OFF-MUTE 🔈
📈 “Story sprawl” is on the rise.
💬 It’s when your company narrative starts to stray because dozens of internal teams and external partners are telling it in different ways across different channels.
💡Our President Jason Morris explains this phenomenon and how the past few years exacerbated it as companies hired quickly, embraced remote and hybrid work, and outsourced more than ever due to a tight labor market.
🗓️ But 2023 is going to change it…for the better. The new tech economy is forcing marketing and communications teams to be more efficient and aligned.
🎙️ Jason suggests three specific areas to focus on:
☑️ Bring consistency to your storytelling. If your brand is the umbrella under which everything in marketing falls, your story is the platform that holds it upright. Use this moment to crystalize that story and scale it by integrating strategic marketing initiatives such as social media, digital content and PR.
☑️ Find new ways to be relevant. It was easy to tie into the trends of 2021 when the economy was booming and innovation was saving the world. Today’s headlines may not be as economically bright, but whether you’re communicating one-on-one with customers or to mass audiences, acknowledge the challenges of the day and let people know how you’re helping to solve them. Leading with your expertise is a key element of building true thought leadership. Remember, finding relevancy is as important as finding consistency in your storytelling.
☑️ Create harmony between executive communications and brand values. There’s a massive opportunity to build your executive presence on social media, particularly on LinkedIn. It’s one of the best ways to humanize your company, but it needs to be authentic and amplify storytelling, not distract from it. We’ve seen plenty of examples of this backfiring, causing a preventable crisis. It’s always good to think twice before jumping on a viral trend or rapidly responding to a public issue. Check your state of mind and revisit your values—use them to guide your actions and words before you post. Does it serve your organization’s purpose, or your purpose, or neither?
