Sales & Marketing Alignment: How to Synergize for Success
Thought Leadership Marketing
1. Thought Leadership Marketing
‘Selling IT services is no longer a cost play. Learn how Thought Leadership
marketing can help you improve competitive positioning and value
realization’
Vinod Harith
Nasscom Emerging Companies Forum
25th July 2008
Chennai
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2. Defining thought leadership
The term was first coined in 1994, by Joel Kurtzman, editor-in-chief of the
magazine, Strategy & Business
A commonly accepted definition is that thought leaders are individuals or
organizations that are recognized by peers, customers and industry experts
as someone who deeply understand the business they are in, the needs of
their customers, and the broader marketplace in which they operate
Thought leaders have a distinctively original idea, a unique point of view or an
insight
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3. Why thought leadership?
Because customers now control the buying process
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4. Why thought leadership?
Simple. Because your customers are looking for it
And 4 of the top 5 effective marketing vehicles AS RANKED BY
CUSTOMERS have to do with thought leadership
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5. Why thought leadership?
And customers pay a lot of attention to thought leadership
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6. Why thought leadership?
Customers will even read junk mail if the message or idea is compelling
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7. What thought leadership marketing
delivers
Moving beyond being just a cost player with your customer
Building a strong brand – thereby helping you cut cost/ time of sale
Increasing Marketing’s Business Impact
Improving Competitive Positioning and Differentiation
Implementing Demand Generation Tactics that Work
Sharpening Marketing’s Edge
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8. The Thought Leadership Ecosystem
1/3rd of organizations don’t
Niche Identification
Thought Leadership Creation
and Positioning have a thought leadership
Build in-depth research
Identify the unique space
strategy and another 1/3rd
and compelling content around
you should occupy in the
the identified topics
don’t communicate it
Thought Leadership space
Identifying your unique
ecosystem helps you
maximize touch points,
improve effectiveness and
Thought Leadership Partnerships
Thought Leadership
reduce cost of outreach
Identify the right fit partners for
Dissemination
joint research and papers
Distribution of papers, PPTs, webinars
with academia and partners
and podcasts though paid and unpaid channels
Next practices – joint thought
leadership with clients,
customer councils
Thought Leadership
Repurposing
Convert the content into webinars,
Podcasts, speaking opps, etc
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9. Where do we start
Have a point of view - any view is better than no view
Ideas, frameworks or hunches also qualify
Build supports around your point of view – research, benefits…
Get it endorsed by peers, customers and industry experts
Find or create forums to communicate your thought leadership
Be evangelical about your idea, don’t get side tracked
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10. Measuring thought leadership
We need to move away from traditional measures to business focused ones
Touch points analysis and messaging recall
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