In the business world, many organizations believe they are providing thought leadership, both through their products and services and their messaging to customers. However, they often lack insight into whether their efforts are truly effective or if they are seeing a return on investment (ROI). Companies like Amazon and IBM attribute much of their success to presenting themselves as industry experts, a practice that involves a significant investment in content creation, expertise, and marketing.
A recent book, The ROI of Thought Leadership, by Cindy Anderson and Anthony Marshall from IBM’s Institute for Business Value, outlines the key elements of thought leadership and offers a self-assessment framework to help businesses evaluate their position. The framework includes eight archetypes, which can help organizations identify where they stand and what they need to do to elevate their thought leadership efforts:
Thought Leadership Novice – Just starting on the journey, these businesses understand the value of thought leadership but lack the skills to create compelling, unique content. The recommendation is to improve content creation skills, establish research programs, and build media relationships.
Academic – These businesses excel in producing high-quality content, often driven by experts or faculty. However, the content may not always align with the company’s strategic objectives. The focus here should be on building stronger relationships with sales and account management teams to better integrate content with business goals.
Narcissist – This archetype produces content primarily focused on self-promotion. Though it may be internally driven, it fails to offer valuable thought leadership to the broader market. The key is to broaden the message’s reach, add substance, and elevate its authority.
Influencer – These organizations effectively use social media and internal networks to spread their leadership messages. While their brand recognition is high, they must ensure their messages are placed effectively in media stories, keynote speeches, and partnerships to maximize impact.
Pioneer – With strong content tied to their enterprise roadmap, pioneers are on the right track but need to scale their reach. To do so, they should expand promotion efforts across all channels, engage with partners, and use their sales teams to foster loyalty and strengthen relationships.
Nomad – Nomads create great content but lack a clear strategic direction. Despite their content’s quality, its staying power suffers due to inconsistent brand messaging. The recommendation is to refine focus, test related topics, and align the content with business goals.
Pretender – The content from these organizations lacks data support and seems superficial. Building substance through research programs and evidence-based content is key to creating long-term thought leadership. Using tools like generative AI to analyze data can be particularly helpful.
Superhero – Superheroes create compelling thought leadership content based on original research and data, backed by full marketing and PR support. These organizations are well-positioned to achieve a high ROI on their thought leadership efforts and stand out in the market.
Once organizations identify where they fall within these levels, the next step is measuring the ROI of their thought leadership initiatives. In today’s highly competitive business environment, effective thought leadership is essential for staying ahead and building long-term success.
Related Topics:
Laguna Beach Seeks Solutions to Boost Business Climate
