I’m always so impressed by just how much talent and knowledge sits within the customer organisations we work with. Which beggars the question why so many are still spending a fortune creating opinion pieces with the big gun analysts. Now don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for IT analysts and I think their insights still play a hugely important part in the overall marketing mix but there is also so much information being held within internal teams. Gems of market knowledge, golden nuggets of customer insight, and, quite frankly, a shed-load of innovative wizardry just waiting to get out.

So, what can you do with all that wonderful talent within your organisation? We’ve been working with several of our customers recently on creating opinion pieces. These papers provide the organisation’s view on a specific market or industry trend, including future predictions, pulling in insight gleamed from right across the business. By extending our remit outside of the sales and marketing organisation, and interviewing groups such as product management, corporate strategy, innovation and R&D, we have been able to collate a much more rounded view and access information that otherwise is held in silos.

Based on the foundations of what we are really good at (value proposition creation), the end result is powerful, differentiated information that can then be given a bit of zing and tailored for specific markets, customers or even persona types. Really relevant, compelling stories can be taken by sales and marketing to build trust with customers by demonstrating relevance, expertise and forward-thinking.

Of course, we still use analysts and the like to help us validate our customers’ opinions and provide an independent viewpoint – but it’s part of a much more integrated approach that importantly, doesn’t cost the earth to create.

To find out more about how we do this and what it could mean for your business, contact me at [email protected].

Jo Dunkley

Director