What Does Good Thought Leadership Look Like?
I recently had a discussion with a water and wastewater solutions provider about where to start when producing an early buyer’s journey piece of content. It’s not a new conversation for me to engage in and I’ve probably had similar conversations with other companies at least 100 times over the past three years. I’ve written numerous articles and given several presentations around its importance but have given little direction on what it should look like when completed. In other words, I haven’t shown you what GOOD looks like in the form of Thought Leadership content that you need to engage readers in the early stage of their buyer’s journey.
Below are some examples from the past twelve months of this type of thought leadership content created by some forward-thinking equipment manufacturers in the water and wastewater market. These were very successful in terms of their innate value to the market but also captured a large-scale engaged identified audience for them to continue to influence.
Maximizing AMI Investments Through Broader IIoT Insight
“While residential billing accuracy is a primary focus of AMI infrastructure, overlooking the cost-saving implications of distribution system monitoring is like passing up dessert after a satisfying main course.”
Point: Talks to the benefit, not of the PRODUCT but of the experience.
Modern Metering Adoption At Smaller Public Water Systems
“Historically, it’s been a lot harder to invest in new technology for the other 105,110 PWSs who average just 475 consumers per system. And yet advances in metering technology is making it more efficient than ever before for small PWSs to embrace advanced metering infrastructure (AMI).”
Point: Identifies the PROBLEM early in the piece which gives them permission to lean into how to fix.
DO Or Die — Dealing With Aeration Basin Oxygen Deficiencies
Managing the treatment of wastewater — especially industry-generated wastewater that can elevate dissolved oxygen (DO) demands far beyond those of municipal/residential applications — is hard enough. Trying to do so during upset conditions is enough to put any water treatment professional on edge.
Point: Empathy. Relating to an emotion.
Answering Aeration's Big Dilemma — Repair Or Replace?
“In wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), repair vs. replace considerations are an ongoing dilemma. How much money is it sensible to spend repairing an older piece of equipment vs. upgrading to the best overall replacement option for current operating conditions?”
Point: Speaks to a true conundrum facing their customers and prospects (Repair vs. Replace)
How To Predict And Prevent CSOs And SSOs
“The same analytics capabilities used to provide insights for CSOs have value throughout water treatment, distribution, and wastewater collection applications — and beyond. For example, the City of Calgary, Canada, expanded its use of a data-driven approach to water and wastewater monitoring to include flood forecasting in its watershed as a means of managing reservoirs and improving flood preparation efforts.”
Point: Summary leading the buyer to the most logical next step on the buyer’s journey which is for them to engage in a middle buyer’s journey piece of content
These examples are all superlative for very different reasons. But they are all achieving a singular set of outcomes. First, get the buyer engaged with your company, brand, message and content. Second, foster movement through the buyer’s journey and the supplier’s sales funnel simultaneously.