Author: Stephanie Stahl

As General Manager of CMI, I lead the brand’s event, digital, print, and e-learning operations – and get to work with the best team on the planet! Previously, I served as VP of Content Marketing for UBM’s Technology portfolio, providing strategic guidance on content development, content optimization, audience engagement, and go-to-market platforms for our technology clients. I’ve worked for UBM for more than two decades, helping shape new multimedia content and event offerings. I also served as Editor in Chief of InformationWeek for many years. I live in the Washington, DC area with my husband, two teenage daughters, and many pets (birds, dogs, reptiles, hedgehogs, etc. Some might call it a food chain). You can find me on Twitter @editorstahl and LinkedIn.

Company News

By stephanie-stahl published December 26, 2018

Forgetting Resolutions and More Practical Content Marketing Advice

It’s the season when lots of well-meaning people set resolutions for the new year. Eat healthier, work out more, spend more time with family, lessen the screen time, connect with friends, be more mindful…

But we know most of those declarations fail before it’s time to eat lots of chocolate (or bacon) on Valentine’s Day while binge-watching 10 seasons of a hot show on Netflix. I mentioned bacon for a reason, but I’ll get to that later.

I’m not judging anyone who doesn’t keep a resolution. I’m not urging you to set lofty goals for the new year. Rather, I’m providing a dose of pragmatic and inspirational advice from a handful of our community members who presented on some of CMI’s most popular webinars in 2018. All of our webinars are available on demand and are free to watch (with registration).

Company News

By stephanie-stahl published December 11, 2018

85+ Expert Predictions for Content Marketing in 2019

Have you ever wished you could see a year into the future?

I can’t think of any superpower that would be more useful for content marketers than to have a sneak preview of all the important developments, trends, technologies, and key disruptors that will impact our strategic and creative decisions over the next 12 months. (Although the ability to fly might be nice as well – it would sure cut down on all my business travel time and stress!)

With the speed of big shifts happening across our industry lately – businesses merging, algorithms shifting, new tech capabilities emerging, audiences growing ever more fragmented and distracted, and the like – it’s hard enough for practitioners to keep up with what’s happening now, let alone keep our eyes firmly fixed on the horizon.

Company News

By stephanie-stahl published September 13, 2018

The 2 Things You Need to Know From the Best CMWorld Talks (Including Tina Fey’s)

2-things-to-know-best-cmworld-talks

After I interviewed Tina Fey at Content Marketing World, several people asked if she was as nice in person as she seemed on stage.

Their inquiries called to mind something my colleague Robert Rose raised on the same stage at the beginning of Content Marketing World.

“Trust is the new player … We have the power to shape beliefs,” he said. “(Content marketing) is our opportunity … to become a or the trusted source of interesting things.”

Company News

By stephanie-stahl published September 6, 2018

How to Be an Agent of Change: Examples From Top Content Marketing Award Winners

agent-of-change-top-content-marketing-award-winner-examples

“What’s next for content marketing?” As modern marketing practitioners, no matter how focused we are on today’s pressing challenges and opportunities, we can’t help but keep an eye on what the future might bring.

The dynamic nature of the digital industry means we can never let ourselves get too comfortable or too complacent when it comes to creating meaningful content experiences. Consumer trends, behaviors, and informational needs are always shifting. Our role isn’t just to build strong, trusting customer relationships now but to serve as true agents of change – enabling our brands, our strategies, and our stories to evolve along with them.

Content Marketers of the Year / Content Marketing Examples / Editorial Strategy and Planning

By stephanie-stahl published July 6, 2018

Content Marketer of the Year Shares the REI Story

content-marketer-year-rei-story Leadership. It’s a lively mix of team building, innovation, excellence, humility, and results. These are just a few of the characteristics we look for when selecting the finalists for CMI’s Content Marketer of the Year award. As we begin to unveil our 2018 finalists in the coming weeks, we want to give you a closer look at last year’s honoree.

Paolo Mottola, managing editor at REI Co-op and the 2017 Content Marketer of the Year, has demonstrated again and again how content can drive more than interest and engagement – it can drive action.

Content Creation / Content Marketing Examples / Storytelling

By stephanie-stahl published June 1, 2018

4 Secrets of Great Storytellers

secrets-great-storytellers What’s your story? It’s a common question when you’re first getting to know someone. It begs for details about your past, your career, your family, your hobbies. You probably never hear anyone reply: “I studied content marketing as an undergraduate and earned a Ph.D. in creating great customer experiences.”

Those degrees don’t exist, of course. But that’s OK. Great storytellers come from all sorts of places. And they’re telling stories in so many new ways that each day seems to add proof to Daniel Pink’s dramatic 2006 assertion:Continue Reading

Content Creation / Content Marketing Examples / Event Marketing / Social Media

By stephanie-stahl published December 4, 2017

Pre-Event Content: 5 Tips for Creating Excitement (and a Bit of FOMO)

pre-event-content
Next week I’ll join my counterparts from around the world in Berlin to talk about live event experiences. It’s an annual gathering where we can share ideas, successes, and challenges, and learn to better understand each other’s businesses. For many, creating pre-event content to build excitement (and maybe a bit of FOMO [fear of missing out]) for our events is a hot topic.

Regardless of your industry or region of the world, pre-event content is an important element for delivering on an amazing event experience.
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Content Creation / Content Ideas

By stephanie-stahl published November 10, 2017

The Rare White Squirrel Who Eats Pumpkins (and Other Stories of Creativity)

creativity-day-inspire-content-creation I’ll get back to the white squirrel in a minute …

We hear from content creators all the time about the struggle to be creative day in and day out. We understand. The struggle is real. So are the excuses:

My company sells boring products.
My budget is starving.
I have writer’s block.
My legal team has rules, rules, and more rules.

But creativity is critical when it comes to standing out among the screaming noise that distracts your audience daily. There’s hope. And there are tactics you can use to inject more creativity into your content marketing efforts.

Company News / Content Creation / Content Marketers of the Year / Content Marketing Examples

By stephanie-stahl published September 7, 2017

22 Examples From Brands (and Marketers) That Are Winning at Content Marketing

brands-winning-content-marketing At CMI, we’ve always taken our mission of advancing the practice of content marketing seriously. And one of the best methods we know of when it comes to sharpening our skills and expanding our vision of what’s possible is to follow the examples set by some of the industry’s best and brightest practitioners.

I’m sure you follow the advice of many of the well-known industry pros who graciously share their insights in our blog posts, at Content Marketing World sessions, and throughout our social media forums. But today, I am proud to introduce you to a new batch of experts to keep an eye on: the winners and finalists from this year’s Content Marketing Awards.

For the 13^th year, the awards program recognizes the remarkable accomplishments of content marketers in categories that span strategy, distribution, design, and editorial. In all, 96 winners were selected this year from a field of over 1,000 submissions.

Content Creation / Content Marketing Examples

By stephanie-stahl published July 12, 2017

Excellence in Content Marketing: Be Inspired by Some of our Judges’ Favs

content-marketing-award-winners When it comes to excellence in content marketing, there are many things to consider – audience, intent, format, design, ROI, and more. We are excited to showcase excellence across these content characteristics from the winners and finalists in the 2017 Content Marketing Awards, which were just announced today. With over 1,100 entries across 93 categories, our 90 judges were impressed with the creativity, quality, and passion visible in the submissions.