How to start putting your thought leadership to work

We've already discussed how taking the time to identify some thought leadership topics is an essential starting point for any content development plan,  but how do you take those ideas and put them to work in a practical way?

The first step is to figure out what kind of content you already have and determine what it says about your company or products--in other words, conduct a collateral audit.

We've always found it easiest to create a matrix that lays out all of the important content information in an easy-to-read table like the one below (click on it to see a bigger version). When you create your matrix, list all of your collateral assets and see how your thought leadership topics fit in with what you already have. Does your content support the thought leadership ideas you've developed, or does your collateral not even mention those key topics?

When you see all of your content in one place, identifying any gaps in your collateral topics and formats will be easy. You'll also be able to clearly see the new assets you'll have to create to support your communications efforts for the year.

To learn more about conducting a collateral audit, download our free guide The Five "Must-Have" Content Strategies for Technology Marketers in 2010. If you need help getting started with your own content matrix, give us a call. We'd love to help.