The Power of a Story: Thought Leadership as an Emerging Discipline

As Lois Kelly notes in her book Beyond Buzz, successful marketing is now about “having conversations and engaging with people in interesting discussions, through new and traditional channels.”  In the B2B marketing arena, the new driver of credible and compelling conversations is Thought Leadership.

But in order to be a recognized thought leader, you have to be able to present powerful and relevant stories that are well crafted, well researched and validated with facts and data points.

In fact, I think the emerging discipline of Thought Leadership has all the elements of a compelling story. To cite some of the themes that Kelly thinks are universally interesting and relevant, we can say: 

This is a David and Goliath story. Companies in the fields of Business Technology and Professional Services have an opportunity to rapidly level the playing field with their larger competitors in this new era of positioning and perspective.

Whereas vast resources were required to build a brand and establish a presence in prior eras, companies can now leverage the new levers of B2B Marketing to capitalize on their agility and responsiveness.

This is a Counterintuitive story. You realize results not through conventional actions. It is unconventional and counterintuitive to bear down and focus on creating compelling content. It forces companies who are wrapped around their products to instead focus on how they are perceived –- and how they can strengthen their positioning in the customer’s mind. What's more, rigorous measurement of the impact of thought leadership initiatives and campaigns can reveal counterintuitive insights that drive still higher performance.

And this is an Aspirational story. It’s about how marketing and sales professionals can achieve far more with their resources. It’s about how they can rise to the next level in their careers.  It’s about turning marketing into a highly respected and valued force –- a force multiplier that drives profitable growth

These are just some of the reasons companies will increasingly embrace Thought Leadership and recognize it  as a critical new discipline. These are some of the factors that will lead to the development of thought leadership strategies and platforms. In an era of deafening noise and blinding distraction, it's the one thing that can help you cut through and engage in a valuable conversation.

Comments

[Jeffery Lynch]

Britton:

I think you are right on with your perceptions regarding the promise of thought leadership for marketing and sales. Indeed, thought leadership may eventually be the only compelling form of marketing for professional services.
I would add a word of caution, however. I believe that thought leadership is the product of diligent and thoughtful development of a firm's intellectual capital. We have all seen the "white papers" and "case studies" that are clearly not much more than advertising. You quoted Bill Matassoni of Boston Consulting Group recently, and I think his comment was insightful. He said “If you claim to have special insight on something, you can’t just write about it. You have to have 5 or 6 client engagements under your belt…If you don’t have the field capability to go along with the thought leadership or issue ownership, it’s not a complete marketing effort and it won’t work. You will be too thin on the ground. You really have to be building people.” Fiona Czerniawska recently offered similar cautions in a Management Consulting News article entitled Thought Leadership: Are You Making It or Faking It?

As you correctly point out, storytelling will be one of the most critical skills for compelling thought leaders in the near future. I just hope that professional firms who wish to tap the power of TL understand that they must have a true and thoughtful story to tell.

[Britton Manasco]

This is a very insightful comment. Your references to Matassoni and Czerniawska are completely on point. I think it's a challenge for companies to plan thought leadership campaigns and initiatives in a disciplined, consistent and compelling fashion. As you suggest, it often tends to be a grab bag of little tactics (white paper, case studies, etc.) without much substance. To be substantial, you have to a) have experience under your belt or b) have done research that illuminates an insightful new direction or c) both.

Too many companies tend to recycle the same stale air in the cabin or talk from their own (self- absorbed) point of view. What seems clear to me (and, it appears, to you) is that thought leadership strategy is an emerging discipline that will take real effort and, well, thought. You have to plan for it and manage it.
I think this will only become more clear in the coming years as thought leaders separate themselves from the pack.

Thanks for the comment.

B