A couple recent Brainzooming articles highlighted strategic thinking exercises comparing online and offline situations to help better understand, explain, and develop social media strategy.
One article focused on how using a network TV model helps create fantastic content on an ongoing basis. The other article used models for various social networks as a way to understand how and why you approach each of them differently.
Both these articles and the strategic thinking exercises were well received in part, I think, because they compared the relatively new (social media network strategy) to more familiar things (TV networks, campfires, networking events, etc.).
5 Benefits of Using a Strategic Model
We're big believers in the value of models as strategic thinking exercises for a variety of reasons.
A strategic model can:
- Provide a different perspective on what you do that you can readily consult to freshen your strategic thinking.
- Allow you to see the impact of ideas you might want to try in an analogous situation.
- Create an ongoing source of new ideas through examining what new things are happening within an analogous situation.
- Suggest potential networking opportunities to reach out to non-competitors facing similar challenges and opportunities.
- Help you to forecast future events based on how older, comparable industries to yours have changed.
The key to finding viable models for strategic thinking exercises is identifying analogous situations, strategic connections, and even apples and oranges comparisons. With a few options, you can pick one or models that work for you most effectively.
What's your take on using models for strategic thinking exercises? Any success stories you'd like to share? - Mike Brown
