Chapter 5: Understanding the Competitive Environment
- Stage 1: Facts – Collect relevant facts
- Stage 2: Anchors – Isolate the essential analytical anchors implied by the facts
- Stage 3: Judgments – Make judgments based on the analytical anchors
- Stage 4: Validation – Validate your judgments
- Conclusion
Chapter 6: Coordinates
- Characteristics of Superior Coordinates
- Superior coordinates represent tough, “big-picture” choices about what to do and what not to do
- Superior coordinates enrich one another
- Superior coordinates robustly define the operating space
- Principles for Formulating Coordinates
- Respect the “unequal dialogue” in your organization
- “Don’t fight the last war”
- Know when to play offense, defense, and use special teams
- A Discussion Protocol for Crafting Coordinates
- Review your competitive analysis and seek out hidden connections
- Construct a “brain-prodding” chart
- Discover clusters of goals or pods of insights
- Label and evaluate the pods
- Determine how the goals could be linked together to accomplish something unique and spectacular
- Conclusion
Chapter 7: Channels
- Channel Dynamics
- Channels connect senders and receivers
- Each channel has a unique capacity to transmit particular types of signals
- Channels cultivate unique conventions, customs, and norms
- Principles for Selecting Channels
- Select platforms that sync with your coordinates and your target audiences’ preferences
- Consider niche-like platforms that may serve your needs
- Select platforms that you can master on a tactical level
- Strategic Channel Selection
- Systemically study a wide variety of potential social media platforms
- Evaluate and select the platforms for active and passive management
- Craft a “job description” for each channel
- Bundle the channel “duties” into manageable jobs for your social media team
- Assign the right person or team to the tasks
- Conclusion
Chapter 8: Content
- What Are My Content Options?
- Who Generates the Content?
- Internally-produced content
- Curated content
- Co-created content
- User-generated content
- How do I Select the Right Content?
- Coordinate aligned
- Audience sensitive
- Channel compatible
- Category apportioned
- Feedback driven
- Conclusion
Chapter 9: Connections
- Understanding Connectivity
- Nodes
- Links
- Direction
- Capacity
- Volume
- Networks
- Hubs
- Hinges
- Path length
- Connection Principles
- The pattern of connections (network) is more important than the strength of individual components (nodes)
- There are tradeoffs associated with every type of network
- Networks have both structural and emergent properties
- Connections Matrix
- Crafting Network Strategy
- Identify a broad range of nodes and links
- Map out and evaluate your existing network structure
- Mix and match your connection strategies
- Develop the skills and commitments to match your connection strategies
- Judge effectiveness based on the strategy employed and the ease of reaching “bullseye nodes”
- Conclusion
Chapter 10: Corrections
- Sources of Errors
- Attention
- Speed
- Habits
- Thinking biases
- Organizational structures, procedures and protocols
- Corrections Matrix
- Minor oversight
- Modest gaffe
- Missed opportunity
- Major blunder
- So What?
- Detect patterns of errors
- Build an eagle-eyed radar screen
- Augment your radar screen by recruiting and maintaining your own friendly spy network
- Build an experimental lab
- Determine what type of corrective action to take
- Set up a regular assessment process
- Conclusion
Chapter 11: Syncing the Strategy Dots and Crafting Action Plans
- Test 1: The Coordinate Test (note: the following questions apply to a specific example)
- Will the selected channels increase your target audience’s attendance at your event?
- Will your content choices increase your target audience’s attendance at your event?
- Will your connection choices increase your target audience’s attendance at your event?
- Will your correction plan increase your target audience’s attendance at your event?
- Test 2: The Synergy Test
- Are the channels aligned with your message choices?
- Are the channels aligned with your connection decisions?
- Are the channels aligned with your correction plan?
- Are the message choices aligned with your connection decisions?
- Are the message choices aligned with your correction decisions?
- Are the connection decisions aligned with our correction plan?
- Test 3: The Translation Test
- Test-Taking Advice
- Don’t assume that because you passed test 1 that you will ace test 2
- Solicit the opinions and insights of others
- Expect imperfections
- Conclusion