New ITSMA Report Shows B2B Marketers How to Build a Thought Leadership Model that Generates Revenue

April 11, 2012 - PRLog -- ITSMA, the leading marketing association for technology, communications, and professional services providers, has published a Special Report on thought leadership that outlines how B2B Marketers can successfully use ideas to influence buyers and sell more business.

Thought Leadership Marketing: How to Build Relationships and Revenue Through Ideas is based on ITSMA research, including surveys, benchmarking studies, and in-depth qualitative interviews with thought leadership marketers in B2B product, service, and solutions companies.

This ITSMA Special Report introduces a model for thought leadership, called the Six Pillars of the Idea Organization. The six pillars are:
•   Create an idea culture that values ideas as much as revenue
•   Use business themes to provide a flexible blueprint for thought leadership
•   Validate your ideas with research
•   Create an idea development and dissemination engine
•   Set up a thought leadership center of expertise
•   Use metrics to show how thought leadership influenced the buyer

“Thought leadership success requires a deep commitment not just from marketing but from the entire company,” said Dave Munn, President & CEO of ITSMA. “The underlying premise of the six pillars model is that marketing can’t create thought leadership on its own. If it does, the output will be promotion, not thought leadership.”

In addition to defining these pillars, the report uses examples from best practice organizations and gives details on the steps marketers can take to get the buy-in, support, and commitment of executives and subject matter experts to become part of the idea-generating and dissemination process.

Julie Schwartz, Senior Vice President of Research and Thought Leadership at ITSMA, thinks it’s about time for companies to take a strategic approach to thought leadership, and for marketing to lead the way.

“Thought leadership is more than a marketing tactic; it’s a strategy that requires the buy-in and support of subject matter experts and top executives in the company,” said Schwartz. “Thought leadership also forces marketing to get out of its silo and begin working—and leading—across the organization.”

For the full story of the six pillars of the idea organization and to learn how B2B Services Marketers can influence the buyer and make an impact on revenue, go to http://www.itsma.com/research/thought-leadership-marketin.... This 33-page ITSMA Special Report is available to ITSMA members at no cost, or non-members can purchase it for $149.

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ITSMA provides research, consulting, and training to the world’s leading technology, communications, and professional services providers.