Content Marketing World | Rooted Elm | Email Marketing

Content Marketing World 2018

Lisa Wester — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 12:16:42 +0000

CMWorld 2018 was all about creating moments that matter: to live in the moment, to share beautiful stories that are relevant and full of meaning and to enjoy the experiences we have been given. I trekked to Cleveland, Ohio once again to learn first hand from my Content Marketing heroes—the author’s who inspire me as I listen on my drive into work each day and those I read in my spare time.

Once again Ann Handley, Jay Acunzo, Joe Pulizzi, Robert Rose, Andy Crestodina and Jay Baer did not disappoint. This year, however, a few others had my attention tightly. DeWitt Jones specifically. His message on how to find beauty in our surroundings and how to give life a second look gave me peace and hope for a better tomorrow.

Here are a few highlights of my key takeaways in a collection of tweets.

“Marketers confuse complexity and authority ... In anything we do, we need to think about creating a story in a simpler way.” @JoeLazauskas (Hemingway wrote at a 4th grade level. 8th or higher becomes tedious. Most educated adults don’t read beyond 7th grade—or want to) #CMWorld
— Jay Acunzo (@jayacunzo) September 6, 2018

Regarding creativity and writing: "Trust your gut," says #TinaFey at #CMWorld. With @CMIContent #contentmarketing
— Buddy Scalera (@BuddyScalera) September 6, 2018

Long form content mitigates the risk of customers buying your product because they’ve got a chance to test drive who you are through your writings. @dorieclark #CMWorld
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 6, 2018

I can't wait to share this statement with my daughters. @dewittjones thank you for a beautiful talk and your inspiration. https://t.co/B3poIRGrFJ
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 5, 2018

“By celebrating what’s right we have the energy to fix what’s wrong” @dewittjones #CMWorld
— Taylor Goldsmith (@taygoldsmith) September 5, 2018

#CMWorld @dewittjones The best photographers don't ask, 'What will I take?', they ask, 'what will I be given?'
— Christopher S. Penn (@cspenn) September 5, 2018

Fantastic list from @JoePulizzi of areas to focus in life:
•Career/Wealth
•Family
•Spiritual
•Mental
•Physical
•Giving
#CMWorld
— Ben Gibbons (@bendgibbons) September 5, 2018

"On average, it takes 66 days for a person to make a new task a habit." You have to plan and repeat! #CMWorld
— Mike Allton (@mike_allton) September 5, 2018

Ann Handley

Do you have a tell in your content? Make sure it shows up in your email newsletters. @annhandley #CMWorld
— Berrak Sarikaya | Content Strategist | Speaker (@BerrakBiz) September 5, 2018

If some guy named Warren Buffett can write to a single person to make things more well, personal, so can you. @annhandley #CMWorld
— Mike Myers 🤠 (@mikemyers614) September 5, 2018

Marketing and sincerity are where we need to be as people, as marketers as brands. Ultimately it’s the quality of the content that matters. @annhandley #CMWorld
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 6, 2018

#CMWorld @annhandley Newsletter is two words. NEWS, but don't forget the LETTER. Marketers overfocus on news and not enough on the story in the letter.
— Christopher S. Penn (@cspenn) September 5, 2018

"Email is the place where people (not algorithms) are in control" @annhandley #CMWorld
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 5, 2018

Jay Acunzo

When we pay more attention to the customer than to the industry the customer pays more attention to us @jayacunzo #CMWorld.
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 5, 2018

Finding the best practices isn’t the goal. Finding the best practice for you is... @jayacunzo #CMWorld
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 5, 2018

Stop acting like experts and start acting like investors. ASK BETTER QUESTIONS. @jayacunzo. #CMWorld
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 5, 2018

Jay Baer

91% of B2B purchases are primarily caused by word of mounth. No one actually has a word of mouth strategy but it's responsible for more dollars than anything else we do. We just assume our customers will talk about us. @jaybaer #CMWorld
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 5, 2018

Word of mouth + content = Your customers grow your business for you. People have the power. People look for recommendations. @jaybaer #CMWorld
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 5, 2018

The very best stories are about what your company does not just what it says. @jaybaer #CMWorld
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 5, 2018

Books to Read

I’ve read 75% of the books on this table and would recommend all of them. Finishing Buyer Personas now. #CMWorld.
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 5, 2018

Being the Content Marketing book nerd I am, yes I've read the majority of the books you see in this photo. I think I sold at least five copies of Andy Crestodina's book. Seriously folks, you need to purchase his book, Content Chemistry! Other books on my soon to read list include The Storytelling Edge by Shane Snow and Joe Lazauskas; and The Definitive Guide to Strategic Content Marketing by Lazar Dzamic and Justin Kirby.

Taking Content to the next level #CMWorld

Lisa Wester — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 18:50:39 +0000

Content Marketing World is an educational event attended by the leading content marketers in the world. The keynote speakers are the best of the best and have the resumes to show for it, too. This year, I was most looking forward to hearing three speakers in particular because of what I’ve learned through their podcasts, online training and personal experience as a co-op member. Jay Acunzo, Robert Rose and Eric Hess with REI did not disappoint!

Attending conferences can be overwhelming and even daunting, but when you’re with 4,000 Content Marketers, everyone has an interesting story to tell, and there is an open, honest and friendly vibe. Because the information shared is vast, I took the advice of Joe Pulizzi, founder of CMI, and made a takeaway list from each specific session I attended, along with a to-do list of what I can accomplish quickly. It also helped to tweet my thoughts on the sessions in real time. In case you weren’t able to follow along, I’ve captured some of my favorites below. I welcome and look forward to any questions you may have to explore.

A subscriber is a wonderful, addressable audience. You can add value ($) to attain and retain them. @Robert_Rose #CMWorld
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 6, 2017

Having a formal written document content strategy makes it real. Those that have it (36%) are most successful. @Robert_Rose #CMWorld
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 5, 2017

Media has to be an owned business strategy as we move to 2020. It’s hard to create great content. @Robert_Rose #thestruggleisreal #cmworld
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 5, 2017

Audiences gather because of an anticipated experience. People subscribe for the anticipated content they will receive @Robert_Rose #CMWorld
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 5, 2017

There are no secrets. There is only hard work. We have to stop obsessing over everyone else's answers for us and answer our own. @jayacunzo
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 6, 2017

"The only secret is there are no secrets." @jayacunzo #CMWORLD pic.twitter.com/IRl9hxUlmt
— Erika Heald (@SFerika) September 6, 2017

"When we question conventional thinking using our own context, we make better decisions." @jayacunzo #CMWorld
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 6, 2017

Don't cry about your creative constraints. Embrace them! Your content will be better for it. #CMWorld pic.twitter.com/0nA4LCRQnK
— Erika Heald (@SFerika) September 6, 2017

.@davidbeebe "Content Marketing is like a first date. If all you do is talk about yourself, there won't be a second." #CMWorld2017
— GoAnimate (@GoAnimate) September 7, 2017

Start with an inspiration - connect the dots between your idea and your brand. @CarlaJohnson #CMWorld.
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 6, 2017

Drawn live: @jaybaer’s brilliant strategies for getting promoted by creating less content, not more #cmworld #keynoteinks #contentmarketing pic.twitter.com/YhwZWkbl3p
— Kingman Ink (@KingmanInk) September 8, 2017

"Show up as a person, never as a big company" @lindaboff #CMWorld pic.twitter.com/iT4raKjnM6
— megan conley (@megconley) September 6, 2017

"Be direct, be thorough, be efficient, be effective, but don't be boring" @REI @HessinSeattle #CMWorld
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 7, 2017

Congratulations @REI for Content Marketer of the Year. As a loyal co-op member and follower, I have a ton of brand envy for you. #CMWorld.
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 6, 2017

Write for humans, using their language. @REI, @HessinSeattle
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 7, 2017

Excited to add to my vendor t-shirt collection. Comfy and adds extra inspiration when creating 😁 @klipfolio #CMWorld pic.twitter.com/yXg25mRuKK
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 6, 2017

"Pay more attention to your customer than your industry ...and your customer will pay more attention to you."@jayacunzo at #CMWorld
— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) September 6, 2017

"If you lose humanity in your work, you lose creativity altogether." - @hitrecordjoe #CMWorld pic.twitter.com/D6Cmjo5cYU
— Content Marketing (@CMIContent) September 14, 2017

Never forget Radio Station WIIFM — What's In It for Me? #Con2com #CMworld https://t.co/6RMGrkpsH5
— Erika Heald (@SFerika) September 7, 2017

Intuition is powered by the possibilities you question. It's you thinking creatively and for yourself. @jayacunzo #CMWorld
— Lisa Wester (@WesterLisa) September 6, 2017

Ready, Set, Go: Email Marketing Checklist

Lisa Wester — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 12:45:02 +0000

A 3-minute read:

This week is Content Marketing World, and I am ecstatic! Why?

It started about 24 months ago. Dealing with changes to our relationship with Salesforce Marketing Cloud and client needs, I was frustrated. In talking with our audience, reading industry insight and just my own experience in the emails I was receiving, I became intrigued with Content Marketing.

I attended CMWorld 2016 and it made a lasting impact.

Since then I have (and recommend you access these resources too):

Read or listened to nearly every book recommended and written by Content Marketing thought leaders Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose
Completed — and am in the process of implementing — the CMI University Content Marketing Course with Robert Rose
Read Content Chemistry and blog post by Andy Crestodina and have applied many of his recommendations to RootedELM
Read The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
Applied Email Marketing Rules by Chad White — a must for all email marketers
Listened to about every podcast by Jay Acunzo with the Unthinkable podcast and Joel Book and Heike Young with the Marketing Cloudcast
Completed a zillion Trailhead trails through Salesforce

Thanks to a long drive home from Colorado, I learned all about the jobs theory in the book Competing Against Luck by Clayton M. Christensen, and now I’m listening to how to be more transparent and authentic with my writing through Top of Mind by John Hall (LOVE Audible). And I have so much more to do!

A photo of the session I’m sitting in right now with @Robert_Rose

So why do I tell you this?

It’s because I’m ready! We’re ready. This post just recounts what I’ve done, but if I included what the rest of the team has been doing as well, this post would go on forever. My point is WE ARE READY! We are anxiously anticipating our next project; we are itching to help. To prove it, here’s an example of how we’ve taken all our resources and combined them to give you a practical email marketing checklist to implement in 120 days.

Get the Checklist

To get a few highlights from the conference, make sure you read my follow up post on Content Marketing World 2017.

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