No matter what you do in your work online, systems thinking is a must, and something we cover in the first module of Creating a Content Ecosystem That Thrives Beyond the AI Bubble. Stay with me, this relates heavily to SEO and thought leadership!
Systems thinking is a deeper way of seeing our work and impact, as well as understanding the interconnectedness of seemingly unrelated systems, rather than taking a narrow and limiting view. For example, this is what most people believe systems thinking means in relation to their business or Channel for Change™:
And they’re not wrong!
These are some core systems that influence whether a thought leader or their body of work is successful within an industry. But the reality is actually this (when taking a true futurist, forward-compatible, and longevity-rooted systems thinking focus):
All things that many (either unconsciously or with a great deal of conscious effort) avoid considering or paying attention to because they seem ‘separate’ from our work.
While much of what’s happening in the world may feel distant from your work, we promise it’s not. Everything is interconnected. For example, let’s take a look at the news about TikTok. An executive order last week paved the way for a TikTok deal that could transfer majority ownership of the platform to Americans.
If this goes through, which is likely, the second-richest man on earth will become the majority owner of the platform.
The first-richest man on earth already owns X.
The third-richest man owns Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.
This is important to note, friends.
On its own, it doesn’t seem like abnormal news for the business world—just another platform changing owners, yet again. Many people are in our world to learn about growing a Channel for Change, so why am I going on about these billionaires and what they own?
Because it’s 100% related to what you can market and where, and whether or not you can continue growing an audience on these platforms.
What seems like a simple “technology and platforms” conversation is actually a social climate, political leadership, and economic conversation.
All of which directly affect you and your work.
On a high level, it breaks down to:
We need to build our audiences off these platforms, which I cannot stress enough, or the fact that NOW is the time to do so.
Because right now, we’re still at a bridge point.
A window of time where we can still utilize these platforms to connect with and shift our audiences to the platforms and channels of communication that we own and control.
That means:
1️⃣ Having a search engine optimized website that you own.
2️⃣ Populating that website with SEO thought leadership content.
3️⃣ Converting that organic traffic to an email list.
It also means shifting away from social media marketing as a primary way of connecting with your audience.
Scary for many, I know.
Inside of Creating a Content Ecosystem That Thrives Beyond the AI Bubble, we teach you how to turn your thought leadership and cluster posts into social library posts, allowing you to still connect with your audience there and entice them to visit your website. They also double as lean ads, if you want to try that route. You don’t have to abandon social media altogether if you want to use it! I’m not the boss of you, and you get to choose what feels good, as well as what’s right for you and your work.
Still, I stand by my belief that it’s crucial to shift at least some of your time and energy toward visibility and discoverability efforts off these platforms.
They’re not the future of marketing.
No new post sizes (looking at you, Instagram 👀) or features are going to turn back the clock on social media’s effectiveness.
Not with the billionaires in charge. Men whose sole concern is competing with one another for our time and attention so that they can make more and more money off of ads. Men who support and align with the current U.S. administration, which is not at all interested in our desire to create a better, more equitable world, and which is actively working to suppress the purpose- and mission-driven conversations we’re all here to have.
That’s the reason for the executive order around TikTok: to retrain its algorithms to prioritize the administration’s agenda.
This is what it looks like to operate with a true futurist, forward-compatible, and longevity-rooted systems thinking focus. Forward compatibility is a primary focus for us at Channels for Change, as our entire ecosystem is centered on supporting individuals, organizations, and bodies of work that address systemic and social justice issues.
If it is, we’d love to have you join us in…
This in-depth workshop invites you to think beyond the current trend cycle, low-to-no-traction marketing practices, and narrow conversations within your industry and the online business world.
SEO and thought leadership are the foundation of creating a forward-compatible brand that’s truly transformative. If you stick solely with social media, investing in trainings that teach you the latest ‘hacks’ and supposed ‘tricks’ for going viral, you’re going to miss this bridge point. You’re going to get lost in the ever-growing noise of AI content and limiting algorithms while lining the pockets of billionaires and ‘marketing gurus’ who are trying to capitalize on people’s fear of shifting away from social media.
I don’t say that lightly.
I definitely don’t say it to get you to join our program (you can get a great and FREE head start on this work with our Two Biggest Threats workbook!)
I say it because I see where we really are, and what’s coming. And what I want more than anything is for purpose- and mission-driven creators and entrepreneurs to start shifting NOW, so their beautiful and incredibly important work isn’t lost in the noise.
