The Top 3 Takeaways From our Discussion With Allan Gates

Allan Gates is a co-founder and president of Bonfire, a full-service integrated marketing and communications agency. Based in Saint John, New Brunswick, Bonfire offers brand storytelling services to a growing roster of clients in the United States and Canada. 

Allan spoke to our cohort about thought leadership and the role of PR and Content Marketing; here are three key takeaways from Allan Gates’ discussion:

 1. Pick your spots. 

Start by focusing on a few thought leadership tactics and work on doing them well - the rest will follow suit. Stick with the tactics that make sense for your brand; that could mean focusing on media relations, blogging, and speaking opportunities rather than focusing on podcasting or awards. Social media is a tactic that almost every brand should leverage – it allows you to build a two-way communication channel with your audience.

 2. Have a point of view.

Having something to say is what builds your brand’s following. Although having a point of view will always run the risk of attracting some negativity, if you don’t have a point of view you are not interesting or relevant to your audience. That means you won’t stand out - that is a bigger risk. Don’t be afraid to call out bad decision making but do so in a constructive way. Pick the right horse and expect critics. 

 3. Is it news?

Too many brands issue press releases reasoning that if it’s important to them, it will be important to the media. Often, it’s not. Make sure there is news value in your announcement before going through the process of developing and issuing a press release. Is the news important to an external audience? Will it get covered? Is there a better way to share this news? Sometimes a blog post is better or consider offering the news to a journalist as an exclusive. 

 To build your thought leadership position, be informative and add value to your audience, have a point of view to stand out, and always be consistent.