More often than not, when we initially talk with businesses on their marketing strategies, one of the first issues we encounter is that their messaging is poorly aligned across their communication channels and marketing activities.
The issue with this misalignment is that it is not always clear to see. It appears slowly over time, creeping up and wreaking havoc before you have time to stop it. A press release might position a product differently from how an executive has talked about it in a Q&A, or a social media post has highlighted a gameplay feature that an affiliate partner has underplayed.
It may also not be obvious within the company itself, but then you start speaking to partners and realise that no one understands your product and that you are not positioned as you thought you were.
This lack of alignment often begins with poor communication, and fixing it requires a structured, well-communicated approach with input from across the team.
Solving the Problem
First things first: a full marketing audit is needed. When we come into a business, this is the first thing we complete, regardless of how well the company believes their current approach is going. We need to see what is working, what is not working, and where opportunities lie.
This means talking to people from across the business. Even at this stage, inconsistencies in how a product or the company’s positioning is perceived can surface. As a fractional CMO team, one of our advantages is that we bring an outside perspective to these conversations; we do not share those internal perceptions and are going to see blind spots much more clearly.
The audit will help us work out what the business is trying to achieve. Business goals should inform the marketing strategy, not the other way around. If, for example, a company’s goal is to reposition itself to attract investment, then its messaging across the board needs to signal that.
Once you understand this message, the mission becomes a lot clearer. It is then a case of working out how to translate this message across multiple channels. We then also begin putting together a detailed roadmap that highlights when important releases or announcements are being made, and we plan accordingly. Crucially, everyone across the team is kept informed on this. Decisions that are made without everyone knowing are often where strategies fall apart.
A social media post released too late after a press release can kill momentum, but likewise, a social media team not being informed of an upcoming product launch or change in messaging can cause chaos across different channels.
This is where companies need to appreciate and trust the power of their content ecosystem. Each channel gives you the opportunity to communicate the same message in a different way. A press release and a social media post serve different audiences, and it is important that each one understands the assignment and the messaging.
The press release tells the story; social media can find a different angle; affiliates can discover what converts, and so on. Each team is working their own magic while communicating the same narrative, and the effect quickly compounds into a single cohesive vision across all channels.
What is crucial, however, is that someone within the business owns that narrative and ensures the ship is consistently steered in the right direction. A well-organised fractional CMO team can do exactly that. We ensure messaging stays consistent and that one channel is not becoming isolated and developing its own narratives.
A Constant Cycle
Aligning channels is not a one-off exercise. The businesses that are most effective at communication and positioning treat it as a continuous process. Regular reviews ensure messaging stays consistent, and feedback is essential. Good marketing teams keep an eye on what every part of the team is doing, not just their own work.
A part of this is gathering insights from each channel. Find out what is working effectively, and whether or not goals are being achieved. This intelligence and feedback can then inform the next stages. Communication is absolutely essential to success in this regard.
For many iGaming businesses, the problem isn’t their marketing content; it’s their strategy and how it aligns. Fixing these issues requires clear communication, clarity about what you want to say, and ensuring everybody says it in the right way, which is exactly what we can provide with our GO CMO service.
