Weekly Alert: Is It Time to Bring a Preacher to Your Practice?

CMWorld Discount Enclosed [View Message](54648/ct0_0/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi) in Browser / [Add Us](54648/ct1_0/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi) to Safe Sender List [] 54648/ct2_0/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi [] [Forward to a Friend](54648/ct3_0/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi) This Week in Content Marketing 2.22.19 Connect with CMI 54648/ct4_0/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi 54648/ct5_0/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi 54648/ct6_0/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi 54648/ct7_0/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi 54648/ct8_0/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi [] If You Give a Community a Cookie … How to Create a Great Digital Neighborhood [] 54648/ct9_0/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi How you design your community’s “neighborhood” plays a huge role in how your audience experiences the brand. Stay away from cookie-cutter neighborhoods with this advice from the frontlines of community management. [Read more](54648/ct9_1/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi)by Monina Wagner [Distribution and Promotion] Some more of this week's best stuff: - [7 Great Instagram Scheduling Tools for 2019](54648/ct10_0/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi) by Olga Rabo [Distribution and Promotion] - [How to Use Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Pages as a SEO Treasure Trove](54648/ct11_0/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi) by Mike Murray [Distribution and Promotion] - [Time to Get Schooled on Content Marketing Skills](54648/ct12_0/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi) by Jodi Harris [Editorial Process and Teams] - [How to Make Your Writing More Powerful](54648/ct13_0/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi) by Ann Gynn [Content Creation] [] [] A Note From Robert Rose 54648/ct14_0/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHiListen to the Weekly Wrap, presented by Mission.org Let Robert Rose wrap up your week with 10 minutes of inspiration. This week he tackles the thorny problem of the cobbler’s children having no shoes. Don’t miss his fresh take [on (GQ) Hype as a gateway drug](54648/ct15_0/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi), plus a content marketing idea for [getting your writing into shape](54648/ct13_1/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi). Listen [right here](54648/ct14_1/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi) or subscribe below. [Subscribe on iTunes](54648/ct16_0/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi) or [subscribe on Stitcher](54648/ct17_0/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi) Is It Time to Bring a Preacher to Your Practice? Are you one of the cobbler’s children? The phrase “the cobbler’s children” refers to the proverbial shoemaker who is so busy making shoes for his customers that he can’t make, or even repair, shoes for his children. Thus, the expert shoemaker’s children don’t have shoes. It’s one of the more common laments I hear in my work with businesses all over the world. The technology design company runs a hard-to-use-website. The carpenter lives in a house that’s falling apart. The fitness company’s executives are all out of shape. And, yes, the content creators don’t have time to develop their own content. It’s not like we’re unaware of the irony. But there’s this weird acquiescence that takes place – we sometimes just give up our ability to remedy it. Often, the lament “we are the cobbler’s kids” comes with a sigh and an implied “…and there’s nothing we can do about it.” Why is that? Is it because of some internal weakness? We know how to deal with this weakness – and can help others – but don’t help ourselves. Think of introverts who teach public speaking. They help others get over nervousness and become great performers. But they never take the time or devote the effort to cure it in themselves. It’s the classic manifestation of the (slightly paraphrased) George Bernard Shaw line, “Those who can’t do, teach.” I find it’s much more commonly a defensive mechanism. We come to a shared conclusion that we’re “too busy” or “too focused” to expend effort on something we’re supposedly experts in. Sometimes business leaders are in denial or unaware that no shoes are being made. Not long ago, I sat in the audience of one of the biggest marketing conferences in the United States. On the main stage, the CMO of a large, famous marketing software and services company talked up how they were killing it by serving strategic marketing services to their customers. Every bullet point on his slides spoke to their prowess as a marketing and content powerhouse. This company was a client of mine. I had literally just finished an engagement where every person in the content and marketing department lamented about their awful results, processes, and challenges. The cobbler’s children lacked shoes, and the cobbler didn’t even realize they needed any. Solving the “cobbler’s children” challenge is confounding. But once you’ve acknowledged you have this challenge, bringing in other cobblers can help. This step can be hard. It feels weird to admit that we need help at something we’re supposed to excel at. So, the marketing guru hires a marketing agency to help market themselves. The tech company brings in someone to fix its IT infrastructure. The editor brings in a writing coach to help with becoming a published author. I call this bringing a preacher to the practice. When we’re the cobbler’s children, it’s because we’re not practicing what we preach. But admitting we need to bring a preacher to the practice not only helps us give our kids shoes, it also helps us become better shoemakers. It’s your story. Tell it well. Robert Rose Chief Strategy Advisor Content Marketing Institute This article from Robert is available only in this newsletter for you, the newsletter subscriber. If you have friends that would see value in Robert's weekly updates, please have them [subscribe](54648/ct18_0/1?sid=TV2%3AjEHKipvHi). 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