Weekly Alert: Brand Is Character. You Are the Voice.

CMWorld is just weeks away! [] 54648/ct0_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5 [] [Forward to a Friend](54648/ct1_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5) Weekly News 8.9.19 Connect with CMI 54648/ct2_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5 54648/ct3_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5 54648/ct4_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5 54648/ct5_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5 [] 3 Lessons From an Editor of the Largest U.S. Publications (B2C CMY Finalist) [] 54648/ct6_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5 This B2C Content Marketer of the Year finalist’s mission is to use the power of words to benefit the world. That’s evident in his work at the two largest U.S. magazines, which together deliver a one-two punch against stereotypes. [Read more](54648/ct6_1/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5)by Carla Johnson [Content Creation] Some more of this week's best stuff: - [13 Easy Tips to Give Your Content More Personality](54648/ct7_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5) by Sarah Rickerd [Content Creation] - [How to Get More Value From Your Email Marketing Tech](54648/ct8_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5) by Jodi Harris [Distribution and Promotion] - [What If You and Your Brand Could Break Up With Social Media?](54648/ct9_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5) by Ann Gynn [Distribution and Promotion] - [Weekly Wrap: It’s Time to Do Something About Diversity](54648/ct10_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5) by Robert Rose [Trends and Research] - [Brand and Product Marketing: How to Solve the Split-Personality Problem](54648/ct11_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5) by Noah Brier [Chief Content Officer Exclusive] [] [] A Note From Robert Rose Diverse Voices Strengthen Brand Character Fun question: What character appears in the most films and television programs? Dracula? God? Santa Claus? All of those make the top ten list, but none is the correct answer. Satan (or The Devil) is a character is more than 840 projects – more than any other character. If you limit the list to mortals, the Guinness Book of World Records recognizes fictional detective Sherlock Holmes as the most portrayed human. More than 75 actors have taken on the role, including Sir Christopher Lee, John Cleese, Charlton Heston, Roger Moore, Robert Downey Jr., Will Ferrell, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Yūko Takeuchi (who plays a female version of the character in a new series from HBO Asia and Hulu Japan). The diversity of these distinct voices and performances makes the Sherlock Holmes brand richer and stronger. In fact, it highlights the importance of understanding the difference between voice and character. In storytelling, voice is the natural manifestation of the storyteller’s personality and unique style. Think of Ernest Hemingway’s direct and unadorned prose or Steven Spielberg’s use of [“the Spielberg face”](54648/ct12_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5) in every one of his movies. Character, on the other hand, is specific to the story being told. As storytellers, we must recognize the separation of voice from the character of the story we’re telling. No one will ever confuse Saving Private Ryan and Raiders of the Lost Ark. They have very different brand characters. But there’s no doubt that they both have the distinctive Steven Spielberg voice. In brand storytelling, many different people create content, working on thought leadership, inspirational customer stories, how-to manuals, and everything in between. There’s a tendency in business storytelling – often a desire – to distill and homogenize the many diverse voices into one pure brand voice. This is a mistake. We simplify them and apply brand-voice rules, then all of a sudden wonder why all our content sounds the same. It’s on point, but it’s plain vanilla, sounding like it came from a machine. And that’s the thing – it did. Our brand is our shared character as business storytellers. We must certainly agree on common attributes and points of view. But when we bring diverse author voices to that shared character, we enable a richer and stronger set of brand stories to be told. Just as Sherlock Holmes is a stronger character (read: brand) for the diversity of voices that bring him to life, so too is our brand better because of the many different voices of our storytellers. Great storytelling happens when you artfully use your distinctive voices to create multiple facets to a character’s unique personality. Not celebrating the differences in our voices is one of the biggest mistakes we can make. 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](54648/ct13_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5). 54648/ct14_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5Tune in to the Weekly Wrap This week, Robert explores the strength that comes from the diversity of our voices and the character of our brands. He also offers his take on a news piece reminding us that [emerging markets offer a prime opportunity for growth](54648/ct15_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5). He talks with Sydni Craig-Hart about how ignoring the diversity of your audience means leaving money on the table. And he shares an article on how smart brands [put their corporate culture to work](54648/ct16_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5) for their audiences. Get all this inspiration [right here](54648/ct14_1/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5) or subscribe below: [Subscribe on Apple Podcasts](54648/ct17_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5) or [Subscribe on Stitcher](54648/ct18_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5) [] [] Sponsored Content Integrate SEO into your marketing program with a free checklist! Our checklist is designed to set your teams on the right track when it comes to search, helping you set goals for organizational factors that impact search performance. With this checklist, you’ll be able to align your teams — step-by-step — and achieve your SEO goals. [Get Your Free Checklist](54648/ct19_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5) 54648/ct19_1/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5 [] [] More From CMI 54648/ct20_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5 Content Marketing World 2019 is only a few weeks away. With speakers, sessions, tracks and levels catered to YOU, the marketer, all created to help you amaze your audience and grow your business, can you afford to miss CMWorld 2019? We'd love to see you there. Network with some of the brightest in the business at our annual event. [Code EM100 saves $100.](54648/ct20_1/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5) [] CMI Video 54648/ct21_0/1?sid=TV2%3AvrNDisii5 Conversion tracking is the rock on which digital marketing is built. Yet, when it comes to proving the ROI of their digital marketing efforts, many B2B companies find themselves struggling to find solid ground. In this clip from CMWorld 2018, Leslie Carruthers shares real-world examples on how to solve the stickiest conversion tracking problems B2B companies face. 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