In an attention economy caused by the clutter and noise of social media machinery, companies need to cut through the noise. Your company’s point of view (POV) defines whether you demonstrate thought leadership, driving the conversation in the marketplace, or thought followership, chasing trends and playing catch-up.
A strong POV shapes a company’s identity and clarifies its value proposition. This ensures customers know who you are and what you can deliver. Oftentimes, companies miss the mark here. If you lack a POV, your executives can appear fragmented and as if they don’t even work for the same company.
Just as industry analysts shape market trends, they can help shape your POV. Analysts are the irreplaceable and original thought leaders of the tech industry. Their unique vantage point between technology vendors, buyers and investors ensure they are primed to successfully position a company in market. Here, we list 5 ways marketers can use analysts to create, clarify and actualise a unique POV.
#1. Deepen market understanding with analyst inquiries.
Your POV should resonate with your customers and address their needs. Analysts have hundreds of conversations with all ecosystem players every year, that’s customers, investors and competitors. Through inquiries with those industry analysts, you can tap into those conversations and gather insights much faster to deepen your market understanding. Ask what customers want, ask what your competitors are doing and ask how you can fill any gaps. Use this information to shape your POV and ensure your message hits the mark.
#2. Message test to ensure a splash.
Analysts can review your content and advise on how your POV would be received by the market. Their deep knowledge of the industry and acute BS detectors means they can act as a sounding board for ideas. Send them your next blog post or press release for review before launch and get feedback based on their market expertise. Their advice could be the difference between making the perfect splash and bombing into the pool.
#3. Build trust with social proof.
As the original thought leaders of the tech industry, analyst’s words carry weight. B2B buyers seek third-party validation of their purchasing decisions, that’s why they consult peer review sites and that’s why they consult industry analysts. An impactful AR strategy can drive awareness in market by highlighting quotes from analyst reports on a webpage or via a social media post. If an analyst is well versed in your product and believes in it then they may act as a press reference and provide quotes for articles. By consistently and successfully engaging analysts, you can ensure there is a plethora of material you can draw from to use analysts as social proof in alignment with your company’s POV.
#4. Command attention with content curation.
With careful curation of the right analyst reports in the right market categories, you can craft a narrative of support for your company’s POV. Landmark vendor evaluations, such as the Gartner Magic Quadrant or the Forrester Wave, command market attention. Purchase reprint rights to those reports and host them on your website to create a lead generation engine. Market share reports can also be leverage to tell a story of growth or market dominance. Even if you are not the leader in that report or the biggest vendor in the market share, you can create a narrative thread that aligns with your company’s POV and successfully positions your company for your target audience.
#5. Drive conversation with content co-creation.
Quality content is key to communicating your company’s POV –so take advantage of analyst firms co-creation opportunities. When hosting a webinar to convey your key messaging to prospects, consider hiring an analyst co-host. Their reputation as an industry expert can drive registration numbers and build your webinar audience, while their independent perspective of the market can bolster the landing of your company’s POV. For more in-depth content you can commission a whitepaper where analysts can discuss key aspects of the market that further draw out your unique company POV and establish your business as a market leader.
Industry analysts insightS can accelerate your thought leadership strategy.
Analysts can provide guidance, feedback and support for your company’s point of view. Leverage their insights to ensure your POV resonates with the market and use their research as social proof to convince prospective buyers. Don’t get lost in your messaging, take advantage of their guidance and your business will be on track to drive market conversations and position itself as a thought leader.
Not sure how to get started? Give us a call today and we’ll go through how Starsight helps client to get introduced to the right analysts for your category and co-create great thought leadership with the top 100 analysts firms.
