Demonstrating thought leadership has become a top priority for many marketers of IT services and solutions as they seek more effective ways to gain the attention of prospective customers. Given the growing sophistication of IT buyers, however, and the growing involvement of more and more executive influencers in the buying process, creating effective thought leadership campaigns is extremely challenging. Marketers need to reach different audiences with highly targeted and truly innovative ideas and information if they are to succeed in standing apart from the crowd.

There’s no doubt that thought leadership initiatives can create significant dialogue and opportunities with decision makers, but ITSMA research suggests that most programs are falling short of their potential.

This ITSMA Update provides detailed guidelines for building effective thought leadership programs in Europe. Specifically, the Update reviews six components of successful campaigns:

• Set program objectives
• Identify priority issues
• Organize internal resources
• Undertake thought leadership research
• Plan and implement integrated communications
• Evaluate the program