Media Rules!: Mastering Today's Technology to Connect With and Keep Your Audience

Chapter 10. Be Ahead of Your Audiences

Does your organization stand out?

You probably think, or even know, that your organization is better at whatever you do than the others in your space (hint: you should think that). Lots of organizations think that. But is it true, and more importantly, does your audience know that is the case? Can your audience tell the difference between what you offer and what your competition does? Can you differentiate yourself—not only in marketing, but in service and support and ongoing relationship building —from the others in your space?

We are not trying to question your ability or criticize you work. It's a matter of fact that it is getting harder and harder to tell one organization a part from another in many cases. Why is that? Because your audience goes looking for information, experiences, or stuff to answer a very specific question they have, conquer a challenge, or satisfy a curiosity. They don't go looking for brands. They probably aren't knowledgeable enough about what various groups do to tell them apart without first researching. And, just to complicate matters, their pool of available options includes a near-infinite number of possibilities. Distinguishing one provider from another is difficult.

Your ability to be located and to become rooted in the consciousness of your target audience is perhaps the greatest challenge you will face as an organization. Call it your findability factor.

Findability is not only about being found on the Internet, ...