We’ve all been there. We’ve built out a content calendar amidst 30 other nagging tasks and called it a day. Then we mope in our half-empty latte as to why our content isn’t converting, whether it’s platform growth, brand awareness or something bigger (like voting).
That’s because we’re looking at communications all wrong if this is our strategy. Spoiler alert: it’s not a real strategy.
How do you know if you fall in this camp? Think about your current communications strategy and let me ask you:
- Are you only focusing on posts, platforms and dates?
- Are you measuring success in volume (views, likes, comments, etc.) or outcomes?
- Does your messaging connect back to your agency’s goals?
- Does every new campaign feel like you’re starting from scratch?
Sorry to say, but you may not have a strategy in place…yet.
Why it Matters
There is a cost to only focusing on tactics when it comes to communications. Tactics are essential to create quality content, but you need a strategic view to determine which tactics to focus on, how and when.
Here’s what happens to teams when content replaces their strategy:
- Struggle to demonstrate impact beyond “we posted X times.”
- Lose trust with leadership who can’t see ROI
- Operate reactively instead of proactively
- Burn out creating more and more content that doesn’t move the needle
The problem isn’t that your team is producing content. Instead, it’s that the content isn’t tied to a purpose. If your content isn’t connected to your agency goals or those outlined in a specific campaign, you’re spinning your wheels and not gaining anything.
Think about what you want the outcome of your content to be. Is it opt-ins? Registrations? Voter turnout? Message amplification?
How to Bridge the Gap
The good news is: hope is not lost. Building a strategy can take some fine tuning, but here’s how to start:
Tie every campaign or post to a measurable goal. This could be recruitment, seasonal safety, brand awareness, etc.
Define your content pillars. Choose 3-5 topics your content will be centered around. These should also align with your agency’s goals. By choosing content pillars, this will help you to align your content to a goal automatically. If it can fit in a pillar, it’s worth creating.
Determine your platforms. Think outside the “social media box” for this. Are you creating content for your website, email newsletter (or one a partner agency produces), podcast, print publication, etc.? While more communication is not necessarily better, diversifying your platforms is important. No one medium will ever reach everyone, so you’ll need to meet your audience where they’re consuming information.
Define your call-to-actions. A call-to-action (CTA) is necessary in every piece of content produced, as people want to know what to do next. When we’re scrolling as fast as we are, giving them directions as to what you’re asking them to do is important. Align these to your goals so you’re directing people exactly where you need them to go.
Evaluate and revise regularly. It’s ok if something didn’t work. The important question to ask is “did this one post not work or is the strategy not working?” There can be many factors as to why a campaign falls flat. Dig into analytics and try new approaches next time. Just because it didn’t work once doesn’t mean it won’t work the next time, but evaluation and revision of the strategy is a necessary task.
The Transformation
This is where you go from posting to purpose. Having a strategy in place that aligns to your goals and speaks directly to your audience will help you to see results, but also build trust within your community.
In fact, many communications teams post less often but see better results with their efforts. (Yes, it’s possible. I promise!) Every post, news release or campaign should be anchored in your mission and audience needs.
Reporting your wins to leadership also becomes easier because they’re aligned directly to your goals. This shows metrics that matter and a true understanding of the impact your messages made.
When you move from output to strategy, you stop asking “what should we post?” and start asking “what difference will this make?” And that is a huge step in the right (strategic) direction.
Start Small, but Start Now
You can start this right now by choosing one campaign you’re running and making sure it aligns to one of your goals. Then audit your content calendar and make sure each post has a clear purpose that reflects your agency.
The goal isn’t to post more. It’s to communicate more effectively.
If you’re looking for training opportunities that outline exactly how to build your own communications strategy, check out The Official Voice. This self-paced, online training program is packed with insight, worksheets and templates you can use to build a strategy that actually works.
