Shama Hyder built Zen Media from a scrappy startup to an industry-leading agency.
She’s also distinguished herself as an international marketing luminary, delivered keynotes to packed houses in more than 20 countries, and written a couple of bestselling books. But it’s her nose for innovation that makes her the figure CMOs seek out to build brand reputation, increase market share and deliver bottom-line results.
As the acclaimed author of The Zen of Social Media Marketing (now in its 4th edition) and Momentum: How to Propel Your Marketing and Transform Your Brand in the Digital Age, Shama is a key figure behind the growth of many recognized brands.
Dear Reader,
It’s hard to believe that I started Zen Media in 2009 as a one-person company. My belief that social media would usher in a brand new era of business and communication was unflappable. I had just completed my graduate thesis on Twitter—the “new social platform” had 2000 users. Today, X( Twitter) has 375 million users.
Social media has come a long way since, and so has Zen Media. Now we have employees, partners, and clients worldwide. We’ve won multiple accolades for our work, including being honored as a Top 100 company in North America by both the United Nations and The White House.
What I am most proud of though is our incredible team and the clients around the world who trust us with their brands and their voices. There is no greater gift.
As a Henry Crown Fellow, I am also committed to being more than just an effective leader. I strive every day to be the change I wish to see. I genuinely hope that as a steward of Zen Media, together we can leave the world a better place.
If you are considering working with us or for us, I hope you will join us in this mission. You will not find a more committed or caring team. I guarantee it.
Zen Media’s 65-person team of marketing and PR specialists celebrates diversity in every context of their work—with the key always being diversity of thought. At Zen, everyone thinks, creates, and innovates in their own way, and when these many diverse perspectives and thought processes merge—amazing outcomes are inevitable.
At Zen Media, we are committed to being a merit-based, equal-opportunity organization.
We embrace each individual’s unique identity, talents, and perspectives. While we all have different beliefs, backgrounds, and opinions, we come together to drive creativity and success for our clients.
We are committed to open dialogues, respectful discourse, and creative problem-solving. We embrace neurodivergent skillsets, uniquely-abled perspectives, and the experiences of all of our employees, clients, vendors, and partners.
What does it mean to be carbon neutral? It means doing our best work for our clients while reducing our emissions every single day.
While we are already a remotely distributed company, which significantly reduces our carbon footprint, we plan on achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. By accomplishing this, we will preserve the equivalent of two football fields of forest each year—natural green space that would otherwise have been removed. We will do this by continuously measuring and reducing our carbon emissions. We limit business travel, educate our employees on sustainable practices, and continuously work to improve our impact on the environment.
Zen Media is dedicated to merit-based, equal opportunity employment. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status or any other status protected by applicable law.
Learn how to reach new audiences, showcase your brand’s
expertise, retain clients, and boost overall sales.
Minority and Women-Owned | DBE, MBE & SBE Certified | Creative + Communications + Conversions
Ready for some extra credit? I’m about to throw you some jaw-dropping stats.
In today’s B2B landscape, thought leadership content is more important than ever.
But B2B brands aren’t going all in. Why?
It isn’t as easy to track as other initiatives.
Here’s the thing, though:
Even if it’s hard to measure, it’s still meaningful.
According to the 2024 Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report, 52% of decision-makers and 54% of C-level executives spend over an hour a week consuming thought leadership content. 73% report trusting this content more than marketing materials.
And they don’t leave comments. They don’t hit the like button.
They share it on dark social, privately.
The impact is undeniable.
75% of decision-makers have explored a product or service they weren’t considering after consuming thought leadership content, and 60% realized their organization was missing an opportunity thanks to it.
If you thought those numbers sounded impressive, wait until you read this:
90% are more receptive to sales outreach from companies that share consistent, high-quality thought leadership.
86% are more likely to include these companies in the RFP process (seat at the table, anyone?), and 60% are willing to pay a premium to work with them.
You can’t make this up!
As long as B2Bs continue to choose the merely measurable over the meaningful, they’ll keep missing golden opportunities. Now that you know, you can stop your brand from falling into this trap. Stay vigilant by frequently asking yourself these 4 questions:
Question 1: How does our thought leadership content support our overall business goals and objectives?
Action: Ensure that your thought leadership content strategy is aligned with your company’s overarching business objectives, such as increasing market share, driving revenue growth, or establishing your brand as an industry leader.
Result: Ensure alignment with business objectives.
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Question 2: Does our thought leadership content address the most pressing challenges, questions, and aspirations of our target audience?
Action: Conduct thorough research to understand the needs, preferences, and pain points of your target audience. Develop thought leadership content that provides valuable insights, solutions, and perspectives that resonate with their specific challenges and goals.
Result: Stay focused on customer needs.
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Question 3: How can we track and measure the engagement and impact of our thought leadership content, even if it’s not as straightforward as other marketing metrics?
Action: Implement a comprehensive measurement framework that goes beyond simple metrics like likes and comments. Track indicators such as time spent on page, scroll depth, content downloads, newsletter sign-ups, and referral traffic. Use surveys and feedback loops to gather qualitative insights from your audience on how your content has influenced their perceptions and decisions.
Result: Accurately track engagement and impact.
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Question 4: How can we ensure that our thought leadership content is effectively integrated with our sales and marketing efforts?
Action: Collaborate closely with your sales and marketing teams to develop a cohesive content strategy that supports the entire customer journey. Use thought leadership content to nurture leads, support sales conversations, and establish your brand as a trusted resource. Provide your sales team with the tools and training they need to leverage thought leadership content effectively in their outreach and interactions with prospects.
Result: Synergistic integration with sales and marketing.
And that’s a wrap! You’ve reached the final email of the 5-Day MBA in PR. Congratulations!
You now know more about earned media and PR than the majority of business leaders out there.
Over the past week, you’ve seriously leveled up your knowledge and your game.
On Day 1, you explored different types of PR and learned how to choose what makes sense for you.
On Day 2, you discovered why a strategic distribution plan is vital to the success of earned media efforts.
On Day 3, you identified a crucial media reframe needed for maximizing visibility.
On Day 4, you figured out how to leverage contemporary events to your advantage.
On Day 5, you connected the dots between PR and sales.
And today, you learned why thought leadership content is critical—even if it isn’t as easily directly measurable as other initiatives.
This is enough to make you a very savvy business leader when it comes to PR. You should be able to ask the right questions and start driving results!
And if you found this e-Course helpful, send it to a colleague! It would be the ultimate compliment.
But the truth is, I can only go so deep in an email course.
So, if you’re wondering how I can work in a deeper capacity with you, there are a few ways I can be of service:
I genuinely hope this has been useful for you in your journey.
This isn’t goodbye, but more of an I’ll see you later!
All the best,
Shama
