Cision Webinar: How to Gain Exposure as an Industry Expert

@cision #cision @hingemarketing
Lee Frederiksen & Valerie Lopez
How to Gain Exposure as an
Industry Expert

During today’s web seminar,
attendees will be in listen-only
mode.
If you are experiencing audio
issues, please contact:
GoToWebinar: 1-800-263-6317
Any Q&A not addressed during will
be addressed at the end of today’s
session
Everyone will receive an email
within 24 hours with a link to view a
recorded version of today’s session

Valerie Lopez, VP of Media Research at Cision
@cision @valerielopez

Lee Frederiksen, Managing Partner at Hinge Marketing
@HingeMarketing

Agenda
• What is an industry expert?
• Why buyers seek out industry experts
• How buyers select an industry expert
• The benefits of industry experts to the firm
• How to develop an industry expert
• Wrap-up and questions

What is an Industry Expert?
A professional who has attained high visibility and
a reputation for expertise in their niche.

Five Levels of Expertise
• Level 1: The Resident Expert
• Level 2: The Local Hero
• Level 3: The Rising Star
• Level 4: The Industry Rock Star
• Level 5: The Global Superstar

Level 5: The Global Superstar

Level 4: The Industry Rock Star

Level 3: The Rising Star

Level 2: The Local Hero

Level 1: The Resident Expert

Hinge Research Background
Two studies:
1,028 purchasers of
professional services
130+ industry experts

Real World Example:
Jamie Waldren

Why Buyers Seek Industry Experts

Real World Example:
Lori Randall Stradtman

The Start of the Journey
• In 2008, Lori started a blog, sharing ideas on social media and marketing.
• In 2009, she landed a job as marketing director at a high-end design firm.
• In 2010, she started Social Media Design, a web design company with a
business model based around social media.
• Through her personal blog, social networking, and client referrals, Lori
established herself as a social media guru.

Lori’s Turning Point: The Next Level of Visibility
In 2011, the Wiley publishing company called on Lori to write their next how-
to book in their famous “Dummies” series.

How Buyers Find Industry Experts

How Buyers Find Industry Experts Online

Real World Example:
Joe Pulizzi

• Joe’s journey started at Penton.
– The 300+ webinars he conducted at Penton helped develop his public
speaking skills.
• In 2007, he launched his own firm, Junta42.
• In 2010, after Junta42’s unsuccessful
business model, Joe launched the
Content Marketing Institute.

Joe’s Turning Point: The Next Level of Visibility
“I’m on the stage greeting the audience and I’m realizing that over
600 people have traveled here—to Cleveland, Ohio—from 27
countries, to learn about content marketing from us. It was a
huge moment.”

The Godfather of Content Marketing
“At the end of the day, I’m not smarter than anyone else. I didn’t give
up, and I found a niche where I could distinguish myself.”

What has been the overall effect on your company?
• Without Joe’s industry expert status, there wouldn’t be a company.
• The useful information Joe and the Content Marketing Institute provides
drives all that they do.

What has been the effect on business development?
• The company’s content draws visitors to their website and generates
subscribers.
• Visitors relate to the content products the company offers.
• Once visitors sign up, the company can monetize.

What has been the effect on closing sales?
• Once prospects contact the Content Marketing Institute, they’re already
familiar with the company’s content.
• There is usually no competitive situation — they rarely lose the sale.

What has been the effect on partnering
opportunities?
• Due to Joe’s visible expertise, the Content Marketing Institute has more
opportunities than they know what to do with. The company struggles
with the process to filter.

How has it affected your personal billing rate?
Over the last 3 years, Joe’s billing rate has increased over
1000%

Effects on Billing Rates

Benefits of Having an Industry Expert in Your Firm
1. Effects on the firm as a whole.
2. Effects on business development.
3. Effects on closing the sale.
4. Effects on professional partnerships.
5. Effects on billing rates.

Real World Example:
Sylvia Montgomery

• Sylvia holds an MBA from the University of Maryland, University College,
an MFA from George Washington University, and a BA from Trinity
University.
• From 1998-2004, Sylvia held executive marketing
positions at Rubbermaid and Digital Commerce.
• From 2004-2008, Sylvia was Director of
Marketing at a fast growing engineering firm.
• Sylva joined Hinge in 2008.

1. Select the candidates.
2. Assess the candidates.
3. Strategy development.
4. Build the tools.
5. Develop the skills.
6. Increase visibility of expertise.
7. Track and adjust.
7 Steps to Developing Industry Experts

Sylvia’s Turning Point: The Next Level of Visibility
Sylvia is currently a Senior Partner at Hinge and leads its AEC vertical.

Build the Tools
• Your expert positioning statement
• Professional photography
• Press packages
• Bios of various lengths
• Video
• Issues papers
• Robust web presence
• Consistent and robust social media
presence
• A blog
• A book

Average of 15.9 marketing tools used
Top 10 Marketing Tools that Experts Use

Tools and Techniques with the Greatest Impact

Research Reports

Books

Blog Posts

Featured Articles in Trade Publications

Videos

Speaking Engagements

• Monitor progress frequently. Potential metrics to track include:
– Number of leads
– Lead sources
– Website traffic
– Number of conversions
– Partnership opportunities
– Length of sales cycle
• Adjust on a regular basis.
Track and Adjust

The Emergence of an Industry Expert
Before After
Webinars 0 3 per month
Speaking Engagements 0 14 per year
Books 0 2 published books
Direct leads 0 10 per month

The Bottom Line
395%increase in revenue over 24 months.

Objections and Concerns
• What if my firm develops industry experts and they end up leaving?
• What if every client wants to work with the expert?
• What if I’m too busy to become an industry expert?
• Will an industry expert undermine or overshadow my firm’s brand?
• Does becoming an industry expert mean I’m pigeonholed into a specialty?
• Will the expert’s role change over time? How can we plan for the future?

Free Resources
Finding Experts:
Why & How Clients Seek
Visible Experts
Available at: www.hingemarketing.com/library
Beyond Referrals:
How Today’s Buyers
Check You Out
Becoming a Visible Expert:
A Guide for Professional
Services Executives
Visible Value:
How Firms Benefit from
Visible Experts

Thank you! Questions?
Connect with Hinge
www.hingemarketing.com/blog
twitter.com/HingeMarketing
facebook.com/HingeMarketing
linkedin.com/companies/Hinge
www.hingemarketing.com
703.391.8870
Lee Frederiksen, Ph.D.
Managing Partner, Hinge Marketing
lfrederiksen@hingemarketing.com
Connect with me on LinkedIn:
in/leefrederiksen
Connect on Twitter:
@HingeMarketing
Valerie Lopez
Vice President of Media Research, Cision
Connect on Twitter:
@valerielopez
Connect with Cision
cision.com/us/blog
twitter.com/cision
facebook.com/cision
www.linkedin.com/company/cision
cision.com
marketing.team@cision.com

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