Dos and don’ts for social media guidelines

Do update them. Don’t miss this guide on what to include. [View Message in Browser]( / [Add Us to Safe Sender List]( WEEKLY NEWS 5.10.24 WEEKLY NEWS 5.10.24  FEATURED [How To Write Effective Social Media Guidelines That Protect Your Brand]( By Erika Heald Many companies present a list of what not to do and call them their “employee social media guidelines.” But innovative brands see the power of employee ambassadors. Here’s how to create company social media guidelines for the win. [Read more](  READ OR LISTEN TO MORE STORIES FROM THIS WEEK: [Tech Takes Over Marketing (But Not How You Think)]( by Content Marketing Institute Team Are marketers destined to be beholden to tech? A new study reveals marketing budgets are shrinking overall, yet spending on marketing tech is rising. Is that a recipe for missed opportunities? [Maximize Content Efficiency With These 7 Agile Practices]( by Alex Novkov Do your content and marketing teams feel overwhelmed? Do you think they’re inefficient? Explore these seven Agile practices to streamline workflows, boost efficiency, and still create high-quality content that engages your audience. [Why Your Content Won't Surprise or Delight Unless You Expect More (From People and AI)]( by Robert Rose Why do we call it generative AI when it doesn’t generate anything new? Renaming the much-discussed tech is one of the ways Robert Rose suggests aligning expectations with reality. The other? Challenging people to aim for higher-quality ideas and deliverables. [ICYMI: How To Set Up a Content Publishing Process Worthy of Repetition]( by Ann Gynn Content creation gets a lot of attention. But it can’t attract an audience without all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into content publishing. Walk step by step through a content production process that has worked well for over 10 years.  A NOTE FROM ROBERT ROSE Mediocrity bites We should rename generative AI. I suggest calling it “expressional AI.” The dictionary defines “generative” as “having the ability to produce, originate, or reproduce something.” That’s an inaccurate description of generative AI because it suggests that it originates an idea. “Expressional” is defined as “relating to or of expression, especially in language, the face, or the arts. Expressional can also mean embodying a conception or emotion.” This definition more accurately describes what AI does. It expresses an idea based on a prompt given by someone. That distinction is crucial now. The trope of generative AI becoming some Skynet evil overlord is stale. Generative AI is far more likely to bury everyone in monetized content mediocrity. Last year, Amazon instituted a [three-per-day upload]( limit for self-publishing after an influx of AI-generated books. Think about that. Three books a day? What author needs a daily limit on how many books they can publish? Some experts warn AI will generate [90% of all content]( on the internet within a couple of years. I don’t know if that number is valid, but even 10% is concerning. And for those in marketing and content, you couldn’t pick a worse time for technology to enable everyone to express every idea they have. You’re already dealing with commoditized content crowding your audiences and filling attention spans. You’re already facing more pressure from your leaders to produce more content to get more attention. And now, generative AI stands ready to help people create even more. Luckily, AI in content and marketing is the sexiest thing that most companies are not doing. Really. Most businesses remain in experimental mode to firm up use cases and figure out what “good enough” means. But new products still emerge. And it’s causing a weird trend. It’s as if everybody has lowered expectations to match the capability of the latest tool. I recently chatted with a screenwriter friend who told me his writers’ room uses AI tools to generate new ideas for shows and episodes. “The ideas it generates aren’t great, but it gives us a great starting point,” he said. I’ve heard that sentiment from marketing folks, too. “So it gets you to all the bad ideas you would have all had in a brainstorming meeting faster.” He laughed and said, “Yeah, that’s kind of it.” When time is money, getting to the bad ideas more quickly could be valuable. But a comprehensive bad-idea board doesn’t sound like a particularly compelling result. More troubling is that some marketing and content teams don’t distinguish the bad from the good. They equate generative AI’s speed with creativity — and they see one (or more) of those ideas as being “different” (because they hadn’t iterated it yet). So they act on it immediately. They value the time to the idea more than the idea itself. You need to do the opposite. In [Rose-Colored Glasses]( this week, I explain how higher expectations can result in better work. How do you keep work quality high? [I’d love to hear your thoughts.]( Remember, it’s your story. Tell it well. 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.  MORE FROM CMI Content Marketing Awards: Deadline Approaching Time is running out to submit your entry for the Content Marketing Awards, the ultimate celebration of excellence in content marketing. With over [60 categories]( to choose from, there's a perfect fit for every success story. Enter your work by next Sunday, May 19, and get the recognition you deserve! [Start your entry »](  ContentTECH Summit Next Week The right technology — and how you integrate it into your content operations — can be the difference-maker in getting your team to work in harmony and your content to resonate with customers. Join us for ContentTECH Summit, May 15-16, a digital event focused on the intersection of content, marketing, and technology. We’ve invited content leaders and brand innovators to share expertise that can help you unlock the potential of content technology in your organization. The agenda is filled with solutions to the common challenges content teams face, including keeping your brand identity on course, managing your content processes, and navigating AI. [Register for free »](  Was this email forwarded to you? 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