Weekly Alert: If You Ask, Get Ready for the Response

mlns='> Content Marketing Awards - Early Deadline next Friday [View Message in Browser]( / [Add Us to Safe Sender List](  Weekly News 4.17.20 Connect with CMI Content Marketing Can Do More Than Survive in the New World Following the tenets of content marketing can be more than a survival technique in 2020 and beyond. In fact, content marketing is poised to be the shining star of a brand’s marketing mix in this new world. Let me explain. [Read more]( By Stephanie Stahl [High-Level Strategy] Some more of this week's best stuff: - [How to Build a Personal Brand After a Job Loss]( [by]( [Dennis Shiao]( [General Success Tips] - [The No-Fail Formula for Creating Awesome Webinar Conten]( by Shane Barker [Content Creation] - [H]( to Define a Workflow That Keeps Content Production On Track]( by Robert Mills [Editorial Process and Teams] - [Do You Really Care How Your Audiences Are Doing? [The Weekly Wrap]]( by Robert Rose [Trends and Research] - [Find Your Agency-Client Groove With a Contract That Sets the Right Rhythm [Video]]( by Melissa Harrison [Chief Content Officer Exclusive]  A Note From Robert Rose If You Ask, Get Ready for the Response How are you? In English-speaking countries, we ask this question as part of our universal greeting. “Hi, how are you?” We ask it in almost any situation. We greet our clients, bank tellers, flight attendants, waiters, and even the entire audience for keynote speeches with “hello, how are you?” But we don’t usually expect (or want) to hear the real answer. Imagine a standup comedian on stage in front of thousands of people saying, “Hello, Los Angeles! How are you?” and hearing someone in the middle of the audience say, “Well, I’ve been kind of down. My job is unsatisfying, and I’m not really sure of my place in the world, you know?” The expected reply is “Good, thanks, how are you?” Isn’t it funny how this pandemic has changed that expectation? I’ve noticed in Zoom calls, online meetings, and even email and chat exchanges, everyone is expecting and giving actual answers. When I ask someone how they’re doing, I find myself naturally pausing for the real response. And I find the other person filling me in on their emotions, troubles, and successes. We connect. Last week I asked (through my mask) a farmer selling citrus at a local market how they were. I was surprised, and delighted, to hear details of how happy and grateful they felt to sell their fruit to grateful neighborhoods. Interestingly, our renewed focus on the shared experience hasn’t transcended everywhere. Marketing and communications strategists often talk about creating valuable experiences that can be shared by audiences, whatever the channel. They talk about the importance of making them emotional. Valuable. Connected. But two emails I received from companies last week reminded me that sometimes this is just talk. The first came from a software company my business uses. It said, “Robert, how are you? The news of the current crisis is changing every day, and we want you to know we’re here for you.” I responded, truthfully for that day, that I was feeling great, and that their software was performing well for me. I asked how they were doing, and their plans for the immediate future. The response? I got an automated reply that said (no kidding) “Thank you for your customer service inquiry. Due to the current crisis, we are currently experiencing extremely long wait times. Please click here to download our newest app.” The second email I received this week was from a publisher, thanking me for my continued subscription. It opened with “Dear Subscriber, we’ve published more than 100 articles over the last week, compiled as a thank you to people like you – our subscribers. We want to know how you’re doing. We’re listening.” So, I responded. “Thank you so much for asking. I’m not doing that great today. I’m feeling a little lost. Your content has been really helpful. How are you all doing?” I’m still waiting for a response. I admit that both of my responses were as much experiments in good content and communication as they were earnest inquiries. It’s easy – and not completely unfair –to assume that when marketers write things like “we’re listening,” “we’re here for you,” or “how are you doing?” it’s mostly rhetorical. Much like the comedian, lead singer, or keynote speaker, we’re speaking to an audience and not really expecting an answer. But right now, in the midst of the very definition of a shared experience, it’s different. People may actually believe that we care. It would be good to remember that nobody cares how much you’re doing if you don’t do something that shows how much you care. 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](. Tune to the Weekly Wrap Listen to the latest episode and browse the show notes[right here](. Or subscribe on [Apple Podcasts]( or [Stitcher]( so you’ll never miss a show.  Sponsored Content The Ultimate Guide to Sales Enablement Organizations that have undertaken a sales enablement initiative have seen a 350% increase in content usage, 65% more revenue generated by new reps and a 13.7% increase in average deal size. Our Ultimate Guide to Sales Enablement answers all the questions you never knew you had about this emerging field including how organizations are using sales enablement to help supercharge their bottom line. [View here »](  Content Marketing Job Listings Currently on a job search? Thinking about switching gears with your career? Please check out our job listings below. Available Positions: - Director of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships, MRP, Philadelphia - [Learn More]( - Director of Corporate Marketing, MRP, Philadelphia - [Learn More]( Interested in posting a job here? Please see our [CMI Careers page]( for more info.  More From CMI It's time for the 2020 Content Marketing Awards! We're now accepting entries for your epic content marketing that you strategized on, created, designed, and distributed in 2019. Our early deadline is next Friday, April 24. Especially for companies and agencies with multiple entries, take advantage of the lowest entry prices. 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