Digital Influence doesn't build without INTENTION
I love this image. It says everything I think is important about building Digital Influence.
It's not a one-person job
It takes work
It doesn't happen without a blueprint
Yet somehow, people still think that if they just post enough content, it will build.
That's like saying, "just pile up enough wood over there and the barn will build itself".
That's a hard no.
So, how CAN you build Digital Influence?
Before we get to the RESULTS, let's break down the INPUTS.
It's Not A One-Person Job
Whoa, wait a minute Tracy! You're wrong. It's my Marketing Manager's job.
Or maybe it's your Social Media Manager's job.
Or maybe it's YOUR job (I'm looking at you solopreneurs).
If you've made your Digital Influence program ONE person's job, then it's already failing.
What if you made it ONE person's job to build that barn?
One person COULD come to the site every day. But at the end of the day? Nothing would get built.
And that's the same thing that's happening with your current strategy if it's only one person's responsibility. In fact, ditto that if it's only one DEPARTMENT's responsibility.
Building anything on behalf of a brand is NEVER only one person's job.
It's the joint contribution of everyone who touches that brand.
Employees. Clients. Partners. Owners. Investors. Friends. Family Members.
You got it.
EVERYONE.
Your brand is the experience that OTHER PEOPLE have of it. Online and offline.
And PEOPLE create experiences.
So, if we want Digital Influence as our RESULT, the people need to be contributing to it. As many people as possible. On as many days as possible.
This isn't to say that ALL people will actively be driving digital influence at ALL times. But they could be driving it passively. And they DO participate actively when and how it makes sense for each of them 💡
It Takes Work
This is where so many good intentioned strategies go to die. We expect immediate response and when we don't get it, we move on to something different.
But to go back to the barn building example, this is like getting all the wood and all the people in the same place, but telling them they don't have to lift anything or do any climbing. Or, that they just have to do it for one day.
To reap the rewards, you have to do the work.
I don't know when we stopped thinking that was the case. I mean, in my grandfather's days, no one would ever have assumed they could get anything without putting in the work.
But in our comfy, immediate gratification lifestyles, we forgot that this is how things get BUILT. With hard work and commitment.
Now granted, building digital influence isn't about going out and lifting a bunch of 2x4's. But it is about showing up in the digital arena consistently. It's about creating a conversation for people to participate in and not letting that conversation drop. And it's about getting and staying aligned internally as a team so it's not only ONE person's efforts that contribute.
But it DOES take work. That's for sure.
Even if you get lucky with one viral post...
THAT doesn't equal Digital Influence.
So, if we want Digital Influence as our RESULT, we need to put in the work. As a team. On an on-going basis.
And if we really DO want that, it needs to STAY at the top of the priority list. Not just be ON the priority list...because we all know, at the end of the day, you can only have ONE top priority.
It Doesn't Happen Without A Blueprint
Can you imagine what this barn might look like if there was no plan? If we just had a bunch of gung-ho people that wanted to work really hard? I'm imagining what my 4yo might build...not necessarily structurally sound 😉
You wouldn't build a house without a blueprint, so why would you build your digital influence without one?
Now here's my position on blueprints.
Everyone NEEDS one
Not everyone needs the SAME one
The problem for a lot of businesses, especially small businesses, is they try to follow someone else's blueprint. They attend a training course, or they read a book and take the EXACT process and try to duplicate it.
But each business has it's own unique properties that (mostly) prevent this strategy from working.
Instead of tweaking the blueprint to make it work for them, they try to change things about their business to match the blueprint.
This leads to failure EVERY time.
How many great strategies have you been a part of that didn't work for your organization? Personally, I've been part of A LOT.
And they didn't work because the unique DNA of the organization wasn't considered when they were being implemented.
We buy into the narrative that we SHOULD BE a Red Barn. Because Red Barn's make the most money.
But by nature, you may be a Blue Barn. Or a Green Barn. Or heaven forbid, a Purple Greenhouse. Or a Yellow Birdhouse.
There's a UNIQUE way for each of the above to build Digital Influence.
Not ONE way.
So, if we want Digital Influence as our RESULT, we need to create a blueprint for OUR way. And remind ourselves that someone else's way isn't better just because it worked for them.
Oh, and we also have to remember that almost every blueprint changes in different stages. If you've ever watch one of those HGTV reno shows, you know what I mean. As we open up walls and see what's behind the scenes, we make changes to things that won't work. And that is part of the process...it doesn't mean we did something wrong 😊
What Are You Building?
I think often, in business, we get so caught up in DOING that we forget what we're BUILDING. And then, at the end of the day, we wonder why we don't have the results we're looking for.
Honestly, it's no wonder.
To get your desired results, you need to have the 3 inputs we talked about today. So whether your goals are creating digital influence or something else, make sure these three things are aligned 💖
And if your goal IS to create Digital Influence, then we should chat!
Happy Building🔨
