Impacting the Conversation through Thought Leadership | Heather Dondis | 395

Traditionally, great marketing requires a big budget, a great deal of manpower, and broad advertising. When your organization isn't able to compete in those arenas, what can you do to punch above your weight class? To help us level up, we've invited Heather Donids, the Director of Thought Leadership and Insight at Harbor Capital Advisors to join us for a chat. Harbor Capital Advisors is an investment company that specializes in helping clients achieve the financial security they deserve. Together, we explore the ways thought leadership sits outside of the traditional streams of marketing. When done properly, thought leadership allows companies and individuals to compete on a higher level — but only if they have something to say, and the conviction to broadcast and shepherd that idea. Once your organization has zeroed in on the message they want to share, you'll need to get it to the right audience. Heather explains how she views thought leadership as an asset, comparing it to human capital. If you develop a content strategy and program, you can create a strategic asset that can be measured, compounded, and guided. The goal is to use many voices and mediums to reach your audience where they naturally spend their time; both in terms of what they are thinking about, and where they are, physically. Three Key Takeaways: * Thought leadership needs to be in perfect alignment with your company's business strategy and values. * If you have someone in your organization with something valuable to say, equip them with the tools they need to take that message to scale. * Proper curation of thought leadership will cut through the clutter and put the spotlight on important ideas.