A role by any other name

Every content team (small or enormous) needs to staff these activities. [View Message in Browser]( / [Add Us to Safe Sender List]( WEEKLY NEWS 8.18.23 WEEKLY NEWS 9.8.23  FEATURED [How To Scale Content Production [25+ Expert Ideas]]( By Ann Gynn Scaling content operations isn’t always about creating more. It’s about getting more out of everything you do – by focusing on strategy, people, processes, and then technology (yes, including AI). But how? These tips and ideas will help. [Read more](  MORE OF THE WEEK'S BEST STORIES [What To Know About ChatGPT Enterprise]( by Content Marketing Institute Team OpenAI aimed squarely at the B2B market with its new ChatGPT Enterprise. Is that good, bad, or ho-hum news for content marketing? Robert Rose explains. [How To Work With Wikipedia Editors To Successfully Update Your Content]( by William Beutler Editing and updating brand-related Wikipedia pages isn’t easy. Use these tips to work with Wikipedia editors to improve the chances of your requested changes being accepted. [7 Core Roles of a Content Marketing Team [Rose-Colored Glasses]]( [by Robert Rose]( These seven content-related roles can be the differentiators for your marketing strategy. How many exist in your organization? [ICYMI: How To Master Your Hashtags on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram]( [by Ashley Baker]( Love them or hate them, hashtags have a place in social content. But to attract an audience, stop using them willy-nilly. Follow this advice for Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.  A NOTE FROM ROBERT ROSE A role by any other name Two weeks ago, I highlighted the need for businesses to [build clearer career paths for content marketing](. Many of you responded (thank you) with, “OK, that’s great, Robert – but what are the roles that make up the rungs of that career ladder?” I also commonly hear a related question from companies: “How should we integrate the unique aspects of content marketing jobs across the functions of the marketing organization?” After all, many marketers already create thought leadership, work on SEO, manage the email program, write blogs, and measure marketing effectiveness even if they don’t have an existing “content marketing initiative.” How are the people needed for content marketing different?” They aren’t. Here’s what I mean. Roles are activities, not people Last year, I wrote about how a differentiating content strategy is not about the content you create but [the activities you fit together](. It’s similar to how Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter [defined competitive advantage and strategy]( as the collection of “the hundreds of activities required [to run the business]. Activities then are the basic units of competitive advantage.” Porter’s observation isn’t that you create a competitive advantage by performing similar activities better than your rivals. The competitive advantage is performing different activities – or similar activities in different ways. Enter content marketing – a different set of activities integrated into the broader marketing operation. The activities are similar to those in marketing: ideating content, creating it, managing it, distributing it, and measuring it. But the kinds of activities – the roles and responsibilities – in content marketing are simply performed differently when content marketing is a strategy. Creating a modern, differentiated marketing strategy means asking how you perform different content marketing activities as a more modern marketing operation. Full stop. Seven years ago, CMI founder [Joe Pulizzi defined many of the roles you see on content teams today](. On the marketing teams I advise, hybrid teams emerge with content marketing roles and responsibilities shared with more traditional marketing functions. For example, Joe described a director of audience development as someone “intimately familiar with the audience members’ characteristics, their passion triggers, and what actions you want them to take.” While my 2023 version of the role of audience development director performs the same responsibilities Joe outlined in 2016, the person doing them is frequently an existing member of the marketing organization. The role is responsible for bridging and aligning internal marketing-related relationships in the business, like those with sales or product. In short, this role involves a different set of activities performed by traditional marketing team members. They make sure both the audience’s and the business’ needs are met by the content marketing team. In [Rose-Colored Glasses]( this week, I explain the core roles you need for content activities. Don’t see these roles as new headcount (though they may be). Rather, look at these roles as categories of different activities performed by specific team members – even if that team is just you. [I’d love to hear](mailto:Robert@contentadvisory.net?subject=Content%20roles) how you organize your content team. Until then, remember: It's your story. Tell it well. Robert Rose Chief Strategy Advisor Content Marketing Institute Robert Rose Chief Strategy Advisor Content Marketing Institute Would any of your colleagues or friends benefit from Robert's weekly updates? Please invite them to [subscribe]( here.  MORE FROM CMI Less Than Three Weeks Until CMWorld 2023 In just a few weeks, we’re bringing 150+ marketing leaders and brand innovators to the Content Marketing World stage. Hear the stories behind the success of their content programs – and return home with expert secrets and new ideas to inspire your own content marketing. There’s still time to join us September 26-28 in Washington, D.C. Register now and use promo code COMMUNITY100 to save $100! [Register today »](  The joy of bumping into old friends. The inspiration sparked from new connections. The thrill of finding your people. Why does the marketing community return to Content Marketing World each year? While learning the latest content trends and innovations certainly plays a big role, the people are at the heart of it all. Watch to learn more about your opportunities for connection at this year’s CMWorld, and take a look at who you’ll meet at this year’s event. 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