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Thought Leadership Marketing for SMEs

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CIOL Bureau
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BANGALORE, INDIA: With limited resources in hand a small enterprise if often challenged with how and where to spend its marketing budget, so as to receive the best results. Of course unlike a big giant it neither has big budgets for advertising nor does it have a dedicated marketing team. Under such a scenario, how should a small enterprise be able to differentiate itself from the crowd of ‘me-too’ competitors?

Thought Leadership marketing can provide a solution to such small enterprises. According to the research firm Gartner, Thought Leadership marketing is defined as “the giving — for free or at a nominal charge — of information or advice that a client will value so as to create awareness of the outcome that a company’s product or service can deliver, in order to differentiate that offering and stimulate demand for it.”

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Also Read: Customer experience sets your Small Business apart

In simple terms, thought leadership marketing is an approach to demonstrate expertise and the ability to think ahead, so as to impress your existing and target consumers. Further since it is your expertise that gets translated in a thought leadership material, you are in much better control of the end result; versus say an advertising campaign which may not truly reflect what you wanted to communicate.

Companies use various forms to demonstrate their thought leadership position — popular ones being White Papers, Case Studies, blog articles, webinars, newsletters and conference presentations. You can choose all of the forms or any of them depending upon the time and resources availability. Another approach is to start with something simple and manageable such as a blog, analyze the reactions it generates and then move on to more time consuming efforts such as a White Paper.

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Also Read: How to Apply for a Loan : A guide for SMBs

However while developing content for any form, be sure of the following three aspects which are a must to achieve better results:

  • Originality of idea
  • Clear and concise articulation
  • Pleasant presentation

Finally consistency is something which will take you a long way with this marketing tool. Thought leadership is a coveted position and cannot be created overnight. Sustained efforts are necessary to stand out from the crowd and project your company’s image as a thought leader. After all who doesn’t want to be recognized as a ‘trusted advisor’ rather than just another ‘vendor’?

Source: www.smallenterpriseindia.com