It’s hard to keep up with changes in the digital world. It seems that a new social / digital / communications platform is launching every few days, in all sorts of flavours. I recently spoke about the idea of a post-social world and how leaders should be preparing themselves by building a community and developing a buoyant communication strategy.
Chances are most of you are already aware of Simon Sinek’s monumental piece of work by the name of “Start With Why“. I’ve used his TED talk in classes and presentations over the past couple of years, mostly as an interesting video to watch with hopes that it may spark some conversation.
You’ve also heard the expression “an idea whose time has come” – and boy did it. As of today, I’ve spent 2 to 3 hours every day for the past month crunching through what I thought would be an easy branding exercise. Applying Simon’s Golden Circle to my brand, content and work has yielded some incredible discoveries and even changes to the way I approach strategy work. I encourage you to watch the video below, even if you’ve already seen it.
Still a work in progress, verbalizing my WHY has been a struggle for close to a month now, but it’s led to some interesting observations:
I’m not much for status quo. I imagine you aren’t either. Lucky for us, we’re in an industry of constant and unexpected change. I had an opportunity to share some observations about where digital communications are headed, at a recent Social Media Breakfast in yyc.
You can watch the edited version of the presentation below (less then 30 minutes), or see the whole enchilada here. I would love to see what you think and whether you agree or disagree with any of the ideas presented.
Here is a short synopsis of the presentation:
The exponential growth of online channels is like watching the explosion of TV networks in fast forward, on crack-laced steroids. So, how can you possibly buoy your marketing strategy to remain intact with all these never-ending changes? I believe the answer is by not going further down the rabbit hole, but rather by going back to the core and thinking beyond social media or traditional marketing.
I’m finding it harder and harder to recommend Facebook as an integral part of the marketing mix for my clients. Yes, they’re almost at a billion users. Yes, they have ridiculous amount of traffic. Yes, they have one of most powerful ad targeting systems… but I just have a feeling we’re seeing the crest of Facebook’s domination and you may want to look into diversifying your digital assets. Here’s why:
Image by: Alexander Bolotnov
This is the second article in the “Social Media in the C Suite” series. For more, check out “Selling Social Media to the C Suite” and the upcoming “Social Media Leadership” posts.
Yes… start at the bottom line, because that is what it’s all about. The one and only true indicator of social media success, or any marketing success of that matter, is of course… the bottom line. How much revenue was or will be generated as a result of social media efforts?
When it comes to selling Social Media to the CEO or leadership team, most of the confusion and reluctance comes from the lack of understanding of how exactly having a Twitter, Facebook or whatever account is supposed to bring in revenue. The other side of the coin is that most creative and marketing agencies can’t really verbalize this connection and make a clear, logical case for using social media in a business environment… with the exception of “let’s make this really cool thing that’ll go viral”.
In less then a week, we have an unbelievable social media conference coming to Calgary featuring some of the world renowned experts. You have a chance to see Chris Brogan, Peter Shankman, Alexandra Samuel and Julien Smith. This is a first conference of this caliber focused specifically on social media to hit #yyc.
At some point in the last year or so, someone pegged me as an influential blogger… and then it started. A constant and never-ceasing stream of daily e-mails from various PR companies mindlessly clogging up my inbox. The volume has picked up substantially and is sometimes followed up with a phone call to check “if you’ve had a chance to read our release”.
No. I haven’t. And I won’t. I never asked to receive them in the first place. We don’t have any sort of a relationship. You don’t even know who I am or what I do, other then what’s in the “NAME” and “WEBSITE” field in your spreadsheet or CRM software.
Is this what modern PR is all about these days?
Just like many of us predicted… Facebook is changing. And it doesn’t seem to be making that change for the better. Could it be because of the IPO and a need to prove their insanely high valuation? Quite possibly. Here’s what you need to know about the Top 3 Facebook changes and what they may mean for you as a user or as a brand:
I'm Ernest - Digital Marketer and Professional Speaker. I help leaders and organizations improve marketing performance.
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