If I hear about Marie Kondo one more time, I am going to scream.
As someone who appreciates a minimalist aesthetic, I don’t have an underlying issue with her approach – simplifying and eliminating that which does not ‘spark joy’ is commendable and something that most people need. But the question that remains to be asked in the KonMarie method is the most important one – why did you have the stuff in the first place?
There are plenty of blog posts floating around announcing that 2019 is the year to ‘Marie Kondo’ your communications strategy. And I am completely on board with the idea. But the bigger question has to be asked – why did you have this element in your strategy to begin with, and what are you doing with the platforms that remain?
There is no sense in having additional social platforms “just because”. If your audience doesn’t exist there or arent open to influence on a particular platform (hello SnapChat) then there is no point in taking the time and effort to publish content on the platform. And if publishing content on the platform takes no time and effort, then that is a bigger issue.
Investigate your communications or ‘amplification’ strategy at all levels. Be critical and analytical, review results and make sure it aligns with your business’ long-term goals. Create specific content for the platform that engages your audience and is appropriate for the platform. Don’t just duplicate the same content for each platform because its easy.
There are two things that all businesses, no matter what industry or market, should be doing – creating content that is housed in your website (be that with a blog, newsfeed or video stream) and an email list that is being communicated to regularly. But consider who the audience is for those communications. If you’re running an email marketing campaign for a wedding venue, are you targeting future brides? Probably not. But you might be sharing great case studies with your industry peers who could be recommenders for your venue. You could be inviting them to industry specific events that you’re hosting to create influence. There are lots of ways you could be engaging with them – but its important to remember that is a sub section of your audience.
As for the others, consider whether or not you’re adding value to your audience (whomever they might be) on these platforms, and whether or not you’re RECEIVING any value out of them. The key is to target specific audiences on specific platforms and to share with them content that adds value and encourages them to engage. The content across these platforms will sometimes cross over, and other times it will be completely unique and specific for that platform – as it should be.
Middle aged market, and lots of consumers. Not the place to have a B2B conversation.
Harder and harder to create cut through – but there are PLENTY of people on the platform. Great place for sharing articles.
Twitter
Fantastic for events and crafting industry news-specific feeds. More business dominated than personal influence and a more male audience.
LinkedIn
Great place for business conversations and a point of influence for those in formal and regulated industries. Personal profile should be managed as well as your business page, and it is a great place for sharing industry-specific articles.
Youtube
If you make videos, host them on Youtube. It’s great for search results and reaching a wide audience. Really wide target market across both genders – but only for one content type.
Snapchat
Very specialised content type that can be difficult for most businesses to maintain, and there are questions around its effectiveness for conversion. Best for younger audiences.
Instagram
Pretty pictures and lots of them. Younger audience, more female dominated. Great place for influence in consumer goods and services markets, but not for a B2B conversation. More centered on showcasing your services, as engaging with links is still difficult on the platform.
Google +
This platform is dying – so after 28 February, don’t bother at all.
Google My Business
This is where you should now be updating content for Google. New images of product or service are important, but it’s also a great source of analytics for your business.
Email Marketing
If you’re not doing it, now is the time. Leverage your existing audience in the place where they will ALWAYS be – their inbox. Consider who your target audience is here and tailor your content to that audience.
Blog
This is the hub of your strategy. Content should be being published regularly, and should inform some of what is being published on all platforms.
PR
PR and Marketing aren’t the same. PR and Social Media aren’t the same. They often cross over but they are not designed to do the same thing. If you’re operating in the PR space, make sure that you have clear objectives in mind and are conscious of precisely what you are trying to achieve here.
Paid Advertising
Be specific and deliberate about the use of Paid Advertising. Campaign-based or key periods of the year. Whether this is on Google, Youtube, Print Advertising, Billboards Instagram or Facebook, pick the platform to invest in that your market is using – not a spray and pray approach.
App
If you’re still running an independent app in 2019, you had best be doing it deliberately. What value does it offer that is separate to your website? What are customers getting out of the app? If you can’t answer that, let it go.
The key here is simplicity. Do a few things, and do them well. Don’t try to be everything to everyone everywhere. Tailor your content to the platform to which you are creating and make sure that it is relevant. This is a very brief overview of some of the ways you can amplify your message – but I would encourage you to analyse it in your own strategy. If you don’t know what platforms are best for you, don’t know where to start or what you should be focussing on, I would love to help you with a Content Strategy session. We can take a chance to review your existing activities, what is working and what isn’t, and what you could be doing in 2019 to yield better results. Simply get in touch via email on emma@emdesigns.com.au and let’s simplify your communications strategy.
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