I CHANNELED MOST of my attention to trusted voices throughout the COVID-19 phase of my life. Those voices often appeared in the apps on the second screen of my phone (above). Jamie Knightley points out that during the same time period, COVID redefined the value and influence of traditional PR.
Stats show in the U.S. that more than 90% of CIOs are now working closely with the C-suite to improve the customer experience (CX) and promote innovation. In my university environment, this means our IT Support staff pivoted to offer a seamless transition to a Microsoft Teams environment--possibly the most impressive iteration of electronic collaboration I have witnessed in 40 years connected to computers.
For more the past three semesters, my academic delivery revolves around Teams-based activities. For all intents and purposes, campus events and the marketing strategy surrounding them have gone digital for course updates, guest lecturers, and upskilling. No matter what traditional educators may say, this virtual essence is here to stay.
As my opening sentence suggests, I've turned my attention away from the concept of "influencers" who gush about products or events. I pivoted sharply during COVID when Instagram skewered its algorithm to favour people who were making money as brand ambassadors. I started losing contact with people who mattered. Then YouTube also changed its algorithm and pulled the DIY experts and tech reviews from the top of my YouTube daily stack. The only way I can restore a meaningful daily flow to my YouTube is by turning on notifications for individual accounts and that can result in an annoying set of pop-ups. (If this also bothers you, please let me know your work-around.)
COVID also taught me the importance of creating a stream of content in order to carry the business narrative. I've lost my discipline for regular content and need to refocus my workflow. I'm using a reliable suite of tools that give insight into who is viewing, hearing, or reading content. Taking a page from Dave Delaney, I think I will continue to use a funnel available in by Contactually by tapping into buckets twice a day.
Being able to look closely at who specifically has been engaging with my content helps me evaluate which messages resonate the best. As a side note, if you're reading this on my blog, you're one of 21 different people who tap into InsideView.ie once a month--thanks for stopping by.
[Bernie Goldbach teaches creative media for business on the Clonmel Digital Campus for the Technological University of the Shannon.]
