We\u2019ve been exploring\u00a0digital marketing strategy\u00a0over the past few weeks and fleshing out potential answers to common problems digital marketers, PR professionals, bloggers and SEOs experience.\u00a0 Let\u2019s continue this series with an element which is deceptively simple, yet in reality difficult to execute:\u00a0 cohesion of content.\u00a0 The problem I stated originally:<\/p>\n
Lack of consistent voice\/personality behind content will never allow you to build cohesion and have your ideas\/perspective reach critical mass.\u00a0 You need this in order to\u00a0condition others to share\u00a0your content.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
When I say content \u2013 I mean it in the most general way possible:\u00a0 everything from social interactions, to your blog, email campaigns, static website pages and all items in between.<\/p>\n
The issue of cohesion presents unique problems \u2013 and solutions \u2013 for different groups.<\/p>\n
For companies\/brands:<\/strong><\/p>\n
The problem:<\/strong>\u00a0how do you develop cohesion with multiple team members contributing to the web in different ways, all with their unique vantage points and creative ideas?<\/p>\n
The solution:<\/strong>\u00a0don\u2019t try and create cohesion at the micro level, create it at the macro level.\u00a0 Never micro-manage and hinder social participation, you\u2019ll fail every time.\u00a0 Instead, strategize and empower.\u00a0 Then, find a way to bring the unique energies and viewpoints of your group together in a way where the total sum of content and communications makes something larger and has greater impact than the separate pieces.<\/p>\n
Some team members will naturally have stronger voices than others.\u00a0 Find a way to maximize the impact and reach of the strongest voices as they will have the highest propensity to spread.\u00a0 Also have part of their tasks be to mentor those who may not be as confident or articulate.<\/p>\n
For micro interactions in the web, it is inefficient and the wrong approach to approve everything.\u00a0 Therefore, instead of worrying about cohesion of every single communication, put your trusted people out front and then let them go.\u00a0 This is taking a macro approach instead of micro \u2013 the right people know how to maintain cohesion.\u00a0 Look at the\u00a0example of Matt Cutts\u00a0\u2013 he is literally a force for good at Google and is just one person.\u00a0 He\u2019s trusted, sits at the intersection of PR and customer service and feels like a natural part of Google\u2019s communication strategy even if that wasn\u2019t the original intention for him.<\/p>\n
If you need an example of a company who put their entire workforce out there publicly \u2013 under the cohesion of customer service \u2013 look at\u00a0Zappos.\u00a0 They have enough people communicating that simply by having that single unifying element, they\u2019re able to penetrate the social web and be talked about consistently.\u00a0 They\u2019re so big \u2013 and their market is general enough that this works as their cohesion strategy.\u00a0 If you\u2019re smaller and trying to reach a niche market, your approach will need to be more refined.<\/p>\n
For bloggers<\/strong>:<\/p>\n
The problem:\u00a0<\/strong>viewing your blog tactically \u2013 aka, publishing day-to-day without a longer-term strategy.<\/p>\n
The solution:<\/strong>\u00a0A simple piece of advice is to stop thinking like a writer, but from the executive standpoint.\u00a0 Remember, you\u2019re not just a blogger, but as Maki states \u2013\u00a0you are the editor in chief:<\/p>\n
The editor-in-chief is the person who ultimately decides\u00a0the content direction of the publication in the\u00a0long run. Like a curator of some sort, the editor-in-chief determines what topics to cover in the editorial calendar and\u00a0decides how\u00a0content is\u00a0arranged together in a way which coheres with the standards of the publication as well as\u00a0its overall strategy\/purpose.<\/p>\n
The editor-in-chief is responsible for keeping up to date with\u00a0reader needs, industry news\u00a0and competitor publications. He\/she is a specialist in analyzing and framing news sources in order to emphasize specific unique angles. This is the person who looks at a piece of writing, thinks beyond copy, and asks: How can I best use this to improve the publication as a whole?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Consider the overarching themes your content is communicating to readers and how slowly but surely your ideas paint larger pictures.\u00a0 Another way to think of it is consider your blog as a never ending book with a finite thesis you plan to explore from infinite angles.\u00a0 This will force you to create cohesion of content and also allow you tobe consistent in creating it.<\/p>\n
Whereas companies have issues creating consistency of voice, this isn\u2019t difficult for bloggers.\u00a0 They don\u2019t have to think about it,\u00a0 they just do it.\u00a0 Bloggers attain cohesion of voice because it\u2019s always their words \u2013 edited only by themselves.\u00a0 If you go to\u00a0Rob Diana\u2019s blog\u00a0and click on any posts he wrote, you know it\u2019s going to be in his voice and that it\u2019s going to be interesting.\u00a0 Not like he has to try to be Rob.\u00a0 Which is why if you are a blogger, you have an advantage against almost all larger organizations producing content in your niche.\u00a0 You can be more passionate, consistent and cohesive than any publication with a large staff.\u00a0 It\u2019s whether you choose to activate that advantage strategically or not that sets you apart.\u00a0 Note \u2013 this\u00a0can and is<\/em>\u00a0applied by tight knit groups of bloggers, it isn\u2019t limited to individuals \u2013 you just need to all be on the same page.<\/p>\n
For PR pros\/marketers<\/strong><\/p>\n
The problem:\u00a0<\/strong>your client or brand is always changing their mind\/image\/strategy<\/p>\n
The solution:\u00a0<\/strong>somehow, you need to get team members to buy into a longer term strategy if you hope for your\u00a0digital marketing\u00a0to have increasing returns.\u00a0\u00a0Buzz is a vital element to digital PR, but spikes aren\u2019t nearly as effective if they don\u2019t have cohesion with your larger strategy.\u00a0 You can\u2019t expect to build\u00a0influence, trust or authority\u00a0in a market if you\u2019re skipping from one thing to the next and others are headed down a clear, cohesive path.<\/p>\n
Previously in this series:\u00a0<\/strong>audience acquisition<\/p>\n
Next in this series:<\/strong>\u00a0placating executives\/others by executing their bad ideas<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We\u2019ve been exploring\u00a0digital marketing strategy\u00a0over the past few weeks and fleshing out potential answers to common problems digital marketers, PR … <\/p>\n