Transcript:
If you want your thought leadership ideas to reach scale, think about going small. There are three general approaches to deploying thought leadership in the world.
Broadcasting
The first is broadcasting. Broadcasting is familiar from advertising and content marketing. You put your ideas out to a wide audience, and you’re measuring things like reach or share of voice. However, there’s a problem with broadcasting when it comes to thought leadership because 95 to 99% of the world isn’t going to care about your ideas. In fact, you’ll be adding to their noise rather than delivering signal.
Narrowcasting
The second approach for delivering thought leadership is narrowcasting. Narrowcasting identifies specific target audiences, and it shapes messages for those audiences. It understands what their goals are, what their needs are, where their pain points. And then, uses language that is accessible to them and invites them to take a first step.
Pointcasting
And the final approach is pointcasting. Pointcasting is a little bit paradoxical, because it tries to reach scale by focusing on individuals. And you might say, “well, does that work? Is there a return on investment?” There is if you focus on VIPs, who can open doors for you or speak on your behalf. It allows your thought leadership ideas to go further or faster. When you identify the right individual, you’re essentially creating bespoke thought leadership much like a custom tailored suit.
Now, here’s what I’d suggest. Take a look at the ways that you’re deploying thought leadership into the world. Are you using broadcasting, narrowcasting, or pointcasting? And then ask yourself, are these ratios the right mix for your message?
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