There are so many tools out there, and you’re using a bunch of them to communicate and have conversations and make people aware of the things that interest you. But what are you doing with it all? What’s your plan? How are you tying this all together to make it meaningful, useful, and/or otherwise impactful? What’s your social media strategy? Here are some thoughts to consider.
What’s Your Basic Goal?
Is your goal to make a living creating media? Are you doing audio or video and seeking sponsors and advertisers? Or are you just looking to reach a lot of people and establish yourself as a thought leader? Are you doing this just for fun and expression? You can see how these three examples are drastically different, once you consider how to achieve your basic goal, right?
What is Your Product?
Think hard on this. If you say it’s a podcast, you’re probably wrong. It’s the PAYLOAD of that podcast, the information or entertainment. It’s not the cast itself. Right? GNMParents started out as an audio podcast, but has found much more success as a blog about family matters. The payload stayed the same.
Other products might be information, or it might be that you’re selling something. The Financial Aid Podcast is built to inform, entertain, and also to guide you to the notion of fixing your student loan debt by buying one of the products the Student Loan Network sells. If there were no product at the end of that path, I’m pretty sure Christopher S. Penn would podcast on something completely different.
Consider your product.
Who’s Your Audience?
Not just who are they, but how are they reaching your media? What are they doing with it? Why are they giving you their time? Think about this often. Are they visiting to get ideas they can use themselves? (That’s my crowd, mostly. You guys come here, think about things, and hopefully run off and make YOUR things better). Who are these people and what are they doing with your stuff.
Further, think about how you can message them outside your main media channel. Meaning, have you considered a way to reach them by email? Do you know how many of them would answer your call for something other than your core product? Are they looking for something else outside your current “product?” Think hard on how you reach them.
Where are Your Partners?
In a world where we all have the tools and ability to make media, we forget that it’s not a bad idea to band together and partner and create shared products. My favorite audio podcast right now is Marketing Over Coffee. Why? Because it’s John Wall of The M Show, and Christopher S. Penn of The Financial Aid Podcast (and occasionally me) doing a project that’s not their core project. I love that. Look for partners.
And if not partners to create media, why not partners to distribute? Why not networks? If you’re an awesome video show, why aren’t you looking at GimpTV or Next New Networks or Revision3 as a way to distribute, share market space, and generally grow the product?
Consider who your partners may be, and give this LOTS of thought, because you never know what could grow from something even whackier than banding together.
What Comes Next?
If Apple stopped making things after they got the Macintosh right, look at how things would be different. Why are you stopping at your one good product? What else could you do? What should you kill that you’ve been doing for a while? How does this influence your thoughts? Think even harder on this one.
Is This About Money?
If your media making is about making money, REALLY consider whether what you’re doing is an art or a craft. Make the media people will pay for. Look at affiliate marketing programs. Learn how to work with advertisers. Stop making media for yourself if you’re hoping to get paid for it. Start thinking about how to build an audience that someone will want to reach. Not just build an audience, but one that people will pay you to interact with. Make your audience your jewel, and then figure out a way to bridge RELEVANT advertising to them. (By the way, piss off your audience, and you pretty much can hang up the spurs, Tex.)
And Now, How About You?
What are your thoughts? How are you doing this? What’s your strategy? Have you taken a long, hard look at what your doing and how this relates? Share the guts of what you’re doing.
If you’re NOT already making media, what are your questions? What haven’t we talked about? What do you want to know?
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