Whether your firm’s marketing resources are in-house or outside consultants, they’re job is to support each aspiring industry luminary and industry team so they effectively leverage industry venues where decision-makers and influencers are found.  Marketing professionals can help guide industry team members with the following:

  • After researching the options, marketers should help the industry team select which industry trade associations to focus on to build the team’s presence and reputation. Industries often have multiple trade associations with national organizations and state chapters. Some conferences offer speaking opportunities, planning committees where the real work of the organizations gets done and learning programs that showcase industry luminaries who share their expertise. Your marketers should make recommendations regarding the best trade association(s)  for future industry luminaries to invest their time and the firm’s money.
  • Once specific trade associations are targeted, the marketer needs to share the associations’ calendars of events where your industry teams can build their networks and reputations. Speaking slots are often “pay-to-play,” requiring certain levels of firm sponsorship to guarantee speaking opportunities. Your industry team’s presence, in the form of a booth at a conference or tables reserved at dinner events, will yield greater exposure and opportunities to showcase your professionals’ industry insights, enhancing their reputations and familiarity with the target market.
  • Marketing should leverage industry team members’ thought leadership content. Most industries have a range of media that the industry community consumes on a regular basis. These digital or printed publications present opportunities to place your future industry luminaries’ insightful articles, blogs, quotes, interviews, podcasts, or webcasts to your target audience.
  • Marketers should also partner with the industry teams to develop an annual calendar of events for networking, speaking slots, and thought leadership content placement so every team member can contribute in a manner that plays to their strengths, as networkers, public speakers and/or authors of written or oral thought leadership. Team members’ contributions are really investments in themselves, helping to establish and strengthen their personal reputations as industry thought leaders.