When We All Pull Together
I’m sure everyone has heard this song. Of course, we sang it through pre-school and elementary school. Why? Because it’s an elementary concept.
One that kids can grasp at the youngest age: when everyone is heading in the same direction…well, you’ll end up in the same place. Wherever that may be. It doesn’t matter if you’re pulling on rope during recess (some in Washington pull hair during recess) or working on a formula to accurately judge the derivatives market. There is a beauty in pulling together.
The above example paints a picture of teams and individuals working for a single cause.
What if you’re a one man show and you own a own business. Specifically, an online company trying to make a name for yourself in cyberspace.
You have profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Google Buzz, Friendfeed, actively commenting an blogs. You manage to hit em’ all.
Here’s the question: are all of these platforms acting as independent “team members” or do they show continuity and cater to one cause?
The best companies are made up of qualified and skillful people who get along, however, one guy can bring it down if he’s responsible for broadcasting on multiple outlets.
The daily press briefing at the White House isn’t as important as it used to be, now that there are numerious channels for an administration to relay information. The press corps doesn’t have to wait till 11:00 to get receive updates from a single source.
In many ways this is a good thing. Just make sure everyone is firing at the same target.
Adam Singer, author behind The Future Buzz, states the following as one of the major problems companies have in developing a Digital Marketing Strategy.
No cohesion of content
“Lack of consistent voice/personality behind content will never allow you to build cohesion and have your ideas/perspective reach critical mass. You need this in order to condition others to share your ideas.”
What did you hear from 2007 all the way through the Fall of 2008….”Change, Change, Change…Change You Can Believe In, George Bush, Ecnonomy War In Iraq, John McCain is another George Bush.”
Regardless of what you think of Barack Obama’s policies, his campaign did an excellent job of message control and “building cohesion” around their ideas.
You don’t have to Tweet about one point and contradict it the next with Facebook for it to be a failure. By simply not broadcasting the same information across all online outlets, is asking for failure.
Chances are, the same people who visit your Facebook page will check out your Twitter and read your blog. This won’t happen in every situation, but creating redundant marketing efforts and staying focused will not only imprint your product / service into your customers minds, but show them you are serious in your approach.
This goes for traditional forms of marketing as well. Use social media to re-enforce your existing efforts. Don’t say one thing in your e-mail newsletter and Tweet another. I think you get the point.
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts. How important do you think cohesiveness is in achieving maximum results?
