This is a two part entry taken from the white paper: How Thought Leadership Can Be Shaped by Streaming Internet Radio

In our social-driven world, thought leadership is becoming a much sought-after branding position says Modern Marketing Partners in its white paper “Thought Leadership Marketing Guide: Tips & Trade Secrets for Success.”   TLM (Thought Leadership Marketing) was started by big consulting firms twenty-plus years ago as they published research and positioned their companies as leaders, and it continues today for many industry categories.  The more newly minted term “Branded Thought Leadership” is taking hold and appearing more often.

Many companies and leaders don’t know that they’re already considered thought leaders in their industry.  It happens to them over time as they assert ideas and provide direction within an industry, while others timidly refrain.  Those who lead create products that excel and become a visible part of a forward-thinking message.  They write books, take a stand within the industry for issues and against problems, speak, and often unwittingly display their leadership.

But it takes more than just wanting something to get it, especially when it comes to establishing a position in the buyer’s mind.   No doubt buyers purchase  a leader’s product, but they often double down on products associated with thought leadership and buy with less scrutiny in a shorter period of time.

Many companies feel that, due to their innovative products, they can assume a position of thought leadership if they identify themselves as a substantial contributor or spokesperson within their industry.  It may happen over many years – Boeing comes to mind; or with innovative products – Apple comes to mind; or it may be due to a combination of products, people, and leaders.

Regardless, if the company feels it has a claim on thought leadership it has to:

  • Stake out a public position
  • Decide on the leadership messages it wishes to convey
  • Decide who in the company is prepared to communicate the leadership position
  • Use multiple communications vehicles to penetrate the marketplace and possibly usurp someone else (often a larger competitor)

The tools and processMarc Benioffes needed to assume a thought leadership role have, until recently, been time consuming, expensive and laborious.  It often required a creative public relations department, and talented company spokespeople.  It often required credible research, white papers, case studies, and articles published in prestigious journals.   Speaking at conferences is usually a significant part of the toolset as well.  Taking a position on public interest topics, even without a direct connection to the products or company, is often a path to thought leadership – Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce (pictured at left) comes to mind.

 

Streaming Live Internet Radio Establishes Thought Leadership Rewards

Streaming Live B2B Internet Radio was born within the podcast industry.  The difference between the two is that the former has a set, weekly broadcast time, accessed from the program host’s website(s) or radio channel, and the listener simply clicks the ‘listen’ button.  The live program replays are then later available as podcasts.   This is not to downplay the podcast industry, with new podcasts started daily and some reaching huge audiences of thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of listeners per episode.

Edison Research, the premier provider of information that is all things podcast related, said in a post entitled The Infinite Dial that:  “Half of Americans Listen to Online Radio Weekly; Podcast Consumption Surges.”

“Powered in part by the ever-expanding proliferation of smartphones, digital audio behaviors such as listening to online radio and podcasts are achieving significant mass usage… the study, a nationally representative telephone survey performed to the highest research standards, finds that 50% of respondents age 12 and older listened to some sort of online radio in the last week, a rise from 44% last year. With 57% of Americans using online radio monthly, the conversion of monthly to weekly users is now 88%.”

At the Funnel Media Group we learned that B2B Live-Streaming Internet Radio for at-work listeners is one of the easiest, most assertive, and most productive methods to assume the mantle of industry thought leader.

Thought Leadership Goes to Those Who Claim It!

At the Funnel Radio Channel, we believe that corporate program sponsors and program personalities who use internet radio as a platform develop a reputation as an industry thought leader much faster than with any other medium.  Using a talk show format, the program hOn the airost interviews industry leaders, as well as customers and prospects.  The result is that the host and host company gain a thought leadership reputation within months instead of years.

Part of the magic lies in the ability to use the program’s recorded content as podcast replays, available later on subscription basis through iTunes, and Stitcher for Android.  The content, in whole or in part, can be pushed out to customers and prospects.  The transcript can be fed into white papers, ebooks, and published books.  Interviews with customers can be used as testimonials.

B2B Internet Streaming Radio Provides a Cornucopia of Content-Driven Thought Leadership

In addition to the magic words ‘Thought Leadership,’ the next hottest topic today is “content management” and creation.  See the book Inside Content Marketing by Theresa Cramer and her interview on SLMARadio.today.   Companies are creating departments with content managers and journalists to drive content creation.  With their podcast replay capability, internet radio programs provide the nexus to create multiple content opportunities which these new departments crave (see the accompanying chart).

With electronic files and transcripts, the program interview be can placed into books, white papers, blogs, customer and prospect promotions, etc.  The keyword-rich program content adds to the quick, widespread distribution of thought leaders’ messaging.

The radio program content establishes the host company and its program commentator as leaders when the content is used in many different ways, in many different venues.

Because this content is spread to the reading and listening public so pervasively and inexpensively, Branded-Thought-Leadership takes hold due to the sheer volume and SEO keyword use.

To read the rest of the story go here and download the white paper.

About the Author:

James W. Obermayer is the principal and publisher for Funnel Media Group, LLC, and a principal with Sales Leakage Consulting, a Washington State-based firm.   Obermayer is also the founder of the 8,200-member Sales Lead Management Association, and author/co-author of four books on sales and marketing.

Funnel Media Group LLC

Jobermayer at funnelmediagroupllc dot com,jobermayer@funnelmediagroupllc.com