Weekly Alert: Running Faster Than Your Friends Isn’t the Best Way to Beat the Bear

mlns='> Starting next Tuesday! CMWorld 2020 begins [View Message in Browser]( / [Add Us to Safe Sender List]( Weekly News 10.9.20 Connect with CMI The End of Third-Party Cookies: What Marketers Need to Know A customer-centric content experience is the goal. But data management issues and an impending seismic shift may thwart that. Use these approaches to bridge the chasm created when Google, Apple, and others end third-party cookies. [Read more]( By Tim Hayden [High-Level Strategy] Some more of this week's best stuff: - [The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Features: Stories, Feed, IGTV, Reels]( [Susan Moeller]( [Distribution and Promotion] - [23 Tips to Make the Most of Your Content Marketing Budget]( Ann Gynn [General Success Tips] - [Why Circular Thinking Works Better in Content Marketing]( by Dennis Shiao [Content Creation] - [Stream a Stream, Polish Your Thumbnails, and Don’t Talk "Us" [The Weekly Wrap]]( Content Marketing Institute Team [Trends and Research] - [Measurement: You’re Doing It Wrong]( Sarah Mitchell [Chief Content Officer Exclusive] Join Our Weekly Wrap News Crew Have you come across an exciting content idea, unique example, or puzzling trend this week? Help us share it with your fellow Content Marketing Institute readers by completing [this form](. If we include your submission in an upcoming Weekly Wrap, we’ll credit you as the source of the inspiration.  A Note From Robert Rose Running Faster Than Your Friends Isn’t the Best Way to Beat the Bear Have you heard this old piece of advice? If you and your friends are confronted by a bear in the wilderness, you don’t have to run faster than the bear. You just have to run faster than your friends. That advice might work in the forest, but it gets us in trouble in business. For my keynote at next week’s Content Marketing World, I researched a fantastic example of content marketing (though I didn’t end up using it). I know someone who works at the company behind it, so I emailed her to ask about its status. She responded: “You know, that’s the first I’ve heard of that project.” This isn’t uncommon. People often tell me, “That part of the organization is innovative in its approach to marketing. But the rest of the company is still antiquated.” When you read some company’s cool marketing strategy, it’s easy to assume it’s integrated throughout the company. We picture a CMO nodding with pleasure, saying, “Yes, I approve that strategy.” The truth is often different. Not only have many of these organizations failed to integrate their innovative approaches, but they’ve also left the rest of the organization completely unaware of it. As the “bear” of evolving strategies chases the business, one part of marketing is simply outrunning its friends. When we develop an innovative content marketing program, it’s easy to get so focused on how to develop and implement the strategy that you forget to bring the rest of the organization along. Many choose this on purpose, saying, “We won’t involve them because they’ll just slow us down.” But this approach can make you vulnerable to a hidden trap: It leaves you without friends. In one company I worked with, the content marketing team had been so heads-down in their planning that they failed to notice the rest of the organization had pivoted to a new strategy. They spent months trying to work their way back, reintegrate into the larger team, and support the new company goals. Having an active internal communication and activation effort is critical for any innovative strategy. Bringing other parts of the organization along, or at least teaching them about what you’re doing and why – even if it slows you down a bit – is an important factor in long-term success. If you outpace other parts of your team, you may find yourself ahead of the bear. But you might also find that your teammates have tamed the bear and moved on – leaving you running, alone, in a wilderness where no one has your back. 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](.  A Word from One of Our Content VIPs CMO's Guide to Events and Trade Shows – 2020 Edition. The 2020 CMO's Guide to Events and Trade Shows. Updated and improved to help Senior B2B Marketers through the current challenging times and prepare for the event filled second half of 2020. Includes a new section covering: - Planning & Strategy - Budget & Resources - Playing to the long game [Get your copy today »](   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: - Content Manager, EnviroLogix, Portland, ME/Remote - [Learn More]( - SEO Content Marketing Manager, BoomTown, Charlotte, NC/Fort Mill, SC Area - [Learn More]( Interested in posting a job here? Please see our [CMI Careers page]( for more info.  More from CMI Don't be left behind! Network and learn with the best at this year's Content Marketing World. Join us online for the same level of amazing programming, fun networking opportunities and so many ways to connect with your peers - all you expect from a CMI event. We also have easy access to tech solutions that will help you shine in 2021. Join us October 13-16 online. [Use code COMMUNITY to save $150 off any virtual pass.]( [»]( [COVID-19 CONTENT MARKETING RESOURCES]( Events [Content Marketing World]( [ContentTECH Summit]( [Master Classes]( [Content Marketing Awards]( Resources [Research]( [White Paper/eBook Library]( [Content VIPs]( [CMI Business Directory]( Education [Content Marketing University]( [Chief Content Officer]( [Webinars]( [Career Center]( Interested in advertising with CMI? [Learn more]( [.]( To stop receiving future Content Marketing Institute update emails, please respond [here](. Copyright © 2020 Informa Connect, All rights reserved Content Marketing Institute, an Informa Connect brand 605 3rd Ave | New York | NY 10158 [Terms of Service]( | [Privacy Statement]( [informa tech]