Impact and Aftershocks: What Matters
As shaken as I felt during the awful events at the U.S. Capitol on 6 January 2021, they also reaffirmed one of my most core beliefs. They tell us a lot about what matters. Communication is not just about the words we use or the messages we deliver. Communication is about responsibility.
21 Ways to Make 2021 A Better Year
The challenges and complexities of 2020 have been a good reminder that future outlooks can change dramatically with unforeseen situations. The same is true for many of our annual goals, the things we plan to do more or less of, and the outcomes we want to achieve.
We can, however, control our aspirations and commitments. If unexpected circumstances arise, we can still stay true to those commitments, even as we make necessary adjustments to the way we work. We can still find ways to better the world in line with our belief systems and values.
As a thought leadership strategist for financial services and fintech clients, here’s my list of things I want to commit to making and doing better.
Making The Best Use of Voice Guidelines
Many companies, by default, come to believe that their communications should use an official corporate voice. This voice may not be well suited to effective and authentic thought leadership. While corporate voice has its place, excessive enforcement of corporate voice can cause thought leadership to ring false. It’s better to thought leaders the right combination of guidance and latitude, coupled with the right combination of support and review, as a way to help them communicate authentically while adding depth and nuance to your campaign.
Patient Capital and Content Marketing
Adopting a “patient capital” mindset in marketing means slowly building up an audience by delivering the highest value thinking in the highest quality manner possible. People may not buy today. It means planning at longer timescales — quarters and years rather than days and weeks. You deliberately and intentionally build your reputation by developing your ongoing credibility. In the same way that a patient capitalist defers expectations of return, you defer your expectations of immediate buying decisions by focusing on the long haul.
Decency: A New Meaning for an Old Word
Decency? Yes. When applied to marketing and communications, the concept of decency means treating people with a deep conviction that their time and their attention have value. It means showing a courteous restraint. It means respecting that time and attention are not just finite but irreplaceable resources. It means working within a dynamic of gaining permission, building trust, offering value.
The Brain Is Bunk
In a world of idea merchants and evangelists to the gospel of their own brand, recourse to the brain often seems like the height of proof. Many attempt to use brain science as a kind of convincing justification of their notions, of the processes and practices they sell. But the brain is bunk. If you’re using brain science to validate what you say and what you put forth into the world, you’ve already lost your argument, even in a culture like ours that fetishizes science.
An Unexpected Reason Why Grammar Matters
Grammar matters because it expresses relationality. That is, it specifies the relationships between and among entities, events, and ideas. Most readers do not map this out in their minds, But for writers, the more precise they are, the more likely they are to bring an intense focus to the syntactical dimension of grammar, i.e., constructing sentences, linking those sentences, and, finally, orchestrating their flow into a complete piece of writing.
The Hidden Power of Moral Focus
We accomplish so much more when we keep our moral commitments at the heart of what we do. That surplus shows up as greater impact, more trust, and warmer connections rather than the endless “more, more, more” of marketing content. We commit to helping people know more, think more clearly, make better decisions, strive higher to create better in their little corner of the world.
What Free Means to Me
Earlier this month, I started offering a free hour of consulting to anyone in the world of fintech or financial services. It’s a free offer where I sit with people and help them work through complex communications challenges. This is why I’m doing it and what free means to me.
Thought Leaders: Don’t Play in Traffic
Does it make sense to chase “traffic” as a goal for online content? Quite often, the answer is no. This may seem a contrarian point of view on the topic, but in the domain of thought leadership, traffic is relatively meaningless as a goal. Reputation always beats traffic. Don’t chase traffic that’s already on existing roads. Instead, become the topic that people search for.