1. Training with Content Marketing Jedi Masters – Key
Takeaways from Content Marketing World 2016 –
#CMWorld by @JimMacLeod

2. For a few days in late 2016, The Content Marketing Institute
brought together the world’s leaders in Content Marketing.
Here are just a few of the pearls of wisdom that they
delivered to save us from the dark side of Marketing.

3. Mediocre content will hurt your brand more than doing nothing at all.
Joe Pulizzi, Founder, Content Marketing Institute, @JoePulizzi

4. Thinking strategically costs you nothing.
Robert Rose, Chief Strategy Advisor, Content
Marketing Institute, @Robert_Rose

5. The foundation of writing is not writing. It looks like
daydreaming, driving your car, walking your dog.
Ann Handley
Head of Content
MarketingProfs
@MarketingProfs

6. The buyer’s journey doesn’t start with a search for your
product.
Michael Brenner
CEO
Marketing Insider Group
@BrennerMichael

7. Over 70% of people who come to your site will
never come back. Building email subscribers is still
absolutely crucial.
Ian Cleary
Founder
RazorSocial
@IanCleary

8. Digital branding is the oil in your sales engine.
Juntae DeLane
Digital Branding Evangelist
USC
@JuntaeDeLane

9. Your brand is a co-creation of your story and your
customer’s story.
Tom Webster
VP of Strategy
Edison Research
@webby2001

10. You can’t expect influencers to advocate for a brand
that doesn’t influence in social media.
Bryan Kramer
CEO
PureMatter
@bryankramer

11. Lead with value.
What is your audience not getting? Give it to them.
Lee Odden
CEO
TopRank Marketing
@LeeOdden

12. Create customer experiences that increase in value
vover time.
Robert Rose, Chief Strategy Advisor, Content
Marketing Institute, @Robert_Rose

13. We have to stop treating every piece of conten as a
lead-gnerating opportunity.
Jay Baer
President
Convince and Convert
@JayBaer

14. Customer experience is about what you actually do,
not what you say you’ll do
Carla Johnson
Type-A Communications
@CarlaJohnson

15. It’s not the best content that wins, it’s the best
promoted content.
Andy Crestodina
Co-Founder
Orbit Media
@Crestodina

16. Content has a dual purpose: to inform us as much as
the buyers.
Ardath Albee
B2B Content Marketing Strategist
CEO, Marketing Interactions
@ardath421

17. The story is about the customer. Your brand is just a
plot point in their story.
Buddy Scalera
Senior Director Content Strategy
The Medicines Company
@BuddyScalera

18. Ideas are common. Innovation is rare because it
demands persistence.
Doug Kessler
Creative Director, Co-Founder
Velocity
@dougkessler

19. Good marketers follow best practices. Great marketers
craft their own.
Jay Acunzo
Podcaster, VP of Platform
NextView Ventures
@jayacunzo

20. You can’t strategize content if you’re jumping to a new
platform every day.
Scott Stratten
Speaker, Author
UnMarketing
@unmarketing

21. Get the whole organization to start speaking
“customer.”
Jenifer Walsh
Director, Customer Engagement Marketing
Current, powered by GE
@jlansky

22. Make sure the data you’re given leads to a
decision, it shouldn’t be the decision itself.
John Von Brachel
SVP, Content Marketing
Bank of America
@vonbrachel

23. If the brain processes visual info 60,000x faster. Why
are we so focused on text-based marketing content?
Raj Munusamy
VP, Content Messaging, Global Marketing
Schneider Electric
@rajmunusamy

24. If sales doesn’t know why they need it (content) they’re
not going to use it.
Matt Heinz
Founder
Heinz Marketing
@HeinzMarketing

25. Don’t be afraid to shoot live video on a phone – the
human touch is noticed, the production value is not.
Chelsea Hunersen
Social Media Marketing
HubSpot
@ChelseaLikeNY

26. Tenacity is more important, or as important, as talent.
Mark Hamill
Actor, Storyteller
@HamillHimself

27. If you understand your “why,” you have a lot of options
for your “what.”
Michael Jr.
Comedian
Standup and Give
@Michaeljrcomedy

28. Focus on making impressions, not getting impressions.
Mitch Joel
Marketer, Speaker, Author, Podcaster
President, Mirum
@mitchjoel

30. There is almost no correlation between Social Media
sharing and the number of people who actually read
the content.
Jonathan Crossfield
Storyteller, Writer, Content Marketer
JonathanCrossfield.com
@Kimota

31. If you want an idea to be approved, call it “Sales.” If you
want it to be pushed aside, call it “Marketing.”
Marcus Sheridan
Keynote Speaker and Author
The Sales Lion
@TheSales Lion

32. Choice kills. Reduce complexity with a series of simple
selections.
Tim Ash
CEO
SiteTuners
@Tim_Ash

33. Use freelancers to help your subject-matter experts get
their knowledge out there.
Stephanie Losee
Head of Content
Visa
@slosee

34. On-page SEO is no longer satisfied by raw keyword
use. Think about intent.
Rand Fishkin
Founder
Moz
@randfish

35. Purpose can be based upon your core values, or about
providing practical value.
Russell Sparkman
Co-Founder, CEO
Fusionspark Media
@fusionspark

36. Stop being scattered. Start focusing on 2003. Your
website should be viewable on a phone.
Scott Stratten
Speaker, Author
UnMarketing
@unmarketing

37. Social media is technology that allows us to express
our social natures.
Lars Silberbauer
Global Senior Director of Social Media Video
Lego
@larssilberbauer

38. How we buy has changed. How we decide to buy has
not.
Tom Webster
VP of Strategy
Edison Research
@webby2001

39. Our job is not to “be creative,” our job is to create.
Jay Acunzo
Podcaster, VP of Platform
NextView Ventures
@jayacunzo

40. Either fully commit to content marketing, or just go
buy ads.
Joe Pulizzi, Founder, Content Marketing Institute, @
JoePulizzi