Expertise
Developing a corporate and B2B influence strategy
I work with communications leaders and executives on the place their company can earn in its B2B market: understanding decisions as they take shape, developing a perspective that informs them and connecting evidence and voices across the relevant communities, media and institutions.
01 / DIAGNOSIS
Locate the decisions that need to be made
Each area examines a strategic question and what it means for communication.
- 01 / 04 Understand the market and take a position.
Position
The situation The company talks about its offer, but its contribution to the market’s decisions remains unclear. What to examine Compare market changes, stakeholder expectations and the offer’s capabilities. Establish which perspective the company can defend and what commitments follow. - 02 / 04 Give people reasons to trust.
Evidence
The situation The promise is clear, but the reasons to believe it remain insufficient. What to examine Establish what a case, company data or independent corroboration actually demonstrates. Evidence needs to address the reader’s uncertainty. - 03 / 04 Executives, experts and employees: distinct voices.
Voices
The situation Many people speak, but their contributions obscure the judgement of leadership and the reality of the work. What to examine Connect executive commitments, expert knowledge and employee experience. Give each person a clear remit and room for their own judgement. - 04 / 04 Connect the places where people seek information.
Circulation
The situation Media relations, advertising and publishing are managed separately. What to examine Examine connections between owned sources, third parties, communities, search and paid distribution. Each transition needs a purpose for its audience.
02 / DECISIONS
Distinguish the strategic choice from the means of communication
Strategy begins with market conditions, stakeholder expectations and the choices the company can sustain. The programme connects evidence, people and places of discussion around that position. Media relations, social networks, search and paid distribution each contribute in a different way; formats and campaigns serve more specific purposes.
These levels are connected, but one cannot stand in for another. If a new capability remains poorly recognised, examine its credibility and the audiences who could encounter it before increasing publishing frequency. If a promise exceeds what the offer can deliver, begin with the people authorised to resolve that commitment.
I work on these relationships to give editorial choices and distribution a common basis. The decisions also concern what the company can make public, expert time and the continuity of its communication beyond a campaign.
03 / READING
Examine the problem in more detail
The four areas develop these questions. The analyses examine specific situations, including the formation of an early B2B shortlist, executive team communication, knowledge held in tender responses and the meaning of an AI citation.
My approach explains the view of influence behind this work. The LinkedIn tools address one applied part of it, with explicit data and limitations.
How I approach the work