It's Your Content -- Take Control of It!
Michael Weiss, imagistic
It used to be that marketing on the web involved simply pushing content to your audience, hoping they would read it, consider, select, purchase, use, and recommend. Now, online marketing has literally become a conversation between you and your audiences. In fact, with blogs and the ability to post comments, sometimes you're not even involved in some of your best or worst marketing efforts.
User generated content, regardless if you like it or not, is now part of your content strategy. And with that, comes the responsibility to manage it.
As more organizations see their marketing budgets shrink, traditional media efforts stagnate. The effort to stay competitive, profitable, and nimble will require more online initiatives -- which in turn opens more avenues to dialog with your constituents.
When you launch an integrated marketing plan, you're most likely producing content for a web site, a landing page, a blog, a newsletter, and perhaps a Facebook or MySpace page. While you may have control over the content on your web site and landing page, the reality is that on all other outlets your audiences are going to make comments and get involved.
This is great, right?
Not always. The old adage states, "There is no such thing as bad PR." But does that ring true in the new age of online marketing? What if the comments are negative or disparaging? What if they're offensive? What if they're completely off topic? What if they become viral or even SPAM?
The key to a successful integrated marketing plan is to take control of your content. This requires that you actually put someone IN control -- not merely a person to create and edit content, but one who can and will manage it, watch it, and cultivate it.
You need someone to delete offensive and questionable comments; to write inspirational blog posts; to create pieces of content that reflect and support your mission, your brand, your position.
Your content is a living thing. It is no longer stagnant, just words on the screen. As you spread the word through all of these different channels, it's critical your content is well written, concise and consistent. Whatever you say on your web site must be reflected in your newsletter and your blog. When you broadcast your message on all of these channels, you are in fact extending and strengthening your brand. It is crucial that all of your outlets support each other and create the sense of an integrated and consistent image.
Between writing, posting, and editing newsletters, blogs and user generated comments, managing content has become an everyday activity. With the right tools (a well developed and implemented CMS) and a content editor, you now have the capability and the responsibility to develop integrated, exciting, and focused marketing campaigns that will create a dialogue between you and your constituents.
Take the reins. Take control of your content.
About Michael Weiss
Michael's business development and marketing prowess has been a driving force in imagistic's growth over the past eleven years. His knowledge, vision and ability to speak "English, not tech" have helped turn top-tier companies such as Technicolor, Hollywood.com, Network For Good and California Pizza Kitchen into long-term clients. As the Director of all sales and PR efforts Michael’s goal is to guide clients from the initial sales pitch to the eventual launch of their product. His objective is to work with a client to help them realize their vision and create a Web site that inspires, educates and engages end users.
Along with his extensive management, marketing and sales experience, Michael has a background in education and counseling. He's taught at the Crossroads School, Palms Middle School, and Daniel Webster Middle School, all located in Los Angeles. Michael is a contributor for The Nonprofit Technology Network as a speaker at their annual conference and offering his expertise to nonprofits through webinars, online office hours and writing articles. He has also spoken at FS/TEC, Boston University, The Center for Nonprofit Management, Network For Good, Pepperdine University and others.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Boston University, and earned a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology from Loyola-Marymount University. He is on the Advisory Boards for The Ojai Foundation and The Wildwoods Foundation.
