Now is a great time to take inventory of your thought leadership capabilities ahead of detailed 2024 planning.
Here are several core questions you should be asking yourself now:
- Do you have trusted relationships with your high-visibility and high-potential thought leaders?
- Do you have a clear picture of the optimal mix of internal resources and external partners? Few companies have everything they need in-house. It’s disruptive to trip over potential gaps in the midst of running a project.
- Do you have people and processes in place for gathering outstanding insights from thought leaders and being their thinking partner? Sometimes the dialogue between marketing and “the business” falls apart because you think about different things in different ways. It takes competitive intel, creativity, and, often, an ability to push thought leaders past safe insights and conventional wisdom.
- What talent do you need to produce the highest quality creative (text, graphics, video, etc.)? Start building a short list of providers who can help you go from “good enough” to “awe-inspiring.” Engage them early, since it takes time to develop statements of work, run them through approvals, and handle the procurement details.
- Are you coordinating with plans for “major moments” such as top industry events, milestones, or launches of new products/businesses/etc.? Many times, these efforts are led by different teams than those who focus on content.
