Get Thought Leadership Right in 2022: The Best Kept Secret in GovCon

By Arthur Tamayo on March 11, 2022

 

Government contractors want to be found. They want agencies to know about their services and they want strategic partners to know they exist. Moreover, these companies want to continuously showcase how they are uniquely qualified to serve their customer’s needs as a prime or as a partner to other potential peers. As many companies come to find, simply adopting the conventional playbook prescribed by most agencies (updating SAM profiles, Dynamic Small Business Search (DBSB), scouring agency forecasts, signing up for vendor outreach events, etc.) will inevitably leave federal contractors flatfooted. This also leaves the door open for their competition. One of the best secrets of successful companies is how they successfully leverage thought leadership and deploy it for their own businesses.

 

Thought leadership is an approach in marketing and Business Development (BD) that enables companies to leverage key voice(s) within their organizations that serve to provide unique, valuable, and/or a consistent resource within a given niche/community. This approach isn’t necessarily defined by the number of years a company has been in business, nor is it defined just by a company’s current reputation. The power of thought leadership is the continuous “top of mind” presence it can enable a company to build over time within their respective communities/target niche.

 

When a company consistently provides a steady stream of content that is of value for their audiences, trust is developed. Thought leadership can therefore maintain brand visibility, establish topic authority, and industry prominence.

 

Thought Leadership is a Marathon – Not a Sprint. Start Today!

 

Many companies, in a bid to catch up with their competitors, approach thought leadership as a sprint that only lasts for a few weeks or months. These companies usually implement a flurry of social media posts, a revamped website, and maybe even a few press releases about a topic relevant to their industry. Yet, if not sustained over time, most companies run out of steam to go the distance required to be successful. This would be the equivalent of running the first 10 miles of a marathon faster and stronger than anyone, but not having enough left in the tank to go the distance. Simply put, thought leadership can be measured by the quality of relationships your brand has within a specific community that is consistently maintained over time. Community leadership requires trust to be earned, and trust takes time to build. Newer companies with thought leadership incorporated in their marketing strategy usually launch their campaigns early in order to cultivate a following that grows with them over time.

 

Get in the Know

 

What is most important in any marketing activities, as well as thought leadership, is having an authentic message and mission that is reinforced over time. Below is a quick snapshot of a few valuable tips to help you understand the level of effort and expertise required to unlock the true value of thought leadership.

 

  1. Thought leadership is an earned campaign that is composed of the content that your community finds valuable. For example, white papers are a great way to connect your solutions and unique perspective to solve real problems your customers face.
  2. Understanding your community is key to knowing the value they want to hear from your brand. Most importantly – where is your audience and what channels can your brand use to connect with them?
  3. Trust takes time to earn. Start the conversation with your audiences and provide real value to them early and often.
  4. Thought leadership allows your company to drive and dictate the best practices and standards your industry has defined.
  5. Cultivating relationships and being an active voice in your ecosystem allows your brand to be “vetted” by others in the GovCon community.

 

To learn more about thought leadership or how to position your brand for success in government contracting, please visit Arillic’s site. Also, be on the lookout for Arthur’s upcoming appearance on our next New Normal in Government Contracting series!

 

About Arthur Tamayo

At 26, Arthur Tamayo co-founded Arillic and now serves as its CEO. Arillic is a mission-driven Small Business Association 8(a) certified (2020-2030) organization whose mission is to improve the connections between organizations, brands, and multicultural communities. For over 6 years, Arthur and his team have served dozens of clients (both private and federal organizations) such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), the National Parks Service, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Arthur can be reached at atamayo@arillic.com.