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And… that’s a wrap of the week ending Aug. 2, 2019

This week I’m thinking about how we (and our corporate websites) are simply extensions of all the things we own. I offer my take on the news about Staples introducing a new content “thing” to support its launch of a new brand identity. And I introduce an interview segment, in which my debut guest – marketer extraordinaire and recovering politician Jim Kukral – explains a few things you need to know to make your content unskippable. Finally, I share a must-have content checklist to help you create quality content reliably and repeatedly.

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What are your brand’s stories? #ApostrophesMatter

Let’s step into the world of brand storytelling a bit. It can be a confusing place, with lots of buzzwords and confusing metaphors. Honestly, it’s a place where many of us content marketers feel a little hamstrung.

You see, when people get together to talk about telling a “brand story” often what we end up discussing is the story and the overall value of the brand itself. It’s hard to avoid and we quickly run into a dead end. But the brand story is different than the brand’s stories (#ApostrophesMatter). Let’s explore.

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“What does a content marketing team look like?”

This is the third most-frequent question from companies after (1) how do I measure a content marketing strategy and (2) how do I scale a content marketing approach. It should probably be the first.

You might be a team of one, wearing multiple marketing hats. Or you might be a global, siloed, integrated marketing and communications team of hundreds. It doesn’t matter. “Content” should absolutely be a strategic function in your business. It deserves the same dedication to roles and responsibilities that you provide for your accounting, legal, sales, and every other strategic activity the business performs.

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Editor’s note: The following article was originally published in the all-digital debut issue of Chief Content Officer magazine. This new version enables us to share audio, video, and more. Check out the interview below. Or listen to or watch the 5-minute interview in the magazine. (Subscription info at end of this post.)

Dewitt Jones may not be a marketer, but he’s certainly a content master. At Content Marketing World 2018, he received a standing ovation for his inspirational and moving keynote talk.

Read on for his advice, then watch the video to see his advice in action.

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Editor’s note: Given that ROI remains a most frequently asked topic in the industry, we updated this original Chief Content Officer piece from a few years ago to help you answer the ROI question today.

Marketing measurement and ROI. Heard of them? Yeah, I thought so. It’s kind of a thing right now.

Without fail the most common question I get at workshops or advisory days with clients is “how are we going to show return on a content marketing investment?”

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When I graduated college, my dad gave me one of those super-duper, deluxe tool sets. It had everything. There was a 330-piece socket wrench set, a two-gimbal palm, 24 screwdrivers, a hex set, two claw hammers, eight pairs of pliers, and on and on. I had no idea what to do with it all. I tried to learn, but never used any of it well.

Thirty years later, that toolbox sits dusty in the back of my storage unit. In my office is a leather box that I’ve had for the last decade. It has a total of two screwdrivers (one flathead and one Phillips head), a hammer, a couple pairs of pliers, and a Leatherman multi-function tool. I’m happy to report that in my household I’m not known as the “fix-it guy” nor the “helpless guy.” That little box has gotten me through most household projects. I operate from the strategy, if I can’t fix it with what’s in the box, it’s probably something I shouldn’t be messing with anyway.

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Two of the most frequent questions I’m asked about a new content publication project are: “How much of our brand should be in our content?” and “What should the distribution model be?”

Three years ago, I wrote an article, Clarifying the Noise: The Content Marketing Spectrum. I attempted to stratify (and demystify a bit) the different approaches of content marketing, native advertising, and branded content. At the time, I said this was a “work in progress” and I would add to it as we thought of new ways to provide clarity.

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In case you haven’t noticed – over the years here at CMI we’ve spent quite a few brain cells and digital ink defining and defending the approach of content marketing as a separate and distinct methodology to influence customer behavior.

More than a decade ago, my good friend and CMI founder Joe Pulizzi wrote his seminal post and put a stake in the ground for our beloved practice. He said it very plainly. Marketers have the opportunity to provide “truly relevant and useful content to prospects and customers to help them solve their issues.”

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