Many people focus on the content of their message. They refine and tweak and improve their message, and when they really nail it they may land an op-ed in the Washington Post, or their video may go viral, or some other great thing will happen to get them attention.
But the thing that seems to separate the most impressive modern communicators (people like Seth Godin and Guy Kawasaki and Apple and Google and Barack Obama) isn’t the content of their message, it’s their delivery. (And they don’t use every social media platform or megaphone available. But the things they do, they do really well.) Obama maximizes his time in front of the teleprompter, Godin writes a great blog post every day, Guy Kawasaki Tweets 60 times an hour, Apple famously doesn’t touch any social media at all, and like Google it has employee evangelists who each have their own style and portfolio.
For these people and companies, the messaging itself seems effortless. It’s the delivery they work on.
Will Marlow is the co-creator of AlumniFidelity, which helps schools and nonprofits improve their online fundraising results. Email him at will@alumnifidelity.com.
