Great Content Is No Silver Bullet
At a dinner the other day I got into a heated discussion regarding content marketing.
I personally don’t believe content to be a social silver bullet of sorts, but I seem to be in a minority position on this one.
As I see it, great content is merely a hygiene factor. If you don’t have great content, you’re not even in the race.
If you do have it, then you’re at least qualified to compete. But that’s it.
Because it’s just as much about logistics (timing, platform, channel) and social psychology (narcissism, incentives, relationships)—as it is about content. (For instance, see How To Spin A Blog Post.)
So, if you’re like me and you don’t trust content alone to do the job, then here’s a good checklist for your next digital endeavor:
who: Social Media Intelligence
You find out what your targets like, what they talk about, what they search for, what they engage with.
what: Digital Marketing Strategy
If it gets measured, it gets done. And if you’re about to measure something, make sure your goals are clearly defined.
when: Social Media Optimization
Someone was first to say, ‘Timing is everything’ and many have agreed since. Give people what they want when they want it.
where: Channel Strategy (Owned, Earned & Paid)
You shouldn’t choose platform first. You choose platform when you know the who, the what and the when.
why: Online Messaging
Speech writers all over will tell you what a difference wording makes. However powerful, the art of framing shouldn’t be taken too lightly.
in what way: Creative/Creation Process
If you have done your homework so far, your creative process should be a breeze.
by what means: Project/Community Management
Allocating resources and executing the planned activites—and analyze the outcome so your efforts can improve.
