You hear a lot of content creators and marketers talking about the importance of authenticity, but capturing a unique voice or experience that also inspires and galvanizes a community around your  message can often feel like coaxing goldfish through a maze blindfolded. In other words–a fuzzy, slippery endeavor, in which you have no idea which tactics will produce results. We thought that digital analyst, anthropologist, and futurist Brian Solis captured the pursuit of authentic, relatable experiences and content the best when he advised his audience to search for common aspirations among customers and create a network through collaborative content. The pervading advice when it comes to building a network through digital experiences is to give before you ask for anything. As YouTube star and conference presenter Zach King says, “Give in order to grow.”

“People are looking for very focused solutions, not just tools.” -Thibault Imbert, Adobe Post Product Manager
As a product manager, Thibault was focused on talking to people and listening closely to the questions they asked in Q&A sessions. He came away with a better understanding of the challenges business owners and marketers face in a landscape that changes constantly and requires constant maintenance. “People have limited time and resources but many people are tasked with everything from customer service to getting their message out there. To top it off, sometimes they don’t know what the ROI is for say creating content for the hot new social network,” he said. As SMMW speaker Brian Solis advised in his talk, it’s important for brands to prioritize customer needs and goals over shiny objects

Read the full article here