beneficial relationship between industry and the press, enabling a business leader to promote their field and even their brand all the while assisting journalists further the dialog in a public forum.
This naturally created branded marketing content is hugely beneficial. Not only does it draw direct attention to the brand, business or individual, it elevates and diversifies setting them apart from the competition. Building up a series of articles like this creates a theme and begins shifting public opinion to view the entity as a source for trend setting ideas. This momentum builds to the point where media actively seek out these individuals and their word becomes less opinion and become de facto reality.
Once media are hungry for the content that a given thought leader can provide it isn’t uncommon to have numerous follow up stories appear, these stories trickle down from top tier outlets like Inc Forbes, Business Insider and more creating long tailed stories that stick like glue. These are stories that can be referenced and cited by others, leading these stories to have much longer lifespan than a typical feature on a service, business, app or product.
PMBC has achieved great results simply from coaching clients on how best to share the information and work that is already being produced by their respective businesses. Through means of thought leadership driven campaigns, PMBC has been able to secure placements in: Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fast Company, Business Insider, CNN Money, Inc, Reuters, and more!