CONTENT CROSSES INTO UNCHARTED TERRITORY

Creating great content will only take your brand so far.

Content Marketing World 2022 keynote speakers recommend taking the

actions below to evolve your brand’s success – and the role you play in
shaping it.By Jodi Harris
You’re doing everything in your power to craft amazing content.

You sweat over quality, optimize everything to the last keyword, and feed
those greedy channel beasts more and more and more.

But the results you get don’t match the effort you put in. What are you
doing wrong?

The game has changed. Simply doing the once-right things – and more of
them – won’t guarantee wins.

Playing to win now means doubling down on strategy

“The content you create provides no sustainable competitive advantage

for your business.”

Robert Rose kicked off Content Marketing World 2022 with that bold
statement. Even the most exceptional work will be copied, remixed,
reimagined, and reissued by other brands and consumers. But don’t take
that as a eulogy for our beloved practice. Instead, celebrate new and
different ways of looking at your work, Robert said, starting with your
strategy and structure. Having the right resources (including strategic
roles, skilled teams, and repeatable procedures) lets you fluidly change
and evolve all the time. And that’s where you’ll find your new competitive
advantage.

Invest in a remarkable (and human) voice

Most streamers use automated transcriptions to help people with hearing

difficulties follow what’s happening on screen. But Netflix assigned
marketing writers to craft vivid descriptions of the sounds accompanying
the Stranger Things action.

The evocative and unsettling words they used (wetly squelching,

tentacles roiling) caught the attention of younger viewers – a segment
that watches shows with captions on regardless of their hearing ability.

HERE’S WHY YOUR CONTENT TEAM MIGHT BE QUITTING

Start building a bridge between content success and career

fulfillment.
By Stephanie Stahl

Over 1,000 content marketers reveal details on their salaries, career

paths, working conditions, and more. Find out what they had to say in
CMI’s Content Marketing Career & Salary 2023 Outlook.

What’s it like to work in content marketing? Is it a rewarding career? Does

it pay well? What’s the career trajectory?

You certainly know your answers to these questions. But, until now, little
industry research has dived into content marketing careers.

We set out to find answers. So, earlier this year, we asked content
marketers about their work satisfaction, career development, and salary
expectations.

More than 1,100 content professionals had their say. You can read the
full story – including salary breakdowns by role, gender, and generation –
in the Content Marketing Career & Salary 2023 Outlook report (gated).

More than 1,100 content professionals had their say. You can read the
full story – including salary breakdowns by role, gender, and generation –
in the Content Marketing Career & Salary 2023 Outlook report (gated).

Let’s take a sneak peek at some of the intriguing findings.

WORRIED ABOUT THE ECONOMY? SHIFT YOUR SEO STRATEGY
TO KEEP GROWING

Demand and intent evolve when money gets tight. Your search
strategy should, too.

Shift your SEO approach to align with the information consumers want
most in times of uncertainty. By Jim Yu

While some analysts predict a downturn in the economy, two facts are
predictable: Consumers will still use search engines and executives will
make kneejerk reactions to slash spending.

I speak daily with Fortune 500 brands refocusing efforts and budgets
away from expensive paid advertising and doubling down on SEO. They
see good SEO practices not only as a cost-effective channel but as a
strategy that works in any economic fluctuation. But the latter only
happens when the company creates and updates content aligned with the
evolving consumer intent.

I speak daily with Fortune 500 brands refocusing efforts and budgets
away from expensive paid advertising and doubling down on SEO. They
see good SEO practices not only as a cost-effective channel but as a
strategy that works in any economic fluctuation. But the latter only
happens when the company creates and updates content aligned with the
evolving consumer intent.

Google’s recent “helpful content update” reflects that. The algorithm

update penalizes websites with large amounts of content that doesn’t help
the reader – content written for the sole purpose of search engine
rankings.

Let’s look at how you can use SEO insights about demand and intent to
weather the market.

Use SEO data as informational research

SEO data provides real-time customer insights, which are essential

during tumultuous market conditions, to inform content, product, and
sales. Seventy-one percent of marketers say SEO data does or will
feed directly into their company’s business intelligence.

SEO data provides real-time customer insights, which are essential

during tumultuous market conditions, to inform content, product, and
sales. Seventy-one percent of marketers say SEO data does or will
feed directly into their company’s business intelligence.

During the peak of the global pandemic, SEO insights (like the ones
below) informed marketers about consumer demands and interests. For
example, search volumes for keywords related to digital marketing, pet
adoption, and garden and patio categories were below average the
weeks before the pandemic hit but skyrocketed afterward. While the
opposite happened for keywords around concerts, hotels, and things to
do, they were above average in the weeks before the pandemic but
plummeted when it hit.

At a macro level, when SEO data reveals purchase intent is low, brands
can elevate content designed to educate, inform, and build trust with key
audiences.
USE YOUR BRAND`S VOICE TO MAKE MRKETING THAT MATTERS

Marketers don’t just create content. They create the potential for
change.

Media and marketing are often blamed for the current crisis of truth and
trust. But could they also be the keys to overcoming it? As
Edelman’s 2022 Trust Barometer asserts, “Societal leadership is now a
core function of business.”

According to entrepreneur and SponsorshipX co-founder Mark Harrison,

that means brands have a responsibility to shed light on the injustices and
inequality their audiences face. It also gives them the opportunity to
speak to those with the power to make change happen.

In his presentation at Content Marketing World 2022, Mark talks about

how his personal mission – to create a world of belonging – guides
everything he puts out into the world.

He also implores marketers to follow suit by putting their own passionate

purpose behind their work. "I can assure you that every organization
that's failing lacks a clear and undeniable north star,” Mark said.

He also implores marketers to follow suit by putting their own passionate

purpose behind their work. "I can assure you that every organization
that's failing lacks a clear and undeniable north star,” Mark said.

Watch the video to learn about Mark’s vision for network activation, his
inspiring work with impactful brands, and his advice on how to turn
content into community strength
IMPOSTER SYNDROME: THE STRUGGLE IS REAL – BUT YOU
CCAN BEAT IT

Imposter syndrome is an inner critic that can keep leaders from pushing
innovative ideas forward and achieving career fulfillment. Our content
therapist Gina Balarin shares expert advice to help silence that self-
limiting voice and keep expanding your opportunities. By Gina Balarin

Content marketers are often intuitive, intelligent, talented, and successful.

But many are reluctant to admit that to themselves.

They feel like they’re faking it and think others will soon realize their
incompetence. They feel like they’re not good enough to succeed despite
all evidence to the contrary. They let these feelings stall their careers.

While imposter syndrome may be experienced by an individual, the

impact on the content marketing team and the program can be big.

Who has imposter syndrome?

As many as 82% of the population could have imposter syndrome,

according to a review of the data published in 2019. That analysis also
shows that impostor syndrome “is associated with impaired job
performance, job satisfaction, and burnout among various employee
populations.”

Imposter syndrome can affect anyone, from any work of life (as you’ll see
in the myth-busting section below). Doctors have it. Famous film
stars have it. Entrepreneurs have it. Serena Williams, Tom Hanks, and
Sheryl Sandberg have it. Even Einstein suffered from it. People from all
religions, ethnicities, countries, and sexual orientations have reported
experiencing it.

But its effects vary among demographics. Clare Josa, researcher and
author of Ditching Imposter Syndrome, says men with imposter
syndrome are more likely to push through it, which potentially leads to
mental health issues in the future. She says women are more likely to let
imposter syndrome stop them from taking opportunities to shine or going
for promotions.
 HOW A LINKIN ADVOCACY PROGRAM AMPLIFIES IMPACT AND
ACHIEVEMENT

Strengthen your brand perception – and results – from the inside

out.
Employee evangelism on social media can increase your marketing
impact – and help your team further their own ambitions. Here’s how to
build a program that entices them to get on board. By Emily Brady

The benefits of establishing an employee advocacy program on LinkedIn

are many – for your brand, as well as your content team members. Their
LinkedIn advocacy can:

 Help build their personal brands.

 Drive traffic to your company’s LinkedIn page and website.
 Establish them as subject matter experts.
 Lead to invitations for guest appearances on podcasts, LinkedIn Live
streams, and other events.
 Capture customers at the top of the funnel.
 Drive deals down the pipeline.
 Win and close deals.

 Help build their personal brands.

 Drive traffic to your company’s LinkedIn page and website.
 Establish them as subject matter experts.
 Lead to invitations for guest appearances on podcasts, LinkedIn Live
streams, and other events.
 Capture customers at the top of the funnel.
 Drive deals down the pipeline.
 Win and close deals.

With all those positive outcomes, an employee advocacy program on

LinkedIn makes sense for most brands targeting a business-focused
audience. Now comes the harder part – organizing the program.

How to structure an employee advocacy program on LinkedIn

Step 1: Get leadership on board

Employee advocacy on LinkedIn is a long play. Secure executive buy-in
by encouraging them to do it first-hand. Ask or help them post
consistently on LinkedIn for at least 60 days. If they can grow their
 following, connections, and engagement, they might see the value in
implementing an employee advocacy program companywide.

Step 2: Choose a channel champion

You’re going to need someone to oversee this operation. You can hire a
social media specialist or assign it to someone on the content marketing
team well versed in LinkedIn.

The channel champion creates the strategy and owns the results of the
program. Among their possible responsibilities:

 Onboarding employees through one-on-one personal branding meetings

 Working with each evangelist to document their personal brand strategy
detailing their content pillars
 Creating written and video training resources to teach employees posting
and engagement strategies on LinkedIn
 Curating an archive of company content categorized by job function
 Leading monthly training workshops
DON´T LEAD YOUR TEAM INTO A NIGHTMARE OF FRUSTRATION

Content teams are facing a steeper uphill climb to brand success.

Don’t throw more roadblocks in their path. Follow the advice shared by
the expert speakers at Content Marketing World 2022 to fix some
common mistakes that could be trip them up By Ann Gynn

“Teamwork makes the dream work.”

I recently learned that sentence is only the first part of the quote.

In the book where he coined the phrase, John C. Maxwell wrote:

“Teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare
when the leader has a big dream and a bad team.”

I would add a complementary thought: A great team never gets out of the
nightmare when the leaders haven’t communicated a big dream.

So how do content marketers work together to achieve a vision and avoid

the nightmare? The CMI editorial team polled some of the experts who
presented at Content Marketing World 2022 for their advice. Here are
some of the best ideas they shared.

1. Make it OK to fail
Create a culture where thinking creatively is encouraged. Give people the
freedom to have bad ideas and even fail from time to time. Because for
each bad idea, there also will be a gem. And ultimately, content made by
creators who feel free and love what they do will be more
resonant. – Chris Blose, founder, Chris Blose Content

2. Understand your team like you do your audience

It’s a mistake not to deeply understand the individuals on [your] team.

As marketers, we spend a lot of time learning about our audience –

building personas, finding out what motivates them, and understanding
what makes them tick – all so we can create better content for them. Why
wouldn't we do the same thing with our teams – deeply understand them
so we can manage them more effectively and support them in doing their
best work?
ARE YOU WILLING TO KILL YOUR CONTENT TO SAFE YOURSELF?

Andrew Davis “toons-up” the way marketers tackle their toughest

challenges. In Drewdles, he sketches out the issues and draws exciting
conclusions. All you need to do is connect the dots for your brand.

By Andrew Davis

"Stress is an epidemic," says Maureen Jann. "It's almost worse than

Covid," she adds in her 2022 Content Marketing World session focused
on managing marketer burnout.

Maureen knows our pain.

Earlier this year, her team at NeoLuxe Marketing asked 1000 marketers
to gauge how run down they were feeling as a result of their work. After
all, it is good to know we're not alone.

The results were shared in The Burnout Index (registration required),

which found that nearly 68% of us are chronically stressed out, numb,
moody, and filled with doubt.

CMI found similar results in its just-released Content Marketing Career

and Salary Outlook report (registration required): Over 70% of marketers
say they feel at least somewhat stressed at work.

Chances are, you're suffering from at least some of that stress.

But why? Why are marketing professionals, specifically, SO exhausted?

Well, according to Airtable’s 2022 Marketing Trends report (registration

required), marketing teams' workload jumped by 52% last year. We're
understaffed and overworked.

Also, only 1 in 5 marketing teams meet their deadlines, and 3 in 4

marketing leaders are frustrated by how long it takes to ship our work. We
can't keep up.

If that's not enough, let's add the looming recession, the war in Ukraine,
the kids, our flailing TikTok strategy, and global warming.