MUST READ: Thought Leadership and Social Media Tools

I have just read a very interesting report by the Bloom Group on how consulting companies have begun using social media tools to develop thought leadership positions.

Check this link: Thought Leadership Rewired: How Consulting Firms are Using Social Media to Market Their Ideas.

The key findings:

• Consulting firms are quickly expanding their budgets for social media.

• Social media will increasingly complement traditional thought leadership marketing channels.

• Other social media tools are gaining on traditional techniques.

• Running out of content and determining how to use it as a marketing tool are the two biggest concerns about social media.

• Effective thought leadership programs use research-based content.

Some snippets I liked in particular:

“In addition, a thought leadership microsite helps a consulting firm keep its content “in play” – continually findable on the Web, as opposed to offline marketing activities like seminars, print publications, and teleconference calls, which come and go.”

“Of those with blogs sponsored by the firm or authored by consultants on their own 39% use those blogs to convene an initial market discussion and foster debate, 32% test and refine their points of view before communicating them more broadly and 29% use their blogs to further develop a point of view”

“The biggest barrier is concern about the ability to regularly refresh online content. Maintaining an audience for a blog, microsite or group on a social networking site requires a firm to regularly post new content…The second biggest barrier is determining how to use social media to market the firm’s content…Perhaps it is of little surprise that the third biggest barrier is closely related to the second: the lack of a marketing plan to stage and synchronize all these activities.”

“The ability to seed ideas online in the right LinkedIn, Facebook and other social networking groups, gain a following through an informative blog, and build an online interest group have made it far easier for consulting firms to attract prospects to their ideas and services.”

“One of the most striking findings of the survey is that social media can actually help develop compelling content. Almost half of the firms we surveyed develop content through their microsites, either to convene an initial discussion, to refine and test a point of view before publishing it, or to refine it post-publication.”

The report is a must read for consultants, experts and other aspiring thought leaders. Thanks to the Bloom Group for these great insights!