In the last couple of years, I’ve been using the phrase regularly when referencing the digital strategy. In the wider context of social media, “When you’re inside the bottle, you can’t read the label,” means that – the digital strategy – should always look at the brand and organisation from the perspective of the community, not just our own. My passion for the phrase was fuelled by the need to shift mindsets across the different spheres of the digital team. From the strategist, content manager, community manager and insights and reporting specialist.
One of the biggest mistakes we make as digital specialists is to ignore key stakeholders when working and putting together the strategy. And we find ourselves frustrated in the implementation stage when we don’t receive the desired buy in from various sectors of an organisation. When our first failure was to not source information from the entire company and create a strategy that reflects a shift of looking at digital communication as another unit in the marketing team but as business mindset that needs to be adopted by everybody. The strategy must reflect your expertise but it’s not about trying to prove we the smartest in the room. We must never get caught up in our own self-importance but always be able to constantly step back and strive to have a holistic and objective view of our strategy.
Content creators especially those writing and designing for brands in the digital space are so focused in fast turn arounds times and making sure the quantity of content stipulated in the briefs in met at all cost and many times at the expense of quality. We get into a zone of just churning out content and we even forget the community we creating this for. And it’s all about us and showing our clients that the deadlines are being met. Never taking time to really review our own work and feedback from our peers and if we still aligned to strategy and we haven’t lost our tone along the way.
In the community management context, I touched on the phrase, “When you're inside the bottle, you can’t read the label,” at a digital seminar when I stated to community managers working on various brands that the key focus is purely to clean up the notifications and inbox messages on the various social media various platforms they manage. A fast response time is great and part of good customer service. But remember you are the frontline for the brand and company. You are so much more than a customer service rep. You are the voice and first point of contact. You are the main support for every stakeholder within the business. And the most valuable insights tool.
We don’t just report because it’s included in our monthly retainer cost but this is the most vital area to show our clients and brands value. The insights must always be truthful and honest and the recommendations must show an understanding of the community, platform and constant desire to create better content that works towards our objectives.
It is easy to get stuck inside the bottle and get to a point where the label is barely visible to read. And this becomes a comfort zone that becomes harder and harder to leave. Unfortunately, in the process, you stop growing and your brand becomes stagnate. So, learn to step back and view the bigger picture.
