As a B2B tech company, it’s important to harness the power of thought leadership to build your business and its leaders as innovative experts in your industry, helping you rise above the competition. Unfortunately, just having the title of CEO, CTO or chief visionary doesn’t automatically qualify your spokesperson as credible it in today’s crowded tech landscape.
Yes, having a recognizable title gives your spokespeople some clout (after all, they deserve it), but one way to beef up that thought leadership credibility — and perception for prospects and customers — is through individual awards. Whether it be a “Most Influential People” mention of your CEO or an inclusion of your CTO in a “Top IT Professionals” list, these recognitions can build up the personal brands that make up your spokespeople roster. Here are a few ways:
Third-party validation
No matter how much you sing your spokesperson’s praises, those affirmations only go so far. Individual awards give the opportunity for third-party validation of that technical expertise or leadership ability when outside parties are searching for your spokesperson’s name. While many of these awards take coworker feedback into account, they also have a vetting process that gives your spokesperson extra credibility.
Comparison against other leaders/experts
Sure, you think your CEO is the greatest leader to ever exist — but how do they stack up against other CEOs out there? Receiving an award where they’ve beat out other similar experts will automatically heighten your spokesperson’s thought leadership credibility in the space.
Recruitment/prospecting
Similar to company-wide awards, individual awards can impact the way your potential employees and customers think about your business. After all, everyone wants to work for and utilize the services of someone who’s a leader in the field. By tracking down awards that confirm your unique company culture and industry ability through individual executives, you can uniquely position yourself against competitors that might be on the minds of potential job candidates and prospects.
Before you write individual awards off as only an ego-boost for your executives, consider the impacts that a little bit of recognition could have on your thought leadership credibility. Want to know how PANBlast can help you chase after the awards that are right for your spokespeople? Contact Lindsey Groepper to learn more!