What Do You Really Know?

mlns='> Read this week’s top articles, and join us in September for a week of learning. [View Message in Browser]( / [Add Us to Safe Sender List]( Weekly News 7.23.21 Connect With CMI [51 Experts Share Content Marketing Myths and Missteps That Hurt Your Work]( Pet peeves and misconceptions in content marketing go way beyond annoying. They’re bad for the practice, hurt your business results, and color the perception of content marketers as a whole. Browse this list of some of the worst – then add your own. [Read more]( By Ann Gynn More of this week's best stuff: - [10 Tips To Avoid Email Spam Filters and Reach Your Subscribers’ Inbox]( Bernard Meyer - [How to Make a Better Case for Content Marketing in 2021]( by Robert Rose - [Beyond the PDF: Why B2B Content Marketing Demands an Evolution]( by Robert Rose - [Every Day Will Be Taco Tuesday for One Lucky Social Media Pro]( Content Marketing Institute Team Want to Be Featured on the CMI Blog? Fill out [this short form]( to share your opinion about any exciting, unique, puzzling, or eyebrow-raising content example, idea, or trend you’ve seen this week (including pieces you’ve created). We’ll credit you as the source (and include your commentary) if we include your submission in an upcoming Friday article.  A Note From Robert Rose What Do You Really Know? How does content work in your business? Last month, a frustrated client told me his CMO asked him how content marketing works. He didn’t have a good answer. It wasn’t that he couldn’t define content marketing. When the CMO asked him how it works, my client started to recite: “Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating….” The CMO cut him off. “I know what it is. I want you to tell me how it works.” He couldn’t. It’s a wonder any of us get through life knowing as little as we do about how things actually work. We just assume they do – or don’t, as the case may be. Here’s an example: Without Googling, explain to a child how a zipper works. I did Google it, and the Wikipedia explanation did nothing to help me understand it well enough to explain it to a child. How about this: Explain how tides work. You probably know the moon pulls the oceans toward it, but why are there two tides every day? And if a day is 24 hours, why do new tides come every 12 and a half hours instead of every 12? Why are there high tides on the other side of the planet at the same time? (Fun fact: The moon is pulling the earth.) When we’re stumped to explain something we believe we already understand, we typically blame our memory. We tell ourselves, “I used to understand that.” In fact, we probably never did. Our brains have tricked us into thinking we know more than we do. Scientists call this the [illusion of explanatory depth](. Marketers need to be aware of this phenomenon while rolling out new initiatives, ideas, and concepts to colleagues. The new concepts, technologies, channels, and strategies are new to both you and your teammates. You may believe you know how things work – until you try to explain them. Just the other day, my wife asked me to explain why she’s seeing an advertisement on Facebook for the brand of a website she just looked at. I fumbled and mumbled and struggled to explain ad retargeting. It was just a mess. She finally gave me the merciful verbal guillotine: “Yeah, honey, I don’t need to know that badly.” Explaining what you do and how you do it is important – not just for conversations with significant others but also with bosses, colleagues, and customers. To win both battles and wars, you need to put what you “know” in simple, clear language. One of the greatest pieces of advice I ever read is that if you want to truly know something, learn how to teach it. When you’re asked to make a case for a cause, or initiative, or strategy – it’s easy to slip into talking about your feelings about it. You can find evidence to support what you like or don’t like about it. Instead, challenge yourself to teach it – to explain it. Then you’ll find out whether you really understand it. Fortunately, my client was ultimately able to answer his boss’s question about how content marketing works in their business. And the exercise helped him create an explanation that worked for many other people at the company, too. He ultimately told me, “Now I know what I thought I knew.” It’s your story. Tell it well. (And [tell us your thoughts](mailto:cmi_info@informa.com?subject=Feedback) about Robert’s note.) Robert Rose Chief Strategy Advisor Content Marketing Institute You're getting this exclusive article from Robert Rose as a perk of your newsletter subscription. Do you have colleagues or friends who would benefit from Robert's weekly updates? If so, please invite them to [subscribe]( here.  Sponsored Content 9 Types of Video Every Business Must Have to Succeed There are SO many different types of videos you can make for your organization, it can be impossible to know where to start. Don't worry, we've got you covered! [Learn More »](   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: - Senior Content Marketing Manager, Muck Rack, Remote - [Learn More]( - Director, Content Marketing, LeanIX, Inc., Remote (Boston) - [Learn More]( Interested in posting a job here? Please see our [CMI Careers page]( for more info.   More From CMI Preview the Content Marketing World Agenda Content creation. Demand generation. Sales enablement. Analytics. Agency strategies. SEO. Social media. Visual storytelling. At Content Marketing World 2021, you’ll find expert advice and fresh inspiration on these topics (and so much more!) in 100+ sessions, workshops, and industry forums. Check out the full lineup – and then register to join us September 28 - October 1 in Cleveland or online. Use promo code COMMUNITY100 and save $100. [View the Agenda »](   Are you surrounded by content, but starved for impact? Do you yearn to produce content that creates conversations, not just clicks? If so, you're a candidate for Courageous Content. Courageous Content only exists if you have the guts, grit, and gravitas to make something that simply MUST be noticed. 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