Don’t Go Back to Your Regularly Scheduled Programming – Again

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[Read more]( By Lisa Murton Beets [Trends and Research] Some more of this week's best stuff: - [Look This Way: 9 Visual Content Options to Consider]( [by]( [Alina Valyaeva]( and Promotion] - [B2B Content Isn't Boring – Unless Your Writing Is]( by Jonathan Crossfield [Content Creation] - [7 Content Marketing Truths That Would’ve Saved Quibi From Going Qui-Bye]( by Ann Gynn [High-Level Strategy] - [Playful Content Marketing Examples Show 3 Brands Getting Their Game On]( by Content Marketing Institute Team [Trends and Research] Join Our Weekly Wrap News Crew Did 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 Don’t Go Back to Your Regularly Scheduled Programming – Again Suddenly, business and society seem to be in full-on re-entry mode. That’s making some people – including me – uncomfortable. I found myself saying recently, “Hey, I pivoted. I don’t want to change yet again.” I know I’m not alone. The American Psychological Association [reported]( that nearly half of U.S. adults feel uncomfortable going back to living life like they used to, and uncertainty drives that feeling. Almost a year ago to the day, many of us were distracted from our professional missions by the need to figure out the new realities of day-to-day life during the pandemic. Ironically, we’re now distracted by what returning to “normal” life means. In content and marketing, I’m seeing a bursting of the dam that held back so many accomplishments in the last year. Suddenly, everyone’s asking questions. Where are we with that digital asset management project? What about the new CMS for the website? What’s our advertising strategy now that cookies are going away? Have we set a Clubhouse strategy yet? Should we issue our next whitepaper using non-fungible tokens (NFTs)? What are NFTs? Why didn’t we start this six months ago? Everyone’s craving more signal, less noise. We’re looking for clarity that the direction we’re moving in is the right one. Spoiler alert: it’s not coming. A year ago, I wrote that we were entering a “now what” stage, in which we’d desperately try to answer the question of what to do next. At the time, I wrote: “These ‘now what’ discussions tend to claim either that we’re through the worst of it (so let’s get back to our regularly scheduled programming) or that things will never be normal again.” Welcome to the next round of “What should we do next?” But none of us is any more or less prescient about the future than we were in March of 2020. Now (as then) I urge everyone to put aside the noise and distractions for a moment. Pause. Reflect. Ask “now what?” instead of “what’s next?” Asking “now what” involves reflecting on what actually was, what we did, and how we might change ourselves to prepare for whatever comes next. That exercise in reflection will move your thinking from “getting back to regularly scheduled programming” toward whatever program is needed next. 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](.  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: - Consumer Content Strategy Advisor, TransUnion, Chicago, IL - [Learn More]( Interested in posting a job here? Please see our [CMI Careers page]( for more info.  A Word from One of Our Sponsors:  Deliver content-driven experiences with a hybrid headless CMS An enterprise-class hybrid headless content management system (CMS) offers significant opportunity for companies to bring inspiring, content-driven experiences to their customers. e-Spirit's latest ebook explains how a hybrid headless CMS enables non-technical users to easily deliver content in the right context, at the right time, to drive engagement and revenue. [Read Now](   More from CMI Enter the Content Marketing Awards today! The 2021 Content Marketing Awards are now accepting entries for agencies (big and small), projects, branded content campaigns, and content marketers of the year (B2B and B2C). Share your best work from 2020! Our online, simple entry form makes the process easy. Early bird pricing ends April 9, with our regular deadline being May 14. We can't wait to see your submissions! [Enter today »](   Email marketing has changed. Today you need to know the decision-making shortcuts people use with email – the automatic behaviors that determine whether they open, read, and respond. Readers cruise along on autopilot, with certain prompts sending us clicking in one direction or another. At CMWorld 2020, Nancy Harhut shares scientifically proven tactics that will get your target to take the actions you want. 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