TLM can be a powerful tool: Gartner

Thought leadership marketing (TLM) can be a powerful tool for improved marketing success in IT services, according to Gartner, Inc. While thought leadership has been used by consulting firms for a long time—often accounting for as much as 20% of marketing expenditure—an organized discipline of TLM is only now emerging, allowing marketers to use this as a manageable tool to drive business.

Gartner defines TLM as the giving—for free or at a nominal charge—of information or advice that a client will value so as to create awareness of the outcome that a company’s product or service can deliver, in order to position and differentiate that offering and stimulate demand for it.

“The principle of TLM is simple enough: You give away a little valuable intellectual property to establish your potential usefulness to the client, in the expectation that the client will use your expertise and services,” said Rolf Jester, Vice President and Distinguished Analyst at Gartner. “Its essence is to show, rather than tell what a company can do, and to do so in a way that positions and differentiates that company’s offering for the chosen target audience.”

Jester cited some examples of leading IT services organizations that use TLM:

• Under the heading “Capgemini Point of View—the way we see it,” Capgemini publishes future-oriented “TechnoVision” documents for vertical industries.
• Deloitte’s many activities in this category include a series of debates published on its website and publicized via email, drawing out opposing views on current key business issues and highlighting considerations that executives need to take into account.
• IBM, among its many other activities, maintains a substantial “Institute of Business Value” to publish business research.

Gartner's review of the TLM activities of IT services providers has shown three types of program. These are not mutually exclusive but will often be combined:

• Opportunistic. This type of program tends to be short-term and promotional-campaign focused.
• Door-opening. This type of program can help establish or expand permission to play and is ongoing, although it evolves as acceptance grows to build visibility and credibility in the market.
• Brand support. This is the most sustained type of TLM program and is used to reinforce the brand promise and image.