In the not so distant past, professional service organization’s thought of their public facing website as the be-all and end-all of their digital presence.
As social media grew in general popularity, most organizations have sent digital “shoots” out to explore communication possibilities beyond their website. Larger organizations eventually recognized social media’s marketing potential and have capitalized quite well. Smaller firms, not so much.
And very few firms, large or small, understand the power of thought leadership for market positioning, creative exploration, community building, and innovation.
Professional service organizations that encourage their leadership and employees to build work-related brands and conduct social media based public research/marketing outside of the organization’s branded, controlled website are unicorns.
In this excellent article, Bob Lalasz of Science + Story explores this concept he’s coined “Guerilla Thought Leadership”. I would encourage you to read it and consider how your organization’s website can incorporate, stimulate, and connect to your staff’s guerilla thought leadership versus control and hide it behind the walls of your carefully curated branded website.