FIVE SIGNALSFive signals shaping our ability to remain relevant, better deliver value and explore new opportunities

September 9, 2015

Signals are:

PATTERNSof behaviour

emerging

Signals are:

DISRUPTIVEforces

Signals are:

CHANGINGaudience needs

SIGNAL #1: DIVING INThe emerging future can not be seen from those sitting on the sidelines asking others for direction.

The rapid growth of “digital native content” – Short form media that issnackable and increasingly well produced

The rapid growth of “digital native content”– Short form media that issnackable and increasingly well produced

$3.2 million per year

Kan & Aki Japanese kids toy reviewers

$4.5 million per year

$8.47 million per year

Felix ARvid Ulf Kjelberg Video game tester

Anthony Padilla & Ian Hecox

Comedians

German Alejandro Garmendia Aranis

Comedian

$3 million per year

The rapid growth of digital native LONG FORM media that isFREELY distributed and increasingly well produced

The rapid growth of digital native LONG FORM media that isFREELY distributed and increasingly well produced

WSJ.com: a bulletin board at Lakes Community High School.

Increasing experiments to monetize digital native content and blur the boundary between traditional and digital channels

It’s not about “on mission” content.

It’s about exploring unmet cultural needs in our audiences.

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Signal One Breakout Thought Starters

1. We can’t see what is emerging if we aren’t actively embracing and using these digital tools, personally and professionally. How invested are you in using these tools? What tools most interest you?

2. Does your organization have a role to play as a publisher or disseminator of content to your members or end audience? What is that role? In what areas?

3. How can your organization build a culture that promotes the adoption of emerging tools and technologies?

4. How many experiments with free and near-free tools are you running a month? Personally and organizationally? How many could you or should you be running?

5. Time and money are the number one objections. What if it was free? And what if you could leverage existing projects to explore using these emerging platforms and tools? What projects come to mind?

SIGNAL #2: WEBSITE TRAFFIC IN DECLINE

It’s time for us to explore more meaningful metrics than website visits or traffic

in 2008, MTV Asia saw the trend of more time being spent on fewer sites

It’s 2015. The trend is real.

Recipe Website

Buying traffic from Google

To sell ads to brands

Most organizations are still reporting on site visits and traffic for traffic’s sake

Because the alternative is daunting

Even the big boys have the same problem

Signal Two Breakout Thought Starters

1.Every organization has two to three key measures that are critical to its continued existence – member renewals, revenue generated, etc. What are some key goals for your organizations?

2.What online actions could you be measuring that better align with these organizational goals?

3. Where are your members or audience going on a daily basis? What spaces do they find most valuable? Which of those spaces might be of value for your organization to have a voice/presence?

4. What role does your website actually play for your members? What roles are you trying to force it to play? Are there other places where some of these roles might be a better fit?

SIGNAL #3: SHOWING YOUR WORK

The growing demand for transparency and vulnerability in our online presence.

“Work” is a process not a finished state.

Many of us understand the growing need for transparency in our organizations.

Transparency is about vulnerability.

Signal Three Breakout Thought Starters

1. How can your organization better embrace transparency and vulnerability with your members?

2. Are there challenges in your industry that everyone is facing? Which ones are you willing to be transparent in your approach to address?

3. How might sharing your thoughts, hypotheses and trials be of benefit to your members or community of practice?

4. Transparency is an easy word to throw around. But how are you addressing your culture to promote vulnerability with your staff and members? And to create safe spaces? How might you lead in this regard with what you share?

SIGNAL #4: CONTENT AS RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

Building our brands online.

Relationship building is a long-term game.

It is an investment in the future.

Blog Podcast Newsletter

BookVideos???

In the near future, brands will be built and eroded based on their ability to build relationships using digital tools.

$3.2 million per year

Kan & Aki Japanese kids toy reviewers

$4.5 million per year

$8.47 million per year

Felix ARvid Ulf Kjelberg Video game tester

Anthony Padilla & Ian Hecox

Comedians

German Alejandro Garmendia Aranis

Comedian

$3 million per year

What is a brand?

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You build a brand by meeting or exceeding the expectations of your audience

You build a brand by meeting or exceeding the expectations of your audience

Every time. Everywhere.

Content is the vehicle by which we build brands online.

Signal Four Breakout Thought Starters

1. Is there a role for your organization to play in the digital delivery of content to your members? Where would you have the most credibility? Where is the greatest need?

2. What bar have you set for interacting with your members online? Would you say you are meeting or exceeding member expectations?

3. How has the term “service” changed over the past ten years? How might it change over the coming 5 years?

4. Is the content you produce building trust with your members? How might you improve it to better build trust and credibility?

5. How relevant is the content that you produce? How are you judging this? Are there better questions we can ask to better judge the effectiveness of what we produce?

SIGNAL #5: FREE/LOW-COST DISRUPTERS

The Internet was pretty much built on the “eternally free” offering

“Building it” is often not the best or cheapest solution

Website builders

Audio and Video

Presentations

Community Building

Signal Five Breakout Thought Starters

1. What free or low-cost tools have you explored recently? What were some of your takeaways?

2. How can you better ensure that your organization is aware of and exploring these low-cost and free tools?

3. What places might you be able to build connections with your members that they are current using daily or weekly?

4. How can you extend the services you already offer to repackage them for new online tools or networks?

5. What if Google is suddenly a direct competitor to your members? Or Facebook? What tools would you begin to explore using?

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