Content Marketing

Brand strategy must resonate with the marketplace. It’s the promise and trust conveyed through the power of images, words, experience, and earned reputation. It’s the art and strategy of marketing where aesthetics, simple language, clarity of purpose, and track record of experience inspire. Use visuals that have impact with ideas and experiences that engage our hearts and minds. Find the crucial appeal that motivates action.

Impactful communication is how the power of a direct simple voice, images, and audio work together to create an experience. Let us feel, think, and do. The art of inspiration and the science of knowledge have emerged. Simple, direct, core. Don’t lose the fragile attention of your audience.

The framework for any communications message execution is process. The dictionary definition of process is “a series of actions, changes, or functions bringing about a result.” The real-life definition of process is people and teams, and the technology they employ. I have headed teams where process was a well-oiled machine requiring minimal tinkering. I have also seen departmental processes where outdated procedures and ingrained behaviors hampered production and caused conflict. Yet, any changes to such procedures would require a major organizational, cultural shift. When concerned with production, communications professionals must navigate between these different worlds. Looking for opportunities to save money is essential when creating processes, managing staff, and working with business partners.

Whether working with a well-oiled machine, building from scratch, or refining and transforming a process, internal communications, leadership, and technology skills are the backbone of success. Because process is so much about people, I find that many of my seemingly unrelated skills such as communications and educational outreach, and even branding and PR skills, are necessary. Because process is also so much about technology, my skills in application development and technical documentation are often key.

Faulty processes are very often where conflict erupts, and their resolution is how such conflicts can be abated. If one is creating a new process that requires people to do things differently, expect resistance, and expect to need branding and selling skills. Also, developing a program for educational outreach is crucial so that people can call the process their own. Of course for any expectation of success, management must have clear objectives and must support the necessary steps for development. The goal of process is similar to UNIX’s ps -e and ps -l commands —quietly working away in the background, creating good results.

Your website is a critical channel for how you first reach your audience, establish brand and value, and lead and score your customers.

Distinguish a high-impact website from an ordinary one with video, branded images and color, relevant concise engaging content, clear ROI, and thought-leadership resources. Program the back-end for a multi-channel, social, integrated experience that ensures  your company is visible and top-of-mind, and that customers are fully engaged with all the information they need.

“The world does not pay for what a person knows. But it pays for what a person does with what he knows.” -Laurence Lee

“Without credible communication, and a lot of it, employee hearts and minds are never captured.” -John P. Kotter, Leading Change

Why do training and development? Educational outreach creates bridges for better understanding and skill. Training builds teams, creates departmental processes, and very importantly sells product and services.