Our business-to-business clients are executing disciplined programs that amplify the impact of their thought leadership content in their sales, marketing, and media channels and drive sales results by supporting every step of the go-to-market process. For example, a major financial services firm executed a thought leadership program that used original research and best practices to solve a major client problem – improving cash flow. The program used digital marketing assets to drive hundreds of business owners to take a benchmark assessment on a digital marketing web site every month. They used selling events to get over twelve thousand qualified business owners to register for or attend face- to-face breakfast seminars. They used sales playbooks as an efficient way to teach five hundred sales representative easy ways to cross sell eight relevant solutions to these business clients. And original research reports provided a compelling reason to generate thousands of referrals and follow-up meetings with these prospects. Best-in-class marketers are executing disciplined programs that amplify the impact of their thought leadership content in their sales, marketing and media channels and drive sales results by supporting every step of the go-to-market process. Some of the most effective techniques include: • Owned digital marketing channel campaigns – Marketers are leveraging digital, mobile, and social media channels to engage buyers conducting self-directed research and consideration. They are using compelling, “easy to consumer” and “channel ready” digital marketing assets in marketing automation, LinkedIn and web marketing campaigns to generate leads and influence the decision- making process. Some of the most effective marketing tactics include: • Short video vignettes featuring customer case studies, expert commentary or research findings • Animated infographics, data visualization tools that bring research and benchmark data to life • Image based mobile content streams that make it easy to consume • Access to original research findings in exchange for profile information and opt-in. • Subject matter experts – Best-in-class marketers are leveraging their internal experts – product managers, product specialists, or practice area leaders – in more sales and marketing situations using subject matter expert blogs. A blog is a practical way to package and extend the reach of your in- house experts using social media networks and native search engine optimization. Leading authorities are giving experts resources, incentives and tools to publish articles, videos, webinar recordings and demonstrations that can be leveraged in social, mobile and digital marketing channels. The most ambitious marketers are dramatically amplifying the reach and SEO rankings of their experts by having them participate as guest contributors in digital contributor networks with established media. For example, publishers like Fortune, Forbes, HBR and Huffington Post allow select highly qualified experts to publish as digital contributors – which generates much higher search rankings, social media shares and views than in-house corporate blogs. • Digital and social media platforms - As the value and impact of ad impressions declines, sophisticated marketers are working with media partners to leverage their unique expertise and original thought leadership research in new digital media platforms to maximize reach, objectivity and impact. Emerging platforms include native advertising, special feature stories, targeted publishing platforms and topic specific executive newsletters. Fueled by thought leadership content these new digital media platforms can deliver significantly greater earned media rankings, social media shares, report downloads, viewership and mindshare than traditional advertising. • Selling Events – Customer selling events are sales programs that deliver education and advice through a series of high quality and coordinated customer contacts and face-to-face meetings. These programs use the educational workshops or webinars as a reason to call customers and prospects, but Thought Leadership Selling Page 16 © Revenue Enablement Institute 2022