Points of view with purpose

[Jahangir655]

There’s a common misperception that brand-building thought leadership should avoid being commercial. And we often see companies creating content that associates their brand with the latest management thinking but doesn’t link back to their business. So while the content might be interesting and spark conversations and press mentions, interest will quickly fizzle out – because there is no next step in the audience journey. The associations these companies have worked so hard to put in place between their brand and a cutting-edge topic simply wither away.

Purist or pragmatist?
I’ve always drawn a distinction between purists and pragmatists when it comes to B2B content. Purists are drawn to ideas, but that is all that matters to them; it’s an ivory tower exercise, and there’s often no link back to the business. This approach is misguided from a marketing perspective: it’s too abstract and the audience has no sense of being taken on a journey over a period of time.

Pragmatists, on the other hand, understand that ideas list of uruguay cell phone numbers need context – they should be linked to a business or strategic goal. That doesn’t mean thought leadership should be about selling, but there must be a clear overall narrative that makes sense to the audience and builds over time. A business that latches on to the latest topic and then abruptly changes course when the next one that comes along will confuse its audiences; it certainly won’t forge an emotional connection with them.