🛠 Dream on

mlns='> Tools and tech alone won’t make your 2023 dreams come true. But this might. [View Message in Browser]( / [Add Us to Safe Sender List]( Weekly News 10.14.22 Connect With CMI [Foundry 360 Finds ‘Purrfect’ Content Mix With Award-Winning Business Model]( Who said content and sales teams can’t get along? Not former journalist Diane di Costanzo, who leads a unique content practice at Foundry 360. Here’s the inside story of the compelling editorial and repeatable models for success that earned her the 2022 B2C Content Marketer of the Year title. [Read more]( By Ann Gynn More of the week's best stuff: - [CMI News: Content Creator Video Dethrones Must-See TV [IAB Research]]( by Robert Rose - [LinkedIn Users Bring Crying and More Personal Content, Should You?]( Justin Levy - [How To Build a Better Audience Persona (Choose a Detailed or Quick Method)]( by Jodi Harris - [Your 2023 Planning Shouldn’t Be All About That Tech [Rose-Colored Glasses]]( by Robert Rose - [ICYMI: Content Marketers Share Salaries, Career Paths, and More in 2023 [New Research]]( by Stephanie Stahl  Dream on Do marketers dream of magical tools? (I couldn’t resist that Blade Runner reference). As we enter the fourth quarter (for many), it’s time for planning. Budgets are due. Plans are being formed. Leftover money must be spent before the year’s end. Is it any wonder that marketers’ thoughts turn to technology? You may be mulling over questions such as: - What technology should we budget for? - Which new tools will help us achieve our plan? - What cool new capability might we buy with that leftover money? This year’s tech questions seem particularly complex. I hear content marketers asking if blockchain will become the next new thing. Or if they should invest in artificial intelligence software? Or if they should finally acquire a content calendaring tool. How about a new analytics solution? Or is it time to invest in a DAM? What is a DAM? Many marketers dream of investing in tools to automate processes, create insightful dashboards, or spread content evenly across myriad channels in the right way to reach the right people at the right time on the right device. Wait. Did we forget about intent data? Add that to our tech dream board, too! But all those dreams could quickly become nightmare scenarios, requiring skill levels your company can’t accommodate. Have you heard the aphorism “a boat is a hole in the water that you throw money into”? It means that when you decide to invest in a boat, you’re not just buying the boat – you’re also committing to all the things that go along with owning a boat. That includes renting a dock, acquiring a trailer, keeping up with the significant maintenance required, and paying for the fuel and other costs of operating it. It’s not a stretch to adapt that saying to our industry: “Marketing tech is a hole in the business that you throw money and time into.” That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t invest in it (or buy that boat if you need it or love it). Marketing technology can return extraordinary value. But be conscious of what you’re buying. Any marketing technology worth purchasing involves implementation, training, user learning curve time, and ongoing administration. I’ve recently seen some real challenges on this front. One B2B company I worked with has been stuck in some form of software selection or technology implementation cycle since the beginning of the year. They’re limited in the amount of content marketing they can create because they’ve been so busy trying to figure out the technology to create more content marketing. Ironic. So, tech purchases won’t necessarily make your 2023 content dreams come true. What should you focus on to set your program up for success? I have a few ideas, and I share them with you in [Rose-Colored Glasses]( this week. I’d love to hear if these ideas help you and how you approach planning. Send me [an email](mailto:cmi_info@informa.com?subject=Rose-Colored%20Glasses) or leave a comment on [the article page](. In the meantime, remember: It's your story. Tell it well. Robert Rose Chief Strategy Advisor Content Marketing Institute Do you have colleagues or friends who would benefit from Robert's weekly updates? If so, please invite them to [subscribe]( here.   Sponsored Content  Watching is better than listening: How to build brand preference using social behaviors Learn to build strong brand preference and customer loyalty by basing decisions on audience behaviors, not likes and comments. This report shows you how to: - Align content & influencer partnerships with consumer behavior - Draw inspiration from top creators and foster loyal communities - Gain deeper audience insights based on what they watch and what they purchase [Download »](  5 Reasons Why Brand Differentiation Is Your Biggest Competitive Advantage The one thing your competitors can't copy is your brand. Discover the top five reasons why brand differentiation is your company’s biggest competitive advantage. [Download »](   More from CMI Content Marketing Career & Salary Outlook | Twitter Spaces Conversation What content marketers want from their jobs – and what they earn for their work – varies in some surprising ways. This week, Amanda Todorovich, executive director of content marketing at Cleveland Clinic, joined CMI General Manager Stephanie Stahl and Research Director Lisa Murton Beets to offer their perspectives on the Content Marketing Career & Salary 2023 Outlook. If you missed the live discussion on Twitter Spaces, listen to the recording now (fast forward to 2:35 for the start) – and be sure to download the outlook report for more insights on content marketers' salaries, career paths, and work satisfaction. [Listen to the Conversation »]( [Download the Career & Salary 2023 Outlook »](   CMWorld Book Club | The Content Puzzle…And the Missing Piece Have you ever thought of content marketing as a puzzle? Ever wondered about the missing piece that marketers may be overlooking? Andi Robinson, CMWorld 2021 Community Champion, explores these questions in her new book, The Content Puzzle…And the Missing Piece. Start reading now and mark your calendar for our book club discussion on Wednesday, October 26, in the CMWorld Slack group. [Learn More About the Book »]( [Join Us on Slack »](   [PERSONALIZATION AND ABM RESOURCES]( Events [Content Marketing World]( [ContentTECH Summit]( [Content Marketing Awards]( Resources [Research]( [White Paper/eBook Library]( [Content VIPs]( [CMI Business Directory]( Education [Content Marketing University]( [Chief Content Officer]( [Webinars]( [Job Listings]( Interested in advertising with CMI? [Learn more.]( To stop receiving future Content Marketing Institute update emails, please respond [here](. Copyright © 2022 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]