The Importance of Thought Leadership with Matt Spaulding
09/05/22 • 44 min
One of the things I love most about having a podcast is the amazing connections I make because of it. I met Matt Spaulding of Spaulding Communications at NeoCon this past year and it was because of this podcast. Listen as he shares his story and why thought leadership is so important to building a brand and business that people trust.
As with most of us, Matt happened into the contract interiors industry. He was working for a PR and Marketing firm and a couple of his really good clients were companies within the industry. After 9/11 happened, the firm decided they needed to shut down one of their branches and cut ties with the clients that those branches were serving.
He reached out to the heads of some of the companies he was working with and let them know that he’d be happy to take them on in his own business. They agreed and several of them are still with him today.
When building a brand, it’s important to realize that thought leadership is the key to client and customer trust. In order to build trust you have to have written communications that show your potential clients and customers what it would be like to work with you. This is exactly what Matt does.
Listen in to hear his thoughts about the importance of thought leadership, why the words you use in relation to your brand are more important than your logo, and examples of how he’s helped his clients reach new heights. Such great nuggets of information were shared during this conversation and you won’t want to miss out.
In this episode:
[01:47] Welcome to the show Matt Spaulding!
[04:30] How he ended up in the industry.
[07:34] Learn what a marketing communications company does.
[15:12] Matt gives us his definition of thought leadership and why he believes it’s so important.
[18:22] When people give you their email address they are saying that it’s okay to talk to them.
[22:31] People want to connect with people which is another key to thought leadership.
[26:00] There are two sides to marketing communications, the promotion side and the company values side.
[29:38] What he believes companies need to do differently with their marketing.
[34:40] Share the story behind your product, whose idea it was, why is the design important or what materials are you using to help the environment.
Links & Resources:
The Insider
Support the Trend Report
Connect with Matt:
Connect with Sid:
Connect with Sid:
www.sidmeadows.com
Embark CCT on Facebook
Sid on LinkedIn
Sid on Instagram
Sid on YouTube
Sid on Clubhouse - @sidmeadows
Subscribe to my LinkedIn Newsletter. https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/inside-contract-interiors-7298489501159460865/
The Trend Report introduction music is provided by Werq by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4616-werq License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
One of the things I love most about having a podcast is the amazing connections I make because of it. I met Matt Spaulding of Spaulding Communications at NeoCon this past year and it was because of this podcast. Listen as he shares his story and why thought leadership is so important to building a brand and business that people trust.
As with most of us, Matt happened into the contract interiors industry. He was working for a PR and Marketing firm and a couple of his really good clients were companies within the industry. After 9/11 happened, the firm decided they needed to shut down one of their branches and cut ties with the clients that those branches were serving.
He reached out to the heads of some of the companies he was working with and let them know that he’d be happy to take them on in his own business. They agreed and several of them are still with him today.
When building a brand, it’s important to realize that thought leadership is the key to client and customer trust. In order to build trust you have to have written communications that show your potential clients and customers what it would be like to work with you. This is exactly what Matt does.
Listen in to hear his thoughts about the importance of thought leadership, why the words you use in relation to your brand are more important than your logo, and examples of how he’s helped his clients reach new heights. Such great nuggets of information were shared during this conversation and you won’t want to miss out.
In this episode:
[01:47] Welcome to the show Matt Spaulding!
[04:30] How he ended up in the industry.
[07:34] Learn what a marketing communications company does.
[15:12] Matt gives us his definition of thought leadership and why he believes it’s so important.
[18:22] When people give you their email address they are saying that it’s okay to talk to them.
[22:31] People want to connect with people which is another key to thought leadership.
[26:00] There are two sides to marketing communications, the promotion side and the company values side.
[29:38] What he believes companies need to do differently with their marketing.
[34:40] Share the story behind your product, whose idea it was, why is the design important or what materials are you using to help the environment.
Links & Resources:
The Insider
Support the Trend Report
Connect with Matt:
Connect with Sid:
Connect with Sid:
www.sidmeadows.com
Embark CCT on Facebook
Sid on LinkedIn
Sid on Instagram
Sid on YouTube
Sid on Clubhouse - @sidmeadows
Subscribe to my LinkedIn Newsletter. https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/inside-contract-interiors-7298489501159460865/
The Trend Report introduction music is provided by Werq by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4616-werq License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Previous Episode
A New Approach with Ryan Leavitt of Pillar Booth
Before Covid happened, there was a major push toward open-concept, collaborative workspaces that increased teamwork and transparency. The problem then became, what do you do when you’re taking an important phone call and need a private space? Enter Pillar Booth, the leading manufacturer of freestanding phone booths designed to create private areas in open office spaces.
Ryan Leavitt’s good friend Sam Matthew was a frequent traveler and spent a great deal of time in communal co-working spaces all over the world. He’d had the idea for sound insulated phone booths for years, but it wasn’t until they were together that things started to move forward.
What they’ve done is to provide private workspaces that are easily assembled, nice to look at, and space saving. Rather than having to run into a hallway or a car to take an important call, you can now sit, stand, or lean into those conversations while still maintaining a communal work environment.
As Ryan says, they’re not the first to make phone booths, they just make better phone booths with a greater purpose. Listen as he shares more about the company’s history, why their product is even more important post-Covid, and what makes their go-to-market strategy so innovative.
This was a fantastic conversation filled with invaluable insights and I cannot wait for you to listen.
In this episode:
[01:47] Welcome to the show Ryan!
[02:12] He shares about his background, company and what they do.
[03:22] Listen as Ryan discusses what led him to the furniture industry.
[06:26] He explains what problem phone booths solve.
[09:16] Ryan talks about why the industry doesn’t embrace sales enablement.
[12:50] “I want you to hit the pause button and re-listen to what Ryan just said.”
[15:17] He shares Pillar Booth’s go to market strategy.
[21:26] Ryan discusses locally sourcing products and being American made.
[23:29] I share my opinion on why the industry isn’t post sale focused.
[26:22] Pillar Booth is set up to be a lead generating source for dealers.
[28:05] He gives us a peek into what is coming up for Pillar Booth.
[31:07] Thank you so much for being on the show!
Links & Resources:
The Insider
Support the Trend Report
Connect with Ryan:
Email | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Connect with Sid:
Connect with Sid:
www.sidmeadows.com
Embark CCT on Facebook
Sid on LinkedIn
Sid on Instagram
Sid on YouTube
Sid on Clubhouse - @sidmeadows
Subscribe to my LinkedIn Newsletter. https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/inside-contract-interiors-7298489501159460865/
The Trend Report introduction music is provided by Werq by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4616-werq License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Next Episode
Leveraging LinkedIn with Joshua B. Lee
I'm speaking with the Dopamine Dealer of Linked In - Joshua B. Lee who is well seasoned in online advertising. He currently owns Standout Authority which brings human components back to the face of marketing. They specialize in personal branding and success utilizing LinkedIn
Despite the fact that LinkedIn has been in use for over 15 years, current data shows that the platform is on the up and providing the next great space for business connections.
Building relationships with your audience on LinkedIn may seem like a daunting task, but it’s really no different from building real-world relationships. Engaging in the content of your audience is easily achieved by leaving comments that show that you value what they have to say and by sending messages as they relate to content posted.
The future of sales and the opportunity to be a thought leader on LinkedIn is happening right now and you’ll want to be on the bus before the platform takes the next leap that Josh insists will blow your mind.
In this episode:
[01:47] Welcome to the show Joshua!
[02:16] Joshua B. Lee and the Standout Authority.
[06:14] The standard LinkedIn Audience falls into a higher income and education bracket than other platforms.
[07:58] Why creating content on LinkedIn is valuable.
[09:33] How to shift your perspective on LinkedIn to see more things that you want to see.
[10:38] Who is using research for Linked in?
[12:47] LinkedIn is the most trusted social media platform.
[13:07] Businesses are missing out by not allowing their sales representatives to utilize LinkedIn.
[15:06] The shift of brand advocacy and the value of developing your personal brand online.
[18:15] How to optimize your profile and your content with the 10/20/70 rule.
[24:47] People make decisions based on some facet of emotions and that needs to be incorporated into your content on LinkedIn.
[29:11] Why sending direct messages to strangers on LinkedIn (or any platform) doesn’t work.
[36:50] Asking relevant questions on LinkedIn that can help you provide value to your audience.
[39:06] Dopamine is key to building relationships and here is how you can bring it to your engagement.
Links & Resources:
The Insider
Support the Trend Report
Connect with Joshua
Standout Authority
Standout Authority Community
Rock Your LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn | Twitter | F
Connect with Sid:
www.sidmeadows.com
Embark CCT on Facebook
Sid on LinkedIn
Sid on Instagram
Sid on YouTube
Sid on Clubhouse - @sidmeadows
Subscribe to my LinkedIn Newsletter. https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/inside-contract-interiors-7298489501159460865/
The Trend Report introduction music is provided by Werq by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4616-werq License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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