Getting Your Message to the Right Readers

This third installment in a series of posts on launching a thought leadership program focuses on creating a strategy for content distribution.

After developing thought leadership topics that will resonate with potential clients, you’ll need to shape them into content pieces, such as articles, blog posts, and the like—then identify the right communication channels for distributing them.

Not all channels are equal; make sure you know which will be most visible to your various client groups. For example, a bylined article for a hospitality trade publication could put you in touch with decision makers who select design teams for new hotels, while speaking at an industry conference might open doors to hospital administrators. Also consider writing blog posts with SEO-rich keywords, developing a monthly newsletter about infrastructure or, for ambitious thought leaders, writing a book or a chapter of a book about resiliency. Finally, use social media to distribute your content, especially after it’s been published or posted, and urge your thought leaders to post it on their personal accounts as well.

It’s important to coordinate your timing and topics; strive to be relevant. For example, pitch or post your content about educational trends in August, when people are looking for back-to-school stories, or send out year-in-review and/or forecast commentaries in early November.

Stay tuned for our next tip—how to roll out your program smartly and strategically—in next week’s Chronicle post.

This article, written by Tami Hausman, was originally published in SMPS/The Marketer magazine.