I’ve been inspired lately by seeing the efforts that colleagues, clients, and friends are achieving with their thought leadership — and thought you might be too. What could your thought leadership accomplish?
An Idea So Powerful They Get the Tattoo
Drew McLellan at Agency Management Institute teaches a wonderful workshop on agency math — the metrics that every agency owner needs to understand to run a successful agency, big or small.
When I was attending Drew’s Money Matters workshop in March of 2023, we were experiencing a tough year as an agency, as were most of our agency clients. I was seeking help to ensure my agency could be profitable even in lean times. Drew had lots of guidance for me — including one metric in particular — 55/25/20.
This is the P&L metric that Drew teaches will ensure any agency can make money. Based on Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) — Revenue minus Cost of Goods — the percentages are targets for agency owners to watch:
- 55: No more than 55% of AGI should be spent on people costs (wages, health insurance, etc. for W2 employees);
- 25: No more than 25% of AGI should be spent on overhead;
- 20: As a result, at least 20% of AGI should drop to operating income for the agency.
55/25/20. So simple, and so powerful. Here was the answer I was looking for. The guidance I needed to remember every single day.
So after the first day of the workshop, I enlisted my colleague Mary Ann (who was also attending the workshop) to drive me to a tattoo parlor. And I got 55/25/20 tattooed on my arm. Right where I could see it every day.
There are many examples of organizations that have created this very dedication in their audiences — Amy Bleuel, who founded Project Semicolon and popularized the use of the mark as a message of affirmation and solidarity with those who have dealt with suicide, depression, addiction, and other mental health issues.
The podcast hosts of “My Favorite Murder”, whose hashtag #SSDGM (Stay Sexy, Don’t Get Murdered) is not only tattooed on many of their fans but also is sold on millions of dollars of merchandise every year.
What do you teach that your audience finds so valuable, so important to remember every day, that they’d get it tattooed on their body?
As I further promote my teaching around being Relentlessly Helpful, I only hope to have the impact on someone that Drew’s teach has had on me — and maybe earn a tattoo from someone who wants to remember it daily!
Creating Impact with Something You Already Have
MaryBeth Hyland at SparkVision reached out to me recently because she wondered if data she already has could be used for thought leadership.
She has an assessment that visitors to her coaching website can take to learn more about the values that drive them and get insight from MaryBeth. She’s had this assessment running since December 2021, and now has over 2,500 responses! That’s a very robust data set.
The problem is, she has a spreadsheet of data and doesn’t know what it says.
We were able to build a simple data visualization that allowed us to organize her data and make it very easy to see the story it had to tell. And what a fascinating story that data holds!
Shortly after seeing the results, MaryAnn took advantage of National Women’s Day and created a post on LinkedIn to her newsletter subscribers about the difference in values between men and women in her data.
And as a result of that post:
- She has received a speaking request based on the research from someone who’s been on her list for years;
- One of her clients forwarded the post to her entire executive team as a tool to reconsider the organization’s values work with the aid of a gendered perspective;
- She has several people reach out to tell her how the post affected their view of their own values.
What data do you already have that could be used to generate helpful thought leadership content? Interviews? Surveys? Assessments? Purchase trends? Dig around and you may be surprised to find yourself sitting on a valuable asset for your content strategy!
Be the Name on Everyone’s Lips
Last year, our clients at Wick Marketing conducted a fascinating research study about how homebuyers were experiencing a very turbulent year for the housing industry. They presented the research at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC) in May of 2023.
In February 2024, Barbara Wray at Wick again discussed the research on stage — this time, at the International Builders Show, with nearly 70,000 attendees from 100 countries.
And at this conference, Barbara’s sessions weren’t the only ones talking about Wick’s research.
A number of other presenters incorporated the Wick research into their own sessions! One commenter on LinkedIn posted:
If I had a dollar for every time I heard “Wick Marketing did a study that showed…” this week… congratulations!
When your thought leadership is so good that other thought leaders are referring to it, you’re doing something special.
What About You?
Have you wondered whether doing the work to provide powerful, helpful thought leadership is worth it? I bet Drew, MaryBeth, and Barbara have too. But believe me when I tell you that YOU CAN ACHIEVE RESULTS LIKE THESE — regardless of your budget.
Know your ideal audience, and embrace their perspective.
Think about how you can help.
Then be Relentlessly Helpful.
And then watch what happens!
I believe in you!
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