Comprehensive thought leadership consulting for B2B & professional services firms

Bob’s Vault

Articles from Bob’s archives.

Why You Must Shed Your Rodney Dangerfield Syndrome

Many companies that bring thought leadership to market believe the content they produce doesn’t get much respect from the executives they’re trying to impress. Rodney Dangerfield had his shtick, and it brought millions of laughs over an illustrious career. The self-deprecating comedic genius, with his bulging eyes roving and his nervous hands tie tightening, was famous for …

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In Praise of “Small” (But Deep) Content

One keystone document can provide the core argument for articles, white papers, long blog posts and other parts of your thought leadership marketing. Most thought leadership marketers know the benefits of putting an extensive, multifaceted marketing campaign behind a research study or a book. Over the last three decades, I’ve seen companies promote such “big” …

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Looking Back (and Ahead) on 30 Years in Thought Leadership Marketing

What’s changed the most: widespread use, competition for mind share, and the ascendance of R&D and new distribution channels. This June I celebrated my 30th year in thought leadership marketing. I didn’t know that was the name of this field I had entered back in 1987, when I left the world of business journalism to run …

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Thought Leadership Defined (in a Useful Way)

Thought leadership is the prestige that an individual or organization achieves after developing, delivering and marketing superior expertise that solves a significant problem. With so many marketers exhorting companies to become thought leaders in their domains, many people in those firms are asking a simple question: “What is thought leadership? What are we talking about?” Here’s how we define it: …

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Why Clients Love Thought Leadership, But B2B Firms Do Not

Companies producing thought leadership don’t see it to be nearly as important as do the companies they send it to. How can that be? How is it that 90% of executives love exceptional, thought-leading content, but only 60% of the firms that create educational content say it boosts their brand? Why do four out of five C-suite executives (81%) …

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