Editor’s note: You may have missed the original version of this post a couple years ago. We’re sharing Aaron’s updated version today, as more efficient teamwork is a constant need for content marketers.

As content marketers, we have our work cut out for us.

Getting original ideas off the ground is hard enough. Unfortunately, when we add all the curating, collecting, and collaborating necessary for full-scale engagement, overwhelmed is an understatement.

Yet, curating and collaborating is essential. And not just for in-house research. By a landslide, social media posts top the lists of types of content both B2C (96%) and B2B (94%) marketers say they use.

The problem is that social media marketing is notoriously self-centered. Without curation, we inevitably pack our feeds with pitch after promotion after pitch. And, without collaboration, we end up being echo chambers of our proclivities — instead of a diverse repository of thought leadership.

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Updated Sept. 4, 2017

Conferences are not for the faint of heart. Whether you’re an introvert or extrovert … getting the most out of any conference is a challenge. It’s one thing to go home with a stack of notes and takeaways; it’s another beast entirely to leave with fresh relationships and meaningful connections.

Yes, the magic of conferences is in the people.

What’s a marketer to do when people are exactly what leave your head spinning: “Who should I talk to? What should I say? Where should I go? How should I follow up?”

To answer those questions, I went to the source: you and your cohorts.

That’s right. I asked one question to as many people as I could at Content Marketing World 2016 and in advance of CMWorld 2017: “What’s your single best networking tip at a conference?” For a behind-the-scenes look at how this all came together, check out How to Attend a Conference and Take It Over (Even If You’re Not a Speaker).

What follows are 101 responses from keynoters, speakers, staff, and (above all) you, conference attendees. However, before we jump into the tips and infographic, let’s look at the big picture.

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Social media is arguably the most powerful growth tool on the internet. Ironically, it’s also the most difficult to master.

In a study by Ascend2, 40% of digital marketers cited social as the “most difficult” channel to master (a tie for first with websites). Asked to identify the most difficult tactic on this most difficult channel, the answer — by a landslide — was three words: creating compelling content.Continue Reading

You are a content marketer. You care about people, about making real content for real humans that adds value and solves problems. After all, that’s the heart of content marketing.

Unfortunately, all that care and human connection often comes at a cost.

Even in the B2B realm, a mere 6% of respondents in CMI’s 2017 research rated their organization’s content marketing maturity level as “sophisticated” — providing accurate measurement to the business and scaling across the organization. The previous survey looked at challenges and found “measuring content effectiveness” was the No. 2 challenge faced by marketers, second only to creating content itself.Continue Reading

Editor’s note: A new version of this post is available.

Let’s be honest, social media is a jungle. Forget about the flood of apps, integrations, and add-ons, just figuring out which network you should invest in is overwhelming.

What if you could ask today’s most influential online marketers one question: “What social media tool is your all-time, desert-island, can’t-live-without favorite?”Continue Reading

Conferences are not for the faint of heart, especially a conference the size and scope of Content Marketing World — 3,600 marketers from 72 countries all descending on 11 keynoters, 208 speakers, and 96 breakout sessions over four days in Cleveland, Ohio.

In two words: mind blowing. In three: mind blowingly terrifying.Continue Reading

It’s not “like” or follow. And it’s not even add to cart, buy now, or confirm purchase.

The most profitable online click is subscribe.Continue Reading

Last summer I spent three nights at a downtown Denver hotel. It was delightful, truly. The Wi-Fi had a rocky start, but the front desk fixed the problem and, as an apology, gave me free access during my stay. The gym was clean and a life-size faux cow in the lobby intrigued me enough to post about it on social.Continue Reading