Content, Consistency, and Calendar

I like to think of things in small groupings. It makes it easier to remember, but I also think it makes it easier to communicate and evangelize. For example, there are four relationship principles (mutual commitment, mutual growth, mutual profitability, and brand), there are the four Rs of co-marketing (recruitment, return, retention, and referral), and now I want to introduce the three Cs of channel communication:

* Content
* Consistency
* Calendar

We live in a noisy world. Mass media advertisements on TV and radio, email, spam, blogs, RSS feeds, and social networking all contribute to the noise. What has changed is that the audience has the power. There are so many options from which to choose that your customers select what gets through…at least most of the time.

Channels are no different. There is so much information coming in, that they put a very discerning eye on what they view or hear. As a channel leader you have to get past the noise. You have to get to your audience, but you have to do it with permission. This is why spam does not work. There is no permission.

If you have quality content, you can get through. Remember, though, that quality is in the eye of the receiver, not the sender. I might post something on this site that I think is insightful or humorous, but if you don’t agree, it is irrelevant. I believe in personalization and variable content applications, because it will help make your content relevant for each individual recipient.

It is not enough to do something once. One base hit does not a Hall of Fame career make. If you are going to invest in a communications platform for your channels, it must be sustained. If you have quality content that is relevant, it will catch on. It might take some time, but it will stick and likely spread over time. Content without consistency is frustrating.

Let your channel audience know what is coming. Set an agenda or a calendar. If you are doing webinars, give them the “showtimes” in advance. Let your audience set future events. If your partners know and expect that your quality newsletter, teleconference, or webinar is on the first Monday of each month, you just might be able to build anticipation.

With scheduled, consistent, and high quality content, you can build an effective communications platform that will help you get through the noise.