Every Friday I post links to a few of the blog posts that I read during the week that I found interesting and insightful.

Included in this week’s round-up is discussion about the secret to successful content strategy; why amateurs tend to build better communities than professionals; about the ‘myth’ of engagement; and why you must build engagement in an online community in order to grow it.

Alignment: The Secret to a Successful Content Strategy

Content touches just about every area of the organization. When you introduce a new content strategy, you’re asking all of those people to change their habits, opinions, and accountabilities. As a result, your strategy is only going to work if people get on board. Now, that doesn’t mean everyone has to agree on everything—that can be impossible. Alignment isn’t necessarily about creating consensus. It’s about creating a common understanding.

Why Do Amateurs Build More Successful Communities Than Professionals?

The pros usually work within difficult rules/limitations (last year one organization said their lawyers wouldn’t let them respond to questions about their products). They struggle to speak in a personable way. They have limited patience to see the community through.

The Myth of Engagement

Engagement is increasingly framed as a digital marketing priority.  This reflects a growing recognition that there is a shift in the dynamic between business and consumers online, and the need for a strategic approach to this revolution.  Too often, however, the strategy employed takes an incomplete approach which — at best — wastes the tremendous potential available through true engagement. At worst, it breeds cynicism. Just showing up is not engaging.

To grow your online community you need to engage it

Growing an online community organically, whether on facebook or anywhere else, has two great advantages. First, it’s inexpensive to do. Second, it will usually attract people who are most interested in a brand. This can lead to a community full of brand advocates and customers who have engaged with a brand’s social media at some point in their buying cycle.