The biggest challenge in content marketing

And how to tackle it [View Message in Browser]( / [Add Us to Safe Sender List]( WEEKLY NEWS 4.5.24 WEEKLY NEWS 4.5.24  FEATURED [Want More Referral Traffic? Don’t Overlook These Generous Sites]( By Ann Gynn A new study reveals which sites send generous referral traffic (and which don’t). Google tops the list, but don’t overlook other search engines and social sites where you might face less competition. Here’s how to grab your share of referrals from non-Google sources. [Read more](  READ OR LISTEN TO MORE STORIES FROM THIS WEEK: [57+ Words Every Content Marketer Should Know [Glossary]]( by Jodi Harris Do your content marketing peers use terms that aren’t familiar to you? Do you know the difference between a content marketing strategy, content strategy, and content mission? Read on and bookmark this go-to glossary. [The Reality of Generative AI in Marketing May Not Be What You Think]( by Content Marketing Institute You’ve read the headlines, clicked the research, and gone down the generative AI rabbit hole. Yes, it’s got great hype people. But they all miss the first lesson of generative AI and marketing. [Think Like a Director To Build a Scalable Employee Content Network]( by Robert Rose Recent research finds that almost nine out of 10 C-suite B2B marketers believe tapping employees as influencers holds immense value. But how do you scale your content efforts to enable those creators? Think like a movie director. Here’s how. [ICYMI: How To Scale Content Production by Focusing on Operations [25+ Expert Ideas]]( by Ann Gynn Scaling content operations isn’t always about creating more. It’s about getting more out of everything you do by focusing on strategy, people, processes, and then technology (yes, including AI). But how? These dozens of tips and ideas will help.  A NOTE FROM ROBERT ROSE The biggest challenge in content marketing Recent research from agency giant Ogilvy finds that 89% of C-suite B2B marketers recognize that tapping employees as influencers “holds immense value for their businesses.” As a result, I see just about everyone rushing to create content to help the business. That jolt you just felt was the collective shudder of marketing practitioners in B2B businesses. They’re worried about little things like consistency, tone, story, and quality. You know, everything that makes your content and marketing strategy work. Is it possible to scale your efforts in a way that enables more content creators across the organization without sacrificing the “little” things? I think it is — and the model comes from the entertainment industry. If you ask an actor or screenwriter about their career goals, they’ll almost always say, “But what I really want to do is direct.” But a director’s role isn’t to write, act, play music, edit, or even point a camera. The director’s job is to direct and enable the individual artists’ contributions to the film product. Yes, some do double duty by writing or acting. But the director’s function remains clear: Guide, enable, and manage a team of storytellers to produce a powerful and engaging work. In a great film, the words, pictures, actors, costumes, music, and editing mesh so completely that removing any of them would pull the piece apart. Transcendent directors do this so successfully that their signature style shines through even when they use different contributors for each project. B2B content and marketing teams would benefit from embracing the director role. Without a doubt, scalability is the biggest challenge in content marketing. The ability to “create enough content” gets mentioned as one of the top challenges in CMI’s content marketing research year after year. But adding more writers, designers, podcasters, and other skilled staff never solves that challenge. Here’s why: The ability to grow doesn’t lie in the capability to produce enough content. The ability to grow lies in turning the content strategy team into more than a collection of creators skilled at words or pictures who create content assets. To scale, the content team must enable every other part of the business to do the same. You need a team that wants to direct. The content team’s remit must expand into the role of director. That means it: - Sets the standard - Prioritizes the content - Guides and enables the organization to tell a consistent story. “Now wait just a doggone second,” you say. “How can a team of people all act as a director? Isn’t the director one person?” Yes, that’s true in the movie business — and might be true in smaller organizations. But in a larger, more siloed business, the function of the content team must expand to include acting as a movie director. In this scenario, the team doesn’t exist to create content on demand. It enables the broader organization to develop and integrate its messages into a common voice. Content team members may do double duty as writers, editors, or designers. But that’s not their primary purpose. The content team’s new remit should include guiding, shaping, and developing other people’s ability to deliver their best story. In [Rose-Colored Glasses]( this week, I explain why I tell every content leader looking to scale and become more strategic to buy every content team member a T-shirt that says, “But what I really want to do is direct.” I also explain the functions your team needs to stop acting as an internal content production studio and start directing all enterprise content. Will you try this approach? [I’d love to hear your questions.]( Robert Rose Chief Strategy Advisor Content Marketing Institute Robert Rose Chief Strategy Advisor Content Marketing Institute Would any of your colleagues or friends benefit from Robert's weekly updates? Please invite them to [subscribe]( here.  A WORD FROM ONE OF OUR SPONSORS Unlock the Future of Content: Dive Into Our Free AI E-Book Today! Discover the power of AI in transforming content creation and distribution. Explore practical insights, case studies, and expert tips. Download your free copy now and stay ahead in the digital landscape. [Ready to Embrace the Future? Download Your AI E-Book Now! »](  MORE FROM CMI Content Marketing Awards: Early Deadline Next Sunday Have you been part of an inspiring content marketing program over the past year that dazzled? Did it elevate your customers’ experience and kickstart tangible results for your business? Then seize the opportunity and submit your work for a CMI Content Marketing Award, the largest and longest-running international recognition program for content marketing excellence. Enter by next Sunday, April 14, to take advantage of the lowest entry rate. [Submit your entry »](  Content Marketing World: Final Week to Submit Your Speaker Proposal Will 2024 be the year you share your thought leadership with the content and marketing community? You’re invited to showcase your expertise on a global stage and inspire your peers at Content Marketing World 2024, October 21-23, in an all-new location of San Diego, California. 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