Peter WinickFounder and CEO @ Thought Leadership Leverage

Go to Market Research - Thought Leadership Leverage

5 Jan 2015 · 2 min

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2:01

In this concise presentation, Peter Winick emphasizes the critical role of market research in creating effective thought‑leadership content. He opens with an anecdote about a client who believed his 600‑page book was wholly original, only to learn that 98 % of the ideas were not unique—a problem that could have been avoided with proper market research. Winick then outlines a step‑by‑step framework: first, identify competitors and assess whether your offering is quicker, better, cheaper, faster, or smarter; second, understand the target audience’s perceptions, usage patterns, and content preferences; third, use these insights to tailor your content and fill gaps left by competitors. He expands the concept of competition to include distribution and strategic partners, suggesting that aligning with non‑competing but like‑minded entities (e.g., pairing sales‑focused content with negotiation experts) can broaden reach. The talk concludes with a call to “do your homework,” continuously research the market climate, seek partnership opportunities, and ensure your content consistently addresses unmet needs.

Chapters

Peter Winick here with Thought Leadership Leverage, and today we're talking about market research. I once had a client that wrote a 600-page book on change, and when I asked him about his influences, he said, I didn't want to look at anything else. I wanted to go at it all from scratch. I ended up breaking his heart just a little bit when I told him that 98% of his ideas weren't particularly unique. It was frustrating and it was depressing, but it was easily avoidable with a little bit of market research. The key question you have to ask yourself is what makes your process stand out amongst every other mousetrap? Are you doing something quicker, better, cheaper, faster, or smarter than the competition? Who else is in your market? What do they offer? What do they do well? What do they struggle with? Once you know who your competitors are, the next question to ask is what does your target audience look like? How do they feel about your competitors? How do they utilize their existing services? How do they prefer to engage with content? Solid market research answers these questions pretty quickly and gives you the opportunity to customize your content to meet the needs of your audience and fill the gaps left by the competition. But market research doesn't just have to be us versus them, who's who competition. Most of us don't have the distribution capabilities necessary for growth in our immediate client base. Market research helps identify like-minded individuals in your field, potential distribution partners, potential strategic partners, someone whose clients share similar needs to what you offer but isn't a direct competitor. Let's say you write content for salespeople. Well, it might be worth partnering with folks whose work revolves around negotiations. Do your homework. Are you quicker, better, cheaper, faster, faster or smarter, research your market climate. Look for opportunities for content and partnerships, and always make sure you're filling a gap. Thanks, and I appreciate your time.