COMMENTARY: Thought leadership is the key to building your brand

I’ve long said that thought leaders have to have thoughts. In my decades of serving both aspiring and established businesses that sell to the public sector, I’ve been privileged to learn from some incredible visionaries that have had truly unique and valuable insights to share.

Creative thinkers and innovators are still out there, but lately I’m noticing a shift to where more and more companies are pursuing a strategy of chasing a narrative that’s already in the market discourse.

Many want to add their “me too” voice onto an existing headline or news story, with the aim of explaining how their product or service could have made the difference.

That is not thought leadership.

So I am revising my adage to say that thought leaders have to have original and impactful thoughts to differentiate their brand in a sea of sameness.

True thought leadership involves proactively putting new perspectives into the marketplace. It could be data driven; it could be expressing something provocative; it could be taking a contrarian viewpoint; it could be focusing on something on the horizon that no one else has considered yet.

It is certainly not promotional.

In the public sector space, agency leaders are drawn to companies that understand the complexities and requirements of their unique environment. Demonstrating that means providing expert insights and guidance about how to solve some of the toughest challenges in the world – because those are an agency’s mission.

Companies who want to successfully engage in this market must grasp policy, technology and how things are purchased; they need to demonstrate true understanding of the mission; then they can integrate their service or solution into the equation, ensuring they’re solving a real problem in a better way.

For example, consider zero trust or artificial intelligence, both leading issues in the government environment for the last several years. In expressing thought leadership around them, think from an agency perspective and the problems it needs to solve.

Help agency leaders discover how to implement these mandates and use these technologies to support their mission. Explain why they are needed, and what sort of outcomes the agency can expect from implementing them.

Your company story is secondary to demonstrating your understanding of how technology, policy and mandates need to be applied and can lead to improving outcomes.

A few best practices will go a long way to effective thought leadership in your brand building:

• Showcase your people. Your on-staff talent is the largest part of any brand. Leverage the pedigrees and backgrounds on your team, especially of those who have served in government. While customers of course need to understand what you do, don’t focus on speeds and feeds – the press doesn’t care and won’t publish this kind of information. Ultimately people buy from people they know, trust and respect. Thought leadership builds that kind of profile.
• Use data-driven content. Focus on original data that reporters can cite – but not data that is just a disguise for the product or service your company offers. Invest in and talk about original research findings; provide measurable insights or practical guidance on ways to move the needle; share change metrics (like year over year adoption of a program or policy) that demonstrate how technology made or could make an impact. That data then also empowers your people to become an authoritative resource.
• Ask: What are others leaving out? What can you offer that others have overlooked, marginalized or that you simply disagree with. Where can you insert your viewpoint into an existing conversation with something that is truly unique and thought provoking?
• Develop a playbook of what your thought leaders want to and can speak about. Don’t guess – ask them! Then establish them as a media resource offering not just positions about what the company does but leveraging their experience to talk about solving government problems. The playbook should also detail where to use your thought leaders: contributed articles, speaking at key events, awards opportunities, social media and more.
• Don’t forget paid opportunities! Conferences, Webinars, native content, paid social, videos – building brand needs to happen through an integrated approach. If you've got rock stars on your team, showcase their message through a breadth of channels. A repeat presence can reach government customers where they consume information, and inspire them to seek more information about your company based on the resonant thought-leading information they’ve consumed. Putting money behind your thought leadership efforts will also allow you to be slightly more direct about your company offerings – but don’t overdo it.  

All of this is not to say that companies should avoid a hot topic – your zero trust, AI or other solution may well offer innovative value to an agency. But bringing a fresh viewpoint or some firsthand knowledge that adds insight and enriches the conversation will get far more notice and traction. In the current market, reporters are simply not going to write a second story unless there is something truly new to write about.

Knowing your audience and addressing what they care about through original and impactful thought leadership will ultimately build brand and thus help your team, and your company, thrive through disruptive change.

Evan Weisel is the co-founder of W2 Communications.