One of the staples of any thought leadership program is the byline article. Organizations or individuals looking to establish a place at the forefront of their industries write an informational article about a topic near and dear to their hearts, then hand it over to a targeted member of the media so it can be published and shared with that publisher’s readership. The third-party credibility that is gathered as a result of being published helps establish and/or enhance the writer’s position within his or her industry.

Yet for many organizations, that’s where it ends. The article is lauded the day it appears, passed around to those who need to know, and then summarily forgotten – until the writer drags it out again someday while seeking a promotion or a new job.

That is unfortunate, because there’s a lot more value left in that byline article. Following are some ideas on how to make a contributed article the gift that keeps on giving.

Tell Everyone You Know

Too many organizations treat the running of a byline article the way the Coca-Cola Company treats its formula for Coke – as though it’s a big secret. Instead of limiting the distribution list to the writer, his/her boss, and the person in marketing who is responsible for checking things that were supposed to happen off the list, tell everyone. If the article is available online, send it out with a link to the publication to prospects and customers, letting them know about this valuable information. Better yet, distribute it to the sales force with an intro and let them use it to create a point of contact with prospects and customers.

Place It on Your Web Site

The day the article appears you’ll want to place a link to it on your Web site – preferably on the front page. Include a brief introduction that tells why the article is important to the industry. You want visitors to realize right away that when your experts speak, the industry listens. Just remember that copyright laws prohibit you from saving the article and placing it as it appeared in the publication on your Web site without permission. These electronic reprints generally come with a small fee – but can be worth it for significant placements.

Consider Getting Reprints

Although most business and technology leaders are used to getting their news and information online, there’s still something ingrained into us that makes us feel an article is more substantive if you can hold it in your hands. If the article topic is key to your communications strategy, or being published in that particular journal establishes you as a “player” in the space, you should think about paying for printed reprints. A nice piece of glossy paper with the magazine’s masthead appearing over your expert’s words is a nice leave-behind on sales calls, and a great handout at trade shows and other events.

Include It in Your Newsletter

If you offer a printed or electronic newsletter (like this one), you can reprint the text with a mention that the article originally appeared in XYZ publication. It’s one more way to get the information directly into the hands of the people who need to know about your organization’s expertise the most, namely your customers, partners, and prospects.

Talk About It in Your Blog

Often times blog entries will reference articles from other publications or writers. So why not mention your own? It is perfectly acceptable to let fellow bloggers know that you (or someone else in your organization) have had their thoughts published in a key media outlet. It just might become the start of an interesting online conversation.

Post It on the Company Bulletin Board

While it is important to let the outside world know your experts are valued resources, it’s also a good idea to make sure your internal personnel realize it as well. Having the boss’ words published in an industry journal can create a sense of pride throughout the entire organization – and helps reinforce the message to your internal audience.

Frame It and Place It in the Lobby

This idea works better for a printed piece than an online placement from an aesthetics point of view, but it can be used for both. Obtain a crisp, clean copy of the publication and have someone with an artistic bent remove the article carefully from the rest of the magazine. Then get it matted and framed and hang it in a spot in the lobby or entryway where every visitor may see it.

If the article appears in an online-only publication, you can still make it look good by printing it on glossy (or photo) paper on a high quality color printer. Just remember that the ink may smear more easily so handle it with care until it is under glass.

These are just some of the ways you can use a thought leadership article beyond the original publication date. Doubtless you can think of others yourself.