To be fair, each and every one of our Content Marketing Conference keynotes and speakers has much more than a sentence or two of insight to share with us. A sampling of their “best quotes” is truly just the tip of the iceberg! But they’ll give you a great idea of what conference-goers are going to learn about this week at #CMC18…and what we’re sure to be talking about after the event wraps.
Enjoy!
Josh Steimle:
“Anyone can start with content marketing today, even if they’ve never done anything with it before, and get results. There’s no good reason to not master it right now. There is still so much opportunity for companies of all types to implement any one or more of 1,000 content marketing tactics. The companies that didn’t start 5 or 10 years ago are behind, but they can catch up, and the secret is that 95% of your competitors are just as behind as you are, so if you start now, you’ll quickly be at the head of the pack.”
“The best way to connect with customers is through exceptional service, and that doesn’t end with your company’s help desk or customer success team. Imagine your customer. Now imagine her asking, ‘what have you done for me lately?’ Answer that question every day and that’s a good place to start.”
“We need to create a conversation with our audience and offer helpful information that is actually useful, funny or inspiring. Great content doesn’t overwhelm with dense text, it focuses on approachable short snippets that are easily digestible. Incorporating great visuals or even audio can help make it easier for people to consume your content.”
“Test your content!! Instead of just producing a single piece of content and hoping it does the job, try several different approaches, and measure to discover what type of content drove the most engagement. Then dive deeper. A truly great content testing process never ends, and results in content marketers who are ever evolving for the better.”
“Anyone following the recent Facebook news understands that the rules of playing on someone else’s turf are always going to be changing. Mastering content marketing means providing actual value and creating real conversations that hold up even when algorithms and platforms change. Content marketing is the heart of connecting people to solutions they need.”
“People are tired of being sold to and want to create meaningful relationships with the brands they support. They have an endless supply of options and are just looking for one brand that separates itself from the pack by having a ‘face’ and having a conversation. Great content breaks through transactional relationships. It deposits value in the relationship bank time and time again.”
“Please stop writing for search engines and not their users. I still see content that doesn’t resonate with the person reading it. We have to know and serve our true readers.”
“You have to address the whole customer journey. That means you have to help people early on in the process—even if you can’t immediately make money off of them. Answering questions like ‘Is this right for me?’ and ‘What are the important things to consider before making this decision?’ is often the key.”
“Collaborate and listen to other people in other departments. Even if it’s your sole responsibility to create compelling content, you are not the only expert on your customers.”
“You need three things to connect with a customer today: an appointment with your audience, a person attached to the content you create, and the insight to fill a content hole in the marketplace.”
Don’t miss any insights! Read though all of our CMC18 Speaker Q&As.
