Ben Stroup

I recently made a small change on the blog. In fact, most people probably didn’t notice. But it was a huge shift for me.

(Hint: It’s the subtitle.)

The previous subtitle was: “The rules of conversation have changed.” When I launched the blog, I wanted to draw a line in the sand; this was not just another blog about marketing communications. I was also keenly aware that I was still discovering the ways people were responding to me and what value others found in my work. As I’ve paid close attention to that — particularly over the past six months — I realized it was time to revise the subtitle to better express and clarify my approach.

The new subtitle (as you can see above) is: ”Strategy + Implementation + Analysis = Impact.”

I know, I know. All four of those words are “buzz” words. I’ll unpack what each of those mean in future posts. What I want you to notice is the look and feel of a mathematical equation.

Content marketing is about building systems that support an effort to reach a specific goal. That means we have to understand the variables, see how the pieces fit together, and create some type of action or event that can be measured. When you combine those elements, you achieve impact.

One of my goals for 2011 is to gain a greater sense of clarity in the midst of the exponential growth of my freelance and consulting work. The challenge of growth is not scaling to meet the demand but not losing yourself in the process. I’m not talking about psychology. Rather, I don’t want to lose sight of what led to the growth in the first place. I have to be able to clearly articulate the value I bring to the table, which is only refined over time and in the midst of a variety of experiences.

I’ve been paying attention, and I believe one of the most valuable aspects of what I bring to the table is implementation. Perhaps a more universal term is execution. Translation…I make sure things happen.

Organizations are not short on…

• Ideas
• Strategy
• Research

What they are short on are people who can…

• Connect the dots
• Create a plan
• Execute the plan
• Measure the result to determine the level of impact

It’s systematic, process-driven, and highly effective.

How are the people you’re serving helping you clarify the work you do?

Ben Stroup is a content activist in a post-paragraph world. He is chief broker of opportunity at Ben Stroup Enterprises. Connect with Ben via email, Twitter, and Google+. Subscribe via email to learn how to use content to move people to action.