CONNECTING THROUGH THOUGHT LEADERSHIPTAKING THE HIGH ROAD TO MARKET LEADERSHIP

Silicon Valley AMA – December 11, 2008

After-Event Slides & Resources

The slides and resource links are available electronically after the event:

www.marketingsavant.com/svama

The Five Key Topics We’ll Explore:

1 | Defining Thought Leadership & Its Growth in Marketing

Thought leadership is fast becoming the most widely used and desired B2B marketing practice...

2 | Attaining Thought Leader Status – The Thought Leader’s Mindset

Thought leaders set themselves apart using eight mandatory attributes.

3 | Thought Leadership Cases & Companies

Who’s using thought leadership marketing and how.

4 | The Thought Leadership Marketing Toolkit

The tools of the trade for thought leadership marketers.

5 | Building & Measuring the Thought Leadership Marketing Plan

How to, pitfalls and how to know if you’re succeeding with thought leadership marketing.

Who are Thought Leadership Marketers?

Thought leadership marketers focus on earning trust and establishing credibility.

Thought leaders get noticed by offering something useful and different—information, insights, and ideas, for instance.

Thought leadership marketers earn the position of industry authority, resource and trusted advisor.

They establishing their reputation as a generous contributor to the industry.

Thought Leaders Attain – Not Claim

Benefits of Thought Leadership

Marketing

Prospects put themselves further into the sales cycle

Shorten the sales cycle

Change the pattern & terms of how people buy from you

Diminish price resistance

Prospects experience your value before buying

Buyers invested in you before purchasing

Growth in media placements & requests

Search Marketing find-ability

Great content is good for search engines and customers

Economist Intelligence Unit, 2008

“Traditional approaches to B2B

marketing are losing their impact.

Today, B2B marketers are turning

towards thought leadership as a

way to differentiate their products

and services in an increasingly

competitive market.”

TLM Tops B2B Marketers Lists

Thought Leadership Marketing –Your Priorities Need to Align with Customers’

Thought Leadership Marketing –Priorities in all Times (not just tough times)

Also Seeking:

Trust(worthiness)

Assuage Fears

“Feel Good”

about decisions

Positive

Messages

HELP!

Thought Leadership MarketerCisco

Entire senior management team is organized around the goal of promoting Cisco as a thought leader in the technology field

Earning credibility by creating information that places company objectives second to the goal of educating prospects

Every Cisco executive must establish and nurture his or her own reputation for thought leadership, through blogging, public speaking, and writing articles

“When you look at thought leadership you can break it out into a number of different areas. It must be visionary. It looks at the future. It must be provocative, and it must put the our customer’s needs first.”

Mark Peshoff, Senior Director of Cisco‟s Executive Thought Leadership

Thought Leadership MarketerCisco

Thought Leadership MarketerCisco

“Once thought leadership is established, the rest of the industry, the media, academia, government policymakers and the broader business community turn to that company for ideas and for insights into where things are going.”

“The credibility we gain through thought leadership contributes to a sustainable market leadership position.

“Cisco’s status in the technology field, and the business world, and its dedication to thought leadership are inseparable.”

Mark Peshoff, Senior Director of Cisco‟s Executive Thought Leadership

Thought Leadership MarketerCrest Toothpaste

In the 1950s, the Holy Grail of toothpaste was to create a product with therapeutic as well as cosmetic benefits. Crest got there first—and dominated for decades.

1960 recognition by the American Dental Assoc.

Set the conversation for the entire toothpaste industry

The Crest Dental Plan (Club Crest)

“Health Expressions” newsletter

Online resources for both dentists and consumers (lessons, talking points, chat)

Best-selling toothpaste in America for more than three decades.

Thought Leadership MarketerBreakthrough Management Group, Inc.

Leader in Six Sigma consulting, training, and software support tools

Media Availability & Expert Commentary (hundreds of column inches worth of helpful press)

Keynote speakers, industry event chairs

Cause Alignment

CEO Blog

Newsletters

Free Webinars

Thought Leadership MarketerBreakthrough Management Group, Inc.

“Our thought leadership efforts have become the flagship for BMG’s reputation, which has helped our global expansion tremendously,” says Silverstein. “It has been especially helpful in Asia and Latin America, where name recognition goes a long way. My industry reputation has helped BMG’s sales team get their foot in the door in key overseas markets.”

David Silverstein, CEO, BMGI

Thought Leadership is a Way of Being

Brian Carroll

“It’s not about trying to pontificate on how great you

are, or just trying to edify yourself. In a lot of ways,

it’s truly a way of being. It’s something you can’t say

about yourself… it’s really what others say about

you.”

Mapping the Thought Leadership Marketing Toolkit

Building Blocks of Thought Leadership Marketing

Lead Capture & Nurturing

Media & Outreach

Delivery Schedule

Content/Intellectual Capital

Industry Dialogue

Passion / Mindset / Commitment

Recognizing A Thought Leadership Marketing Opportunity

Significant shifts or changes in your industry or field

Recognition that getting your ideas out ahead of

your competitors is critical to success

A mentor leads you to the opportunity

No one‟s having the conversation you want to have

in the industry or local area

Facing a business crisis

The desire to „attract‟ more of the right clients than

to „hunt‟ the “right now” clients

Are You Ready for Thought Leadership?

1) Do you love what you do?1) Passionate enough to push TL

2) Sustain interest in years to come

2) Are you willing to teach?1) “Educate the market” mentality

2) Do you “enjoy helping your customers & prospects”?

3) Are you comfortable with “reaching outside”?1) Expand beyond your existing network

4) Are you will to take a stand with your message?1) Do you have a unique position on industry issues?

2) Can you frame & express those views?

3) Can you get people to notice?

Are You Ready for Thought Leadership?

5) Are you a “confident learner”?

1) Balance your positions with listening

2) Ears to the ground for trend shifts & opportunities

6) Do you have a “long-term” perspective?

1) Spend time today for reward tomorrow

2) “Faith in the future”

7) Are you comfortable with “no end point” to TL?

1) Willing to work a long time toward this goal

2) Stay motivated!

Five Keys to Successful TLM

Be Generous With Your Knowledge Share beyond the marketing speak

Be Consistent Calendar your activities – daily, weekly, monthly

routine

Always Deliver Value Listen, think, revise, teach, repeat

Take A Stand Take your strong positions to market

Focus On The Long-term Benefits Track your results in months & years

Altruism Before Capitalism

Dana VanDen Heuvel

“In short, this is simply an organization putting the

needs of its constituents ahead of its own needs. Or,

aligning itself with advancing the welfare of its

customers before (and while) advancing its own. “

Thought Leadership Marketing

Thank You!

Need help after the presentation? Email dana@marketingsavant.com

Panel Discussion:

Getting the Most Out Of Your Marketing Budget

Mark Stiving, Ph.D.,

Value-based Pricing

Leader, National

Semiconductor Inc.

Bill Flitter,

CEO/Co-founder

Pheedo Inc.

Joe Giglierano,

Marketing

Department Chair,

SJSU

Karen Warner

Nelson,

President/CEO,

Pacific Media