How Much Do You Open Your Kimono?
Jay Baer and Joe Pulizzi @jaybaer @juntajoe
Does "Thought Leadership" Cannibalize Your Ability to Monetize What You Know?
Why Does It Matter?
“The recognition from the outside world that the company deeply understands its business,
the needs of its customers, and the broader marketplace in which it operates.”
Elise Bauer
MarketFace Enterprise customer experience
consulting Since 2001 Clients include:
Virgin America OfficeMax Skechers Toyota
MarketFace Significant repeat and WOM business Vertical-focused, easier to drive WOM Small company, time constraints Highly customized process
MarketFace Questions whether his target audience
(C-Suite) consumes content online (writing a book at present)
“If you can’t do it well, is content a net positive for your brand?”
- Michael Roberts – President
1. Closed Kimono No Online Thought Leadership
PRO Zero time investment Focus on detailed, long-form, custom
content
CON Limited exposure in Search Reduced ability to build online influence
2. What Happens in Vegas Thought Leadership on Distributed
Micro Platforms LinkedIn and Facebook Groups Twitter Curation Blog Comments
Lisa Loeffler Founder, Genuine Media Co. Social media strategy and advice Since 2008 Clients include:
Valerie Fitzgerald Group E-storm Intl (Puma, Gucci, Volcom) Collegiate Licensing Company
Lisa Loeffler Limited long-form thought leadership
1 post/month on e-storm blog Active in Twitter (content curation) Participant in industry surveys/studies Active presence in Facebook groups
dedicated to social marketing Many Empire Avenue connections Prefers the 1:1 nature of micro thought
leadership and interactions
Lisa Loeffler Built hundreds of relationships on EA Met her new business partner on that
platform in June, 2011
Lisa Loeffler Believe thought leadership is derived
from long-term engagement more so than content creation
“To be considered a leader in any field one must build and gain trust within their communities”
- Lisa Loeffler – Founder
2. What Happens in Vegas Distributed Micro Thought Leadership
LinkedIn Answers Twitter News Distribution Blog Comments
PRO Original content not required Can become trusted community
resource CON No ability to drive to lead source Limited search engine potential
2. What Happens in Vegas
Is this a comfortable level of openness for you and your company?
AUDIENCE VOTE
YES NO
Bob Bly Selling Thought Leadership
• Step 1: Free eNewsletter and ROI Calculator builds your list to market to.
• Step 2: Sample reports provide some sharing – promotion of newsletter and more free reports (email address)
Bob Bly Selling Thought Leadership
• Step 1: Free eNewsletter and ROI Calculator builds your list to market to.
• Step 2: Sample reports provide some sharing – promotion of newsletter and more free reports (email address)
• Step 3: Paid offers (money-back guarantee), marketed through email and sample reports
Bob Bly The How
• Free reports are compilations of already published reports.
• Key combination of volume (number of pages), quality AND packaging.
• Free information talks of the possibilities…paid information goes into all the details.
Bob Bly Six-Figure Email List Free premium reports led to increase of
conversions by 25%. Enewsletter conversions doubled AFTER
free reports were added. “If your free information is best of breed, subscribers will assume your paid information is best of breed. If free information is bad, they’ll never want your paid stuff.” - Bob Bly
3. Quid Pro Quo Selling Thought Leadership
E-Books How-Tos/Tutorials
PRO Recurring revenue Passive income CON Can be difficult to upgrade to fully paid
services Must test exhaustively
3. Quid Pro Quo
Is this a comfortable level of openness for you and your company?
AUDIENCE VOTE
YES NO
4. Give Me Your Number Lead-Gated Thought Leadership
Place content behind mandatory lead generation forms, etc.
ExactTarget Interactive marketing SAAS company One of the world’s largest email service
providers Customers include:
Groupon Nike Microsoft
ExactTarget Multiple content initiatives
Subscriber, Fans, Followers Research Blog Forrester White Papers Field Guides Letters to the C-Suite Email Newsletters
Enterprise-wide analysis of role of content in leads and sales process, including client renewals
ExactTarget Content creation is decentralized Different areas of the company create
content to serve their purposes (often lead generation)
ExactTarget 10-part research series Tens of thousands of downloads Hundreds of thousands of dollars in direct
sales Millions of dollars in indirect sales
ExactTarget More content and more use for lead
nurturing, not just lead generation
“We will become more journalistic, empowering more people within the company to create content.”
- Jeff Rohrs – Vice President of Marketing
4. Give Me Your Number Lead-Gated Thought Leadership
Place content behind mandatory lead generation forms, etc.
PRO River of leads for sales team Trackable CON No control over lead quality Reduces consumption rate Lack of shareability
4. Give Me Your Number
Is this a comfortable level of openness for you and your company?
AUDIENCE VOTE
YES NO
5. Peek-a-Boo Giving Away What You Know But
Not the Process Heavy blogging Presentations Video Demonstrations
Openview Venture Partners Leading value-add venture capitalist
organization Invests $5 to $15 million in technology
companies between $2 and $20 million. Investments include:
– Zmags – Balihoo – Central Desktop – Monetate
Openview Venture Partners Started with an employee blog and now
has 90% employee participation. Full audio and video studio. Employs a full-time journalist to
coordinate activities.
Openview Venture Partners Integrates blog into full tech-startup
resource site called Openview Labs. Over 1,000 podcasts, videos and articles. Multiple pieces distributed per day via
blog and social media.
Openview Venture Partners Results
Over 8,500 email subscribers in 18 months…25% open rate.
Significantly shortened sales cycle. Closed deals directly from online
content. “A year ago, no one knew who we were. Now, when we speak with CEOs, we find that they’ve already heard of us and they get what we’re about.” Scott Maxwell, CEO, Openview Venture Partners
5. Peek-a-Boo Giving Away What You Know But
Not the Process PRO Heavy awareness SEO and PR benefits CON Tons of effort required Devalues each piece of content?
5. Peek-a-Boo
Is this a comfortable level of openness for you and your company?
AUDIENCE VOTE
YES NO
Eloqua Marketing automation software company Leaders in lead generation and nurturing Clients include:
Sony Dow Jones Johnson & Johnson
Eloqua Exceptionally broad and comprehensive
content program Team includes in-house journalists Very robust “digital dandelion” program,
with content residing at Eloqua.com and many other places online
No lead gates for offsite content Sends content to current leads and
customers as “exclusive sneak peek”
Eloqua Huge Slideshare program Millions in revenue from Grande Guides Lead form is AFTER the content
A Form is the Enemy of Spread
Eloqua Substantial content created outside core
business focus Initially, significant internal opposition
Eloqua New content helps others become
content marketers, creating leads that need automation (virtuous circle)
98,259 Slideshare Views
Eloqua “We focus content on the 85% of people that don’t know us, rather than the 15% who do.” “18 months ago, we were behind. We had to get noticed by showing more skin.” - Joe Chernov – Vice President of Content
6. The Full Monty Giving It All Away Creating Content That is Outside Your
Core Category PRO No barrier to customer Can go David & Goliath CON Requires serious effort Allows others to “steal” Diverts attention from core attributes
6. The Full Monty
Is this a comfortable level of openness for you and your company?
AUDIENCE VOTE
YES NO
Deciding Which is Right 1. Closed Kimono 2. What Happens in Vegas 3. Quid Pro Quo 4. Give Me Your Number 5. Peek-a-Boo! 6. The Full Monty
Testing Scenario One piece of thought leadership content Multiple ways to treat it
Thought Leadership
Content
1
2
3
4
5
6
4 Types of Content Metrics
Consumption Metrics
Sharing Metrics
Lead Generation
Metrics Sales
Metrics
Exacttarget.com/sff
Labs.OpenViewPartners.com
Eloqua.com
Thanks to All Participants!
Marketface.com
Genuinemediaco.com
Bly.com