Inch by Inch: a Lesson in Branding

[Any Given Sunday, 4:30]

People want to be engaged with the information they receive. That's why Twitter, Facebook, blogs and other online meeting spots are so popular. People vote with their likes and ratings, comments, retweets, links, and discussions.

Blogs and portals are not becoming like old media, in fact, media online is doing a fine job of evolving around one simple idea - a concept Arianna Huffington talked about recently. "We don't just write about a story. If it matters, we stay with the story until there is impact," she said recently at the PRSA International conference.

Whether you love or hate her, Arianna Huffington obviously "gets" the medium:

• be first
• take a position
• your name is your best brand
• let your readers be your evangelists through social media
• images tell a story

But she - like the players in the video clip - are bound to give others a black eye by playing it fast and loose with publication rights or the next move. HuffPo seems to have no coherent editorial direction, and the quality of the articles is highly uneven. She's in love with celebrity, including her own.

This is something today's marketers and communicators need to understand - you need to work your content, but forget it's about you. Work it inch by inch, as Coach Pacino says in Any Given Sunday, and make progress. Inch by inch is how you'll start measuring the impact of your participation.

And, by the way, think of clawing your way to success in terms of conquering your own limitations, as a team, or you'll languish individually. Check out all of the successes and find team mates around, behind, or with the players. There are no lone rangers, only selfish people. Just like in life.

Are you with me so far?

So why on earth...

• send a news release out after, no doubt, a month-long of approvals, to then walk away from it?
• put a piece of content up on your site and never work it to build conversation?
• wait until all words are neigh perfectly nonsensical to post them in the first place?
• write in a nice monotone, monochromatic style to appeal to everyone when you know who you want to attract?
• give all the neat bullets when you know that people respond to story?
• allow only window shopping with your content, when people could be buying by following calls to action?
• talk inside speak outside, if you want traction?
• not give people a reason to care about your content?
• attempt the intellectual route for emotional issues?
• fail to respond to the needs of your audience for depth, or lateral information?
• out all your voices in one piece and not spread them each with their own channel?
• go for average, when you can be different?

Pacino understands the value and power of branding. He's not telling the team to go out of their way to benchmark what all the other players are doing. He doesn't work on maximizing someone else's model. He doesn't ask how he could be a better "me too" team.

In his talk, he makes it clear that the players need to go out and work the story until they find impact. The interaction is where your content finds legs. You build that interaction inch by inch, allowing the story to spread, gather reactions, find an audience who will share it and even refashion it.

Stop being attached to the darn message and start paying attention to what people experience of your content. Watch how they engage with it. That's branding by story.

© 2006-2009 Valeria Maltoni. All rights reserved.

Comments

[David Weinfeld]

Great post and fantastic use of the clip from "Any Given Sunday." This is one of my favorite scenes from the movie.

You make many strong points throughout the article. I am struck by your passion for the need to let one's content live and breathe throughout the community. A publisher must give content legs. Content must be give the opportunity to etend its reach, even in ways that the publisher may never have considered.

Once a piece of content is published online, it is no longer the sole possession of the publisher. It is a living entity whose survival and growth is dependant upon the nuturing it receives from others. In relinquishing control of one's content and ideas, the community is empowered to become an active part of its future.

[Aaron Templer]

Always such a good reminder, and well put. Thanks. (Was it Seth Godin that said "drip, drip, drip?")

[Coree Silvera]

Thanks Valeria for a kick in the butt. You made a couple points that really struck me.

Why would I think that after pouring myself into writing an article that a simple tweet or two would be enough to spark conversation? I mean, I know I write decent content, but seriously...I know better. Social media is not just about broadcasting a most recent post, but engaging followers in the reasons behind the post, drawing them into the conversation.

The other point that I love/hate is using that mediocre I-want-to-please-everyone tone rather than the opinionated snarky self that I can be. I'm always up for a good debate...as long as I win. ;-)

Thanks, again. Time to get to work.

[Brian Driggs]

I love the idea of inch by inch. To me, it speaks to being real. Be yourself (since you should believe in what you're selling), but don't focus on yourself. It's like writing for your audience, but rather than just writing what you think your audience would like, engage them and find out what they need, then fill that need in the way they want it filled.

Some people want ice cream, but some people want milkshakes. Still other people just want a glass of milk. By being a part of the audience (though serving), it's possible to make sure there is just enough milk and ice cream around to make everybody happy.

[Valeria Maltoni]

@David - we're barely scratching the surface on actual conversation online. I was on a a train last night and was struck by the similarities of intent we seek to borrow from the real world online. Getting to know each other, testing the waters on potential synergies, the curiosity about each other... all of these dynamics can be ignited through the wise use of content. In fact, I'm thinking content is the equivalent of non verbals online. The signals we make to others on whether we're open to conversation and being engaged or if we want to continue reading our book (broadcast our own message) in peace.

@Aaron - it was Seth, yes. Thank you for stopping by.

@Coree - you do know better, I agree with you ;) This is a collective kick in the butt for sure. We're all so focused on producing quality content, that often we miss the conversation party altogether. Then there's the issue of being moderate vs. taking a definite stand. Although many of us do stake a stand, we don't do it as forcefully and it often gets lost in the business. But I don't advocate being cutting and controversial for its own sake or just to get dozens of comments... that, too is not conversation.

@Brian - yeah, in the real world nothing happens overnight, does it? It's a daily conquest, something we work towards, or to use a sailing analogy, we tuck into.

[Codruta Moga]

Thank you for this inspiring post.

It reminds me that in order to get somewhere you have to work and put brick by brick and that every effort you do matters. I see that some people want overnight success, but dont look into the details and the work put to get there.

As they say "Rome wasn't build in day"