I've been in category creation in the large enterprise space, and it can be tough. You end up playing the evanglist role a lot, and get a lot of interested people complimenting your solution--but if it is so different from the existing paradigm, a) it is hard to wean people away from that, and b) when you do, the sales cycles are elongated because they can't change on a dime.
I think Nick is right, thought leadership is valuable, as is publicity like conference exhibits. And if there are thought leaders / influencers in the space, getting them to be advocates would be helpful.
My number 1 piece of advice though, is that you have to include in your ICP the criterion that the buyer is innovative & experimental. You need to target the "leading edge" who are willing to try something new. That can be across industries, seniority levels, etc. So for example, I would look at people who post a lot on LinkedIn, or speak at conferences, or talk about awards their companies have won. That level of innovation is a signal that they may be more willing to try something new more quickly than the average buyer.
