Why would we do this? To increase sales!
Countless articles, studies, and editorials have been published regarding how people prefer doing business with people they trust. There are few better ways to earn trust than to be considered a recognized industry expert.
When Andy turned to me for help I did some cursory exploration into what I had to work with. Turned out that my job was easy. Andy is very accomplished, he has a large amount of industry experience, frequently authors technical papers, enjoys public speaking, travels the world routinely, and really knows his stuff. What Andy was lacking, at the time, was widespread recognition, in his target industry, for all the resources that he offers. I turned Andy on to social media, particularly blogging, and helped him gain several editorial invitations. He earned the rest himself.
Andy established his Semiconductor/Power Semiconductor Assembly blog (note the tightly-specific focus) and dove in head first. His posts, combined with his editorials, articles, and technical presentations quickly earned him positions on editorial boards, as well as more invitations to speak and write. The increased exposure to his defined target audience, including many tacit 3rd-party endorsements, is compelling. When a trade magazine names you to their editorial board, their readers assume they respect you. Same for being invited to address trade organizations. Andy's target audience quickly learned that he is the real deal. Trust me when I tell you that this effort paid off handsomely.
This article can help you, the B2B Marcom practitioner, understand the principles behind establishing personalities at your organization as recognized industry experts. It can also help you convince your talent that they should become recognized. Often people, especially (in my case) engineers, feel that "going Hollywood" is just an ego trip. Showing them that there are practical, sales-, market share-, and profit-related reasons for doing so helps convince them. Developing irrefutable metrics is another way to get them moving in the right direction.
Let me know if you'd like any support in getting YOUR staff recognized as an industry expert. Glad to help!