It’s an editor’s job to find the right expert for each article, blog, webinar and byline. And in today’s B2B space, those pieces should come together to tell a story about the product and shape the consumer’s beliefs about the brand. But that task can be daunting when NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) and restrictions from legal and the PR department – both yours and the expert’s – stand in your way. How can you overcome these obstacles to build a thriving B2B thought leadership community? In this presentation you’ll learn the steps SAS’ External Communications has put in place to find and promote industry experts – practitioners from the field, analysts, professional speakers, consultants and in-house experts – to build a thought leadership platform that spans and supports all marketing editorial publications.

1. 5 steps to happily ever after
Courting thought leaders for your B2B community
Waynette Tubbs
SAS
@WaynetteTubbs • #cmworld
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2. The top five
2011 Nielsen survey
responses show
rising consumer
trust in thought
leadership!
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@WaynetteTubbs
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3. From 2009 – 2011,
trust in TV ads fell 24%,
magazines lost 20%,
newspapers fell 25%.
Global ad spend
increased 7% from
2010 - 2011, including
10% increase in TV ads.
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4. @waynettetubbs
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5. Just as in the dating scene,
there are many places to search
for the perfect thought leader:
Become a stalker.
Subscribe to industry, customer,
analyst and thought leader blogs.
Connect with the authors on social.
Hang with the ‘in’ crowd.
Go to conferences, luncheons and
events hosted by your organization
or related to your industry.
Look in your backyard.
Take a look at the resumes in your org chart.
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6. Know what is expected of
the relationship!
Can you live on love?
Your customers, amateur bloggers and
many industry analysts may only be looking
for increased exposure – a little extra blip
on their resume.
Is it the wedding chapel or nothing?
Many professional thought leaders and
speakers expect paid speaking
opportunities and payment for bylined
articles or white papers.
Before meeting, plan your pitch – your value
statement including metrics, placement, promotion.
@WaynetteTubbs
@waynettetubbs
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7. @waynettetubbs
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8. @waynettetubbs
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9. @waynettetubbs
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10. In relationships that last,
it is the extra touches
that make the difference.
Call just to say hello.
Give compliments
and send presents.
Think of great places
to go together.
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11. Bumps along the way?
No budget
Professional opinions could be hired to say exactly what you’d like –
that would be great, but expensive.
Approval process
Industry practitioners must seek approval from legal and PR before
authoring and commenting.
Fear of offending
True expert opinion is often watered down for fear of offending peers
and customers.
The unknown
Fear of social media and few metrics in B2B to prove its value.
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12. The happily ever after
Credibility
Improved authority and credibility for the brand.
Domino effect
Increased efforts from product marketing and field marketing to
surface thought leader content.
Encouragement
Improved social media engagement from internal thought
leaders. Encouraged more internal thought leaders to blog.
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13. Keys to success
Be bold
Don’t be afraid to say hello.
Do your research
Learn what motivates people to know if you can provide it.
Coach, coach, coach
Money and time are usually not the roadblock. What often gets
in the way is fear.
Chin up
Don’t be afraid to ask. They can’t eat you.
Give ‘em a nudge
Never take the first no as the final answer.
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14. Questions?
Waynette Tubbs
@waynettetubbs
SAS.com/riskKE
www.sas.com/SUG
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