 The season of spring cleaning will soon be upon us. For at least 45 minutes I will muster some motivation, shuffling in and out of rooms, lamenting any cluttered areas, and maybe hastily shove some ghosts of fashion’s past into my donation bag.
But then I’ll have to check my phone. Or pop into email because I forgot to send that one thing that person needed. Because that is what modern business life calls for, and that is certainly part of the marketing communications gig. Whether you’re a small agency owner, a big-name CMO, an industry go-to expert or in your very first job, marketers are maddened creatures at this point, and I’d argue more than even a decade ago. Why? Too many options; must be artist, scientist, psychologist, journalist and data analyst at the same time; and oh yes, do this all precisely strategic, in real-time, while simultaneously driving sales, building the customer experience and advancing the corporate culture. And…influencers… I’ll never forget when an industry contact shared his secret fantasy of becoming a driver: “I’ll drop you off...I’ll pick you up...then I’ll go home.” Other more realistic daydreams take us straight to “IF” land…
When we respond to one IF, there’s another IFFER just waiting to take its place. Tackling TMI The stuff problem. Maybe I’ve watched too many reality shows, but we know that buying a bigger dwelling, or extra storage units, won’t solve problems. The root of the issues is that we are filling a void: a void made by fear. Same thing with marketing communications clutter:
There’s no way around it, so we have to go through it (as least until artificial intelligence takes over all of our jobs). Try this exercise in your next planning meeting, or when you simply hit a moment of too much. Keep (Crush) First ask, what is critical to advancing your organization, brand and people? Then what do you personally do that’s good, scary good? Look at the work week, month, quarter or other suitable time parameters of yourself or the team you manage. Wipe away the time suckers and administrative tasks you can’t avoid. Look at the actual quality production hours you’ll have each week, subtracting the meeting times and travel, and what not. What’s left, and how can you have the biggest impact on your team and business, by giving the best you have to give? Commit to it, rock it, love it! Donate (Outsource, Delegate, Automate) What remains critical and that you still have to do that doesn’t fall within your precious productivity blocks? Or what do you want or need to do, but don’t have the skill set or bandwidth to perform personally, nor the prioritization, budget or interest in hiring or training more bodies. The perpetual answer: why don’t you outsource? Well, effective outsourcing takes an A-player on the inside to drive the process, maximize the partnership, and overall dedicate the focused and productive time needed to see the results. I’ve been on both sides; I know this reality far too well. When you are considering what to move to the donate column, factor in:
Toss (or better put, Step Away, Shelve, Recycle) Major disclaimer here. Unless you have a strong case of saving money or driving sales/growth, if your company, boss, board will not let you throw something away, then go back to Keep or Donate. Maybe you’ve given your all to something — or someone — that simply hasn’t worked. Maybe the money or patience has run out on an endeavor. Maybe your gut is telling you to run and don’t look back. Something has to give. When a tactic, campaign or an entire service area is all kinds of wrong, it’s worth at least stepping away temporarily to gain fresh perspective before final decisions. You may find something worthy of recycling or repurposing. Shelving something is not the same as forgetting forever, and just like fashions, everything seems to come back around. Give yourself permission to step away to find out. What Will You Keep? A ridiculously and increasingly complex marketing communications ecosystem calls for a simple way to make sense, and make haste, not waste, with the time at our disposal. How do you help yourself and teams keep organized and prioritized? What will you hold dear, and what's up for discussion? Christina Capadona-Schmitz (@ChristinaCS & @DownWithSpitUp) leads marketing communications for Oswald Companies, a risk management and financial services company in Cleveland, Ohio. She is on the clock 24/7 with her parenting resource blog www.DownWithSpitUp.com, among other creative pursuits and community endeavors. Connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinacapadonaschmitz.
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Dog, yes, use a dog photo, or a cat, they like that.
It used to be “the millennials are coming.” Today it’s “the millennials are wrinkling.” Before we reach “the millennials are retiring,” now is the time to reframe the conversations you’re having about this not-so-mysterious age bracket, also known as Generation Y. This Digiday article by Tanya Dua, features how the Perricone MD skincare brand is engaging a younger — but indeed aging — audience through new channels and increased investments in digital marketing spend and talent. Per the article and according to the NPD Group, Inc., “In particular, NPD found that millennial consumers are most likely to seek products with “doctor endorsements and natural ingredients.” Older consumers apparently just let it rip with whatever….” The headline caught my eye, as this article is insightful in its own right with lifestyle brands reigning supreme through social and digital means, while also serving as a microcosm of the larger conversation on reaching millennials (who also happen to be the largest group in our workforce). In Perspective Perhaps we should be all more concerned with the natural loss of elasticity in our faces, necks and hands. Frankly, and like I imagine the majority of my peers, I’m more consumed in understanding the sources of stress that are causing these worry lines.
Do you, your product, or your service deliver hope to the omnipresent fears of this generation? Do you employ, or intend to employ digital or mobile marketing tactics to deliver your message? We can all agree that it takes more than a directive to start “Twittering,” or find college students that know how “to Facebook.” Reaching this blanket audience, who apply the verb filter to every second of the day, is no small task, especially if you aren’t a lifestyle brand with decades of loyal customers to back you up. In Christopher Penn’s Top Marketing Skills of 2017 post, he lays out conditions leading to less effectiveness in marketing efforts. Penn shares:
He goes on to share what will be important, including cloud/distributed computing, software integration, mobile development, data presentation and more. Read the full post if you dare. For some, this future state of marketing and access is a reality; for many, it’s a vision or foundation of a five-year plan being wielded as we speak (you know, to be revisited when the first millennials start hitting the big 4-0). However, you need not be as discouraged as the data suggests. Start by having more adult conversations about connecting this rapidly maturing audience. For instance:
In Reflection For myself, technically a member of Gen Y this whole time, the need for a different mindset didn’t hit home until I started seeing those in my college graduating class and peer networks attaining powerful decision-making roles: for both their organizations, or for businesses they had launched and grown. Until then I’d been focused on influencing those of generations before me to take digital marketing ideas and innovations seriously. It takes less convincing today. Now, with our generation looking our mutual crows’ feet in the eye, my sights are turned toward understanding the new generation entering the workforce, and how we will work together. Now will someone teach me how to do a Snapchat face swap with my high school yearbook photo already? More on Millennial Marketing: The struggle is real: Marketing to Millennials: MarketingLand 8 tips for marketing to millennials online: CIO What Marketers Need to Know About Millennials in 2016: AMA.org 6 Things To Know About Marketing To Millennials: Forbes.com Christina Capadona-Schmitz (@ChristinaCS & @DownWithSpitUp) leads marketing communications for Oswald Companies, a risk management and financial services company in Cleveland, Ohio. She is on the clock 24/7 with her parenting resource blog www.DownWithSpitUp.com, among other creative pursuits and community endeavors. Connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinacapadonaschmitz. 
When you’re willing to make the time.
That’s it. Not very strategic, I know. I’ve seen the “social media deadzones” post that keeps resurfacing on our LinkedIn feeds, and its companion article on the “best times to post.” There are thousands of articles out there on this topic. We care about this. When’s the best time to go to the supermarket? Many would say either very early in the morning or overnight for 24-hour places, and I agree. Less crowds and more efficiency. However, more often than not, I find myself squeezing down the aisles, at noon, on a Sunday, restocking for the week ahead. Life is just that: needs versus time available to meet them. You probably don’t NEED social media from a business standpoint to thrive in your chosen career. The majority of us aren’t striving, or will develop the skill set, for achieving social media stardom (and income). It is certainly a mechanism to advance and support your every goal, but if you don’t feel a pressing need, finding the TIME is a bigger challenge. Ask the Right Questions When I say: “when are you willing to participate?”...I mean it.
Find Your Own "Live" Zones The following are a few more thoughts to help get over the illusion that you’re doing it wrong. The fact you are concerned is good enough for me. Look past the deadzones Yes, I know there’s data and patterns and what not that supports the optimal times to be posting content and engaging on social media. We should use the information available to us to drive decisions. I could also argue the opposite: do you want to try and compete with your messages in the most busy and noisy times? I built the idea for DownWithSpitUp.com in a clear deadzone, between 2 a.m.-5 a.m., when I was most active online searching for tips and resources on infant reflux. I found others were very awake during these times (new parents, resources from other time zones), sharing information or support I needed then and there. Call on your themes, hashtags, topics I recommend that people focus on a handful of themes most important to them, and that they want to associate with their personal or business brand. If nothing else, it gives clarity and direction on who to follow, what to post and where to spend time, in what we all know is a massively cluttered environment. It also can help connect engagement on key topics to others immersed in your space, which again, looks past the deadzone times toward topical conversations. Keep it close I know for myself, and likely others, there’s a weird feeling when you put a thought or resource out there. You won’t know exactly who will see it or where it will go. There’s sometimes unneeded pressure on how it’s presented. Think of it more as if you were communicating with a smaller group and how you would frame the same message. Automate with care I’m not talking about the social celebrities and power users who’ve made fortunes through their online brand, and may have staff members to help. They could have posts going 24/7. If you’re new to the scene, or giving it another try, you’ll find a multitude of tools out there to schedule updates, post to multiple channels at the same time, etc. Used wisely these tools can help you save time, however I’d recommend keeping a close and regular monitoring of your activity in case others choose to engage (that is your ultimate goal). Spend your time on the channels that are the most, well, You While most can find some value in Linkedin from a business perspective, Twitter may be too big of stage to make sense to you, and Instagram too visual, or Pinterest too personal. There are top platforms to consider and global outlooks available for us to make informed decisions on where we spend our time. Focus on the channels that speak to you and deliver value, as you’ll be more willing to spend your time and lend your thoughts and energy. Test and measure What better way to gauge your prime times than to simply try out a number of different shifts, and overtime, monitor and recognize when you get the most engagement and value out of being on social media. Here is where you determine your own “live zones” and learn to work your schedule and life around them. Christina Capadona-Schmitz (@ChristinaCS & @DownWithSpitUp) leads marketing communications for Oswald Companies, a risk management and financial services company in Cleveland, Ohio. She is on the clock 24/7 with her parenting resource blog www.DownWithSpitUp.com, among other creative pursuits and community endeavors. Connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinacapadonaschmitz.  In a completely informal, non-study of human behavior, the number one excuse for not doing something is: being busy with something else.
In other words, when someone checks in on a task they feel owed to them, an unfiltered answer wouldn’t be “I’ve been busy,” rather “I’ve used my time on things more important than you.” We wouldn’t get too far with interpersonal relationships if we spoke in real terms about busyness. Same idea applies to health and exercise, financial discipline, remembering birthdays, etc. The headline of this post is meant to be cheeky. If you’re living, working, playing (and hopefully sleeping), you’re busy and likely stressed about your time management. With social media, busyness lends itself to both sides of the coin. People admit they are too busy to keep up with being active on social from a personal or professional standpoint; as well as getting too distracted on the personal side of social. No sadder case of YOLO vs. FOMO. I've written before about why professionals and leaders should think seriously about social media. Instead of trying to negotiate social media into your schedule, answer these questions:
The traditional business networking tactics of the past, are becoming just that, “of the past.” Chances are you're already doing something meaningful, ex. you have a LinkedIn profile; you've been tagged in some sort of social post, etc. Your future goals should include a stronger and strategic digital presence, and trust that it’s already an overcrowded pool. Like everyone else, my responsibilities continue to grow in their gravity, and time is shorter than ever, yet both my job duties and my personal career development count on an increasingly active social media presence, and a keen understanding of what’s coming next. This means that I feel for you, I am with you, and here to share good news that your small gestures are a big deal. Question All You Know In the small world I’ve created for myself I know a handful of people that aren’t active on social media, at least not in conventional terms. But have no doubt they are certainly caught up in the Internet of Things (IoT). An elderly neighbor recently ambushed me during my weekend jog to show me her new Fitbit, and applaud her efforts in beating her husband and other relatives in walking challenges. These people might not have active profiles or publish online, but they certainly do call on technology and apps to communicate, support their social relationships and organize activities. Don't talk yourself out of investing in social media because you think your target audiences aren't on "there." "There" is a moving target of omnipresent proportions, and if they aren't there now, they will be soon. I feel fortunate to have experienced a portion of adult life without the chaos of social media, while also being schooled to be a fluent social media adopter, both for my line of work and personal development. I have found myself at times to be quite anti-social, recently suspending my Facebook after 11 years of active use. I’ve also hopped around a bit on platforms without fully committing to blowing one up (but experimenting enough to be dangerous along the way). These facts alone qualify me to know, well, it’s not all butterflies and hashtags. What I do know is how it feels to spend “time well-wasted,” without achieving social media superstardom or tangible results, and/or wondering if more followers or shares would fill that empty feeling. But this is where my crankiness ends. It’s where I go back to those three questions and remind myself there is good reason to stay on track. Think & Act Differently Maybe you’ve tried the social media thing before, or maybe you’re unsure to how to blur, or separate, the lines between your personal and business life. In any case, at any stage, the following tips below are designed as guidelines to get you focused, energized and active. Two’s Company Think two main platforms or channels. That’s all. Check out many (and claim yourself and brand if you haven’t already on most) and then commit to two to learn inside and out and engage regularly. Which platforms are most “you,” and where will be the most valuable to spend your time. You can think in terms of opposites in your choosing: broad and narrow/niche audiences; long-form and short-form publishing; highly visual or highly narrative. An example would be Twitter and LinkedIn; or Instagram and Medium, or YouTube and Pinterest. You can grow your presence overtime but start with something simple, tangible and doable, that also feels like you belong there. Narrow Your Subjects Again, pick two or three subject areas or themes, which are near and dear to you, to comment, share and publish. Not because you’re boring; because it’s easier to frame your mind and activities around focused themes. Think of it as your journalistic beats. Follow these topics on the channels and start identifying your personal brand with these themes. Follow (Stalk) a Friend You know the one. The one all over this stuff, racking up followers, getting gigs left and right. Lurk, watch them, check on them day and night. Watch for patterns. Set against a power user, observe and learn to translate ways on how you want to present yourself. Commit to Your Calendar Seriously, create recurring calendar events to block your time to participate on social media. At least until it becomes second nature. You can start small, say two times a week, block a half hour to log on. Then move to twice a day, maybe first in the morning and early evening, or two other slots that make the most sense in the ebb and flow of your day. Soon it will become a habit and the regular use will lead to efficiencies that will make your time on their better and richer. Check Twice, Post Once Some tools and platforms will allow you to share the same message on multiple social channels. Not all the functionality translates precisely but it is an argument for multiplying your time and efforts. There are also tools, including free ones, where you can manage multiple accounts from one login. Again, it's all about getting comfortable first before looking at ways to extend your activity further. Give it Your Best Life seems to reveal, over and over again, that you will get out what you put in. Same for your social media activity.
Commit to changing your behavior by making social media one of your priority “somethings.” Start with a couple channels, a few themes, and log in several times each week, to engage inside and outside your comfort zone. You might even learn a little something along the way. Christina Capadona-Schmitz (@ChristinaCS & @DownWithSpitUp) leads marketing communications for Oswald Companies, a risk management and financial services company in Cleveland, Ohio. She is on the clock 24/7 with her parenting resource blog www.DownWithSpitUp.com, among other creative pursuits and community endeavors. Connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinacapadonaschmitz.  Everybody and their brother is on LinkedIn. Even my brother.
But being ‘’on” doesn’t mean being “one” with the platform. Until you take the leap and dive in, it is, and will remain, a platform. This post isn’t a how to use and navigate LinkedIn (see my overuse of the word guru later in the post) or maximizing its paid solutions in sales, careers and marketing. It covers why it will be worth your time in figuring it out: for yourself and the audiences that count on you. 1. Build Networks With New Generations of Engaged Professionals In addition to building fresh and stronger connections with your current networks (yes, they are on LinkedIn too), start to think bigger and toward the future. Your next best talent might show up at your doorstep, OR you might stumble upon them during your time logged on. Or better yet, you might take a strategic approach to searching and finding new connections. Spoiler: you know the well-connected, digitally savvy, motivated professionals you dream about joining your organization? Well, they are right here, putting it all out there for you to see. 2. Thought Leadership? Do it All The Time You haven’t reached your level of influence by standing on the sidelines. LinkedIn puts, at your fingertips, the power of sharing your experiences, your vision, and your kudos to other leaders in your circles and beyond. This isn’t about trade secrets and secret sauces. It's about sharing the lessons you’ve gained, and subject matter authority you yield, on a much broader playing field. Whether you choose to publish your own articles, "like" or share valuable content from others, or simply consume resources as they emerge on your feed, you won’t be able to help yourself but to feel more engaged and enlightened to the pulse of your constituents. 3. All Eyes On You If you want a more digitally engaged workforce – from entry-level, to sales, to upper management – what better way than to set the tone yourself. Others will surely follow if you start to make it a habit. It’s probably a good time to state that LinkedIn is not a priority task you can simply work into your calendar; it’s a disciplined behavior that must be practiced and nurtured on- and off-the-clock. The tools may change, but the “social media” way of communication is not going away, so there’s little risk of wasting the time you invest now to understand the landscape. Talk it up, offer learning opportunities for employees, and share away. Bonus: A Guru is Going to Get Ya Somewhere, someday, some self-proclaimed social media guru is going to corner you for five minutes and challenge you to “go digital.” And you’re going to be able to say, been there, done that, what else do you have for me? Or in the least, be able to share that you’re on it, and working toward maximizing the tool, calling on technical or moral support when needed. Get Comfortable with The Caveats As you’ve learned during your tenure, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Fortunately, the challenges posed are the same that you deal with in real life.
With all the best practices out there – be it profile update tips, engagement activities, or making the most of connections – the only successful LinkedIn strategy is the one that will keep you logging in each day. When getting started, or getting active, don’t start with concerns on how your picture or profile should look, or who you should connect with, or what articles to share; rather ask yourself:
Keep in mind: your competitors are already on here. Look them up in the search function if you don't believe me. So come on chief(s), it’s time to warm up to the idea, download the app, and dig in. ***** Clearly, you don’t have to have a corner office to benefit from these lessons. For more on the how-to, check out the resources below or schedule time with the most engaged professionals in your organization to find out how they make it work for them. • Getting Started on LinkedIn (video) • Moz Beginner's Guide to Social Media & LinkedIn Christina Capadona-Schmitz (@ChristinaCS & @DownWithSpitUp) leads marketing communications for Oswald Companies, a risk management and financial services company in Cleveland, Ohio. She is on the clock 24/7 with her parenting resource blog www.DownWithSpitUp.com, among other creative pursuits and community endeavors. Connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinacapadonaschmitz.  I recently reflected on ten years of transformation from traditional marketer to content-obsessed communicator. The vows I made back then hold true today.
Enough about me. Content Marketing is about you, and what you hold dear. For all the joys and woes it brings, I'd like to pay tribute to a content marketing staple: The Top 10 List. Check out lessons and takeaways from a decade of diligence. 1. Be Nosy The best of content marketing strategies can be wielded by simple questions to target audiences:
2. Rethink Thought Leadership You have experts in your circles who can drop top knowledge in an engaging way. But keep in mind: no one wants to have to think all the time. Maybe you can bring audiences value by giving them a needed mental break. Entertain them, distract them, or simply let them know you and your company are thinking on their behalf. It's noisy out here. When it's time for your leaders to shine, make sure they're centered in the value they are willing to share, without the promise of immediate gratification. 3. Repurpose on Purpose Don’t repurpose content because it’s simple, time-efficient, cost-efficient and useful. Do it because it supports a strategic business objective. Or because the timing is right. You could be either pressed for time, or have ample time to fully plot out a revamp. Good content, like cheese, will suit different tastes at different stages of aging. The worst you can do is get too immersed in the flavor-of-the-week, that your best content gets neglected...and way past its shelf life. 4. [Insert Marketing Tactic] is Dead? Time For a Comeback Events. Print. Content Marketing itself. We’re all happy to put tactics out-to-pasture to make room for the bright and shiny. Take a chance on a castaway medium or repurpose across various channels (see #3). 5. But Everybody is Doing it, Mom Don’t "do" content marketing because it’s cool (or for you newer generation professionals, because it’s retro). Commit to the approach because it’s good business and it feels right for your audiences. It’s a marathon, stacked on top of a triathlon, combined with a vision quest, and it's not for everyone. You will burn out if your heart isn’t into it, and you’ll be back to blasting salesy messages in no time. 6. Learn The Rules and Then Try to Break Them All Read the articles, attend the conferences and dial into the webinars. Then, at every single chance, challenge the status quo and try something new. You can call on best practices and still be original (see 99 Amazing Content Marketing Hub examples on the Marketing Insider Group). Author, speaker, and all-around marketing/media fireball Andrew Davis personifies the call for constant reinvention in this space. At the core of his multimedia world is a penchant for shining the spotlight on those with unique paths to extraordinary successes. The CMO Club has a great description of the anti-data movement in its 2016 surprising marketing trends post. Content marketing is not paint-by-number, but there’s a lot to be learned from those that practice it daily. Case in point: Propane. Our company consults on highest complexity of needs of organizations throughout the globe. So what’s one of the top visited pages on our website each month? A single, simple article on OSHA propane safety regulations. Client survey data may have never foretold the power of a content piece like this. 7. You Will Fail, You Will Learn You will lose time, brain cells and likely some friends. You will spend months on a campaign that gets killed before launch. You will think you have a viral hit on your hands that is nothing but a mild infection. All that you must know and master as a modern marketer is immense (and mounting). Things will fall through the cracks and expensive programs will flop. Keep good notes, learn from your failures and celebrate your wins in high style. Approach every project like it will be your Space Jam to keep the fire in your belly. 8. Enough About The Cobbler's Kids and Their Shoes While I believe you must walk the walk, I know many successful pros who spend the lion’s share of time making clients great. Every client, audience and strategy deserves a unique approach, so kudos if you have the time and energy to make yourself and your clients’ rock stars in your respective fields. Approach the task of staying active with your personal brand, and keeping up on new technologies and capabilities, as investments in the success of those you serve. There are teachers and doers, and if you work your tail off, you’ll get to be a bit of both. 9. Losing Your Voice You’re a visionary, you’re talented, and you’re driven, but newsflash: content marketing comes with a side of humility. It doesn’t amount to much without the buy-in of others. Put yourself in the shoes of your client, your boss, your company and your stakeholders. Put your ego aside to open up to new perspectives and the collaborative approach needed to achieve early wins. Need to keep your energy up, creativity booming, and authentic voice well-tuned? Create your own personal platform and let it flow. 10. Finding Contentment Celebrity keynoters from multiple Content Marketing World events have made jest of the phrase “content marketers” as being a “satisfied” group of professionals. If you’re true to the game, you will always be hungry for challenges, and that in itself will breed a new kind of fulfillment. You get to contribute. You get to collaborate. You get to create. It’s a passion and a privilege. Some Final Words If this article has worn you out, I will offer one of my favorite excuse quotes, from Blaise Pascal: “I have made this letter longer than usual, only because I have not had the time to make it shorter.” We all have a voice, with much more to say, all with shorter attention spans to spit it out. That’s the challenge and opportunity to keep us moving. If you’ve finished this post, you’ve read more than 1,000 words. You’re a web-reading rebel and get a gold star. If you’ve scanned the 10 lessons and took one nugget back to your boss, I salute you. If you’ve skipped to the bottom to experience the toll that ten years of content marketing takes on the mind and body, you are also a winner. Spoiler alert: we are all winners in the content marketing game, because it’s never ending, and we write the rules as we go. I may never contribute to a Fortune 500 brand, or keynote a major event, but to “content market” is wildly addictive, incredibly frustrating and undeniably rewarding. Even if there is no pot of Birkin Bags at the end of this rainbow, my love for the craft will never be a matter of contention. This is post 2 of 2 of my content marketing reflections. Check out “Ten Years' Content Marketing And Still True to my Vows" Christina Capadona-Schmitz (@ChristinaCS & @DownWithSpitUp) leads marketing communications for Oswald Companies, a risk management and financial services company in Cleveland, Ohio. She is on the clock 24/7 with her parenting resource blog www.DownWithSpitUp.com, among other creative pursuits and community-based endeavors.  Now that the planning and prediction posts have settled down I’ve found myself reminiscing about 2006.
The first tweets were being tweeted, and we were all lamenting along to the song "Bad Day," but I was a bit distracted. Early that year I joined an agency startup built on the premise of value-based PR and marketing, and then shortly afterward, got married. Life has thrown several curveballs in one decade of marriage (shocking, I know), and I'm now well into the throes of a corporate leadership gig. On the content marketing front? I’m still lovingly devoted to the same ideals from back then:
To Have and To Hold Content marketing is a verb to me. It’s not a strategy; it’s a behavior, a mindset, and a passion put to practice. It’s the value you’re willing GIVE, without a contract to RECEIVE (time, dollars, endorsement). Its success is measured in YES or NO. Consumed or ignored. Action taken, or not. It’s permeable and simple, yet overwhelming to put to paper and execute. Not to mention the challenge of gaining the influence to shift time, dollars and human resources. Back in the day, our team at the time tried to spread the message to clients in the homegrown manner to which they could relate. Today, the team behind the PR 20/20 blog has it rightfully ranked among the top content marketing resources out there. Joe Pulizzi brought it mainstream to the masses, along with the forums for like-minded marketers to mingle. Technologies caught up and soon content marketing had the mass to make it movement-worthy. Earlier in my career I read article-upon-article on the subject, to learn the angles, tips, tools, and know-how. It got noisy somewhere along the way. I was already all-in, seeking ways to help influence those I served to shift their thinking. My personal answer wasn’t to absorb more. It was simply to roll up my sleeves, put my fingers to the keyboard, and do the hard work that’s required. Write, create, rework, repeat. With time and persistence I had small wins, and then growth, until it became the core behavior I applied to all of the marketing disciplines I manage. In Good Times and Bad Every day there are new folks saddled with impossible growth goals and mounting marketing responsibilities. Ready for a change and primed for disruption, or possibly after reading just one article they saw on LinkedIn, they become enlightened to content marketing and the new disciples of the cause. And then, no matter how many times they’ve been told to “start with why,” they skip right to the “how” and “what,” and meet a frustrating fate of analysis paralysis. Been there one too many times myself. The truth is that contenting marketing is a reflection of doing good business, delivered in a tangible, creative way. There are no shortcuts and nowhere to hide. There is no end because there are always new people to engage, and new ideas to explore. It takes adopting the mindset of an owner and a customer (simultaneously) and producing work in a focused and purposeful manner, to get campaigns off the ground and through the clutter. The opportunities never stop, so neither can our devotion. As Long as Content Shall Live It’s been said, ad nauseam, that content marketing has been a game-changer. Anyone immersed in it will be familiar with the John Deere “Furrow” case studyof 1895, and then there is, you know, the Bible. It may not be new, but it is certainly still shiny. At its very core, content marketing is about behavior change, and thus why we are still busy talking about it in 2016, when it should be the very air we breathe as marketers and communicators. There is still much work to do, from the mom and pop shops, to global consumer brands, and all of us in-between. Whether you’ve been content marketing five decades, five months, or five minutes, let’s renew our commitment to continually enhance brand experiences with all of our stakeholders: prospects, clients, employees, leaders and our communities at-large. If I’m lucky in life, I’ll continue to feel the butterflies and have another 10 years to figure it out…content marketing, that is. The marriage, mortgage and kid stuff? That's one case study that will always be my proudest work-in-progress. This is post 1 of 2 of my content marketing reflections posts. For even more metaphors and idioms jam-packed into one article, view “Ten Years' Content Marketing And All I Got Was This Top Ten Post.” Christina Capadona-Schmitz (@ChristinaCS & @DownWithSpitUp) leads marketing communications for Oswald Companies, a risk management and financial services company in Cleveland, Ohio. She is on the clock 24/7 with other creative pursuits and community endeavors. Connect with her at www.ChristinaCSMedia.com. |
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