The emergence of a networked society is transforming the way information is shared and people are connecting with one another. But what does this mean for your marketing communications?

Getting the most out of social media channels like LinkedIn, Twitter and corporate blogs has less to do with digital technology than you might presume. As client magazines have proven over the years, it is quality content that engages your clients, develops relationship and builds trust. And so it is quality content that must lie at the heart of an integrated communications strategy which can power the social engine.

Below are the eight core ingredients for a successful integrated communications strategy fit for today’s networked business world.

1. Adopt a strategic approach

Consider what you’re trying to achieve and what is keeping your clients awake at night and plan your integrated communications strategy from that starting point. Successful communications must provide a return for both you, and your clients.

Don’t let the tail wag the dog. At a practical level, the most common mistake is to start with the latest tools: don’t get distracted by whether you should be writing a blog, posting on YouTube, or creating a LinkedIn discussion group. Tools will change – the need to engage your clients around the issues that matter will not.

2. Make quality content central

Thoughtful, good quality content will inspire your clients to talk to you as a trusted partner. McKinsey, the management consultancy firm, uses thought leadership to carve out differentiation in a competitive market. The McKinsey Quarterly, which began life as a print journal, enables the firm to establish and lead a constant dialogue with clients and prospects, through its email newsletters and website.

In 2008, the management consultancy added a Twitter feed and Facebook page (now ‘liked’ by over 94,000 people) and also includes video interviews. Every day an average of 250 comments are posted on mckinseyquarterly.com from CEOs, entrepreneurs and academics from around the world.

3. Offer choice

No two clients are the same; they consume content in different ways. The fragmentation of media offers even more choice, and while you cannot micro-manage each channel, you can make sure that you have the main ones covered.

Our research indicates that 62% of our readers want to receive magazines online as well as in print. The challenge is to provide both cost effectively. Others may want timely, relevant and interactive content on Twitter, LinkedIn, blogging sites, smartphones – but ask them first. While 90% of us in marketing may have an iPhone, for instance, potentially only 10% of our clients do.

4. Provide multiple touch points

Deploying content across a range of different channels is not simply about offering client choice. Research from Econsultancy suggests that delivering content across two-to-three touch points will increase brand recognition by 55%.

In September 2009 ACE Europe launched a pan-European thought leadership programme to inform, engage and inspire their multinational clients and prospects. They recognised from the outset that, in order to engage with such a diverse audience, they would need an integrated cross-platform approach incorporating a print magazine, microsite, videos and email alerts. “The programme combines the interactivity of the web,” says Miles Russell, former European communications director, “with the engagement of a client magazine and is proving to be a highly effective way of building relationships.”

5. Build a robust content platform

An effective client communications programme which provides real value to readers can achieve specific business development objectives over time, such as raising profile, strengthening relationships, cross-selling services and creating qualified sales leads. But it requires a structured approach, with robust content at its heart – whether that’s a magazine, newsletter, research programme or website. From this platform you can develop myriad tools, such a social media, blogs, video and e-alerts.

This approach is not only more cost-effective because you are able to repurpose content and extract more value, crucially it also ensures a strategic approach to your messaging. For example, content is different on Twitter to a magazine or an annual research report – but the issue can be the same and all can work together to build trust and credibility with clients.

6. Create a dialogue

An integrated communications approach provides opportunities to collect insight and deepen client relationships. Readers can obviously ‘like’ and comment on articles in digital magazines or websites. Online analytics packages allow you to delve further into your clients’ interests and preferences, enabling you to ensure your content is constantly evolving and driven by your clients’ needs.

But there is an opportunity to go even further on the collaborative creation of content. Online surveys, interviews, roundtable discussions, articles, research reports, websites, discussion boards, wikis, blogs, videos and podcasts, all create the opportunity for on-going dialogue with a variety of stakeholders, all working to the same agenda.

Pinsent Masons, the UK law firm, has been blogging for 10 years through OUT-LAW and its editor, technology lawyer Struan Robertson, believes the blog has helped the firm build important relationships and develop industry respect. “The legal industry still relies on face-to-face relationships. OUT-LAW by no means replaces that, but it facilitates those relationships,” he says.

7. Keep a consistent tone of voice

Your business doesn’t need to start sounding like a teenager just because it’s on Facebook. Instead consider how your business can use these integrated channels to deepen client relationships – focused on the issues that your clients find appealing.

For example, Deloitte’s Facebook page, which is ‘liked’ by almost 40,000 people, acts as a hub for the firm’s global community as well as prospective employees and clients. It posts new articles from the corporate blog, Deloitte Perspectives, news updates, as well as links to its YouTube channel and Twitter feed, creating a cohesive digital presence.

8. Be bold

There’s a genuine opportunity in the professional services space to use an integrated communications strategy as a means of differentiation. Seeing what ‘sticks’ is not a marketing strategy for 2011. But a considered, strategic approach, using quality content to engage your clients and build trust with them, will make you stand out from the competition.

A structured and integrated approach to providing quality content works for your clients because it’s offering them valuable insight across different channels to fit in with their personal needs and preferences. And it works for you because it’s a cost-effective way of making the most of your content by repurposing it and helping you to develop client relationships.

How to formulate an integrated communications strategy

• What would you like an integrated communications strategy to achieve for your business?
• What are the main issues keeping your clients awake at night?
• What knowledge and expertise (i.e. content) would address these issues and deepen relationships with your clients?
• What channels would your clients prioritise when looking for answers to their most pressing issues?
• How can you most effectively take advantage of the opportunity?

 Who’s getting social on the FTSE100?

• Twitter account – 66%
• YouTube channel – 43%
• Corporate blog – 21%
• Facebook page – 90%