To help decide, we’ve created a list of content marketing conferences and events featuring the date, location, estimated number of attendees, conference owner and broad category each falls in. These are all important factors for assessing the value of an event, so it’ll be an invaluable resource as you plan your conference schedule for 2018. This list was updated as of November 16, 2017.

When available, we’ve included where to keep track of the event on Twitter, even if you aren’t able to attend.

You might also be looking to write previews or recaps about these events. Be sure to download Curata’s editorial calendar template to align all content with your upcoming schedule.

Feedback Welcome

If you think we’ve missed an event, or if you’d like to add insight into your experience with one of these events, please do so below in the comments section. All dates are in the format: month/day/year.

Are you unable to attend one of these content marketing conferences, but still looking for content marketing advice? Download Curata’s free eBook The Content Marketing Pyramid. It features a comprehensive framework to help develop and execute an effective content marketing strategy.

Curata has sponsored Content Marketing World for years. We wanted to share some of our accumulated expertise with you, so we assembled this guide to help you navigate your week in Cleveland.

If you haven’t registered yet, there‘s still time. Visit the Content Marketing World official website to get started. You can get $100 off with the code SPKR100. If you are registered, make sure to sign up for a time to visit Curata’s Demo Zone.

Some Good Advice to Get Started With

Talk to People, and Continue the Conversation When You Get Home

It seems obvious, but don’t neglect to add like-minded content marketing minds to your network. Introduce yourself, share your marketing successes and aggravations, and bond over a few cocktails at the events. You’ll learn plenty at the sessions, but having a group of smart marketers to reach out to throughout the year when you need ideas, inspiration, or even your next career move is the most valuable thing you can take away from Content Marketing World. Set up a monthly chat with your new squad when you get back to the office.

Remember, Sponsors Are There to Help You

No one wants to be sold to; it’s human nature. But every single booth in the expo hall is full of people trying to make you a better marketer. Review the list of sponsors before the show and make sure to take some time to visit vendors during the week. Not only will you walk away with some great swag, you could come home with a solution or service that takes your content to the next level—and make you look really smart too.

Want to get even more from the sponsors? Join the scavenger hunt on the show floor. Visit these six vendors, answer a question, and you could win a $1,500 Amex gift card, a MacBook Pro, an iPad, and other great prizes!

Don’t Be Hard on Yourself

You’re going to hear from a lot of really smart people doing really sophisticated content marketing. But they all have a secret… they started out just where you are. Soak up their successes (and failures!), and get fired up to implement their ideas at your organization.

Oh, and Don’t Forget to Wear Orange

What? You don’t have a closet full of orange business clothes? How about this?

Did Someone Say Free Drinks?

Opening Night Reception at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Tuesday, September 5th | 7:30-10:00pm
Get ready to party like a rock star at this Cleveland landmark! Reunite with old friends and make some new ones!

Cocktails and Networking in the G2 Crowd Expo Hall
Wednesday, September 6th | 5:45-7:00pm
Grab a beverage and talk to some sponsors! This is a great time to visit Curata’s Demo Zone or chat with any other vendors on your list.

Content Marketing World 80’s Dance Party at the House of Blues
Tuesday, September 6th | 9:00-10:30pm
Get ready to get down: the band Mega 80’s are returning to Content Marketing World! Forget your shoulder pads at home? Stop by the Curata booth for an LED snap bracelet (or find us on the dance floor).

Content Marketing World Afterparty at the Hilton
Wednesday, September 6th | 10:30pm-12:30am
If you’re having too much of a blast to call it quits, join us at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown straight after the House of Blues. Hosted by ScribbleLive on the 5th floor in the Superior Ballroom, it’s sure to be a fun-filled party. A DJ will be rockin’ the tunes, so join us for one more beverage before you throw in the towel!

An Insider’s Guide to Cleveland

Looking for fun, food, and fitness outside of Content Marketing World 2017? We asked one of our favorite locals, Frannie Danzinger of Integrate, about the best spots to hit in Cleveland.

Let’s start with some of her superlative choices.

Best Restaurant In Cleveland: Town Hall
Casual, always packed, caters to every diet and just a 7 minute Uber from the convention center. (Monday-Friday: 11am-2:30am. Saturday and Sunday: 9am-2:30am)

Best Brunch In Cleveland: Grumpy’s Cafe
Boasting a staff that “cuts each and every potato and cracks every single egg,” this is a favorite Cleveland brunch spot for “feel good food.” (Monday-Thursday: 7am-3pm, Friday: 7am-10pm, Saturday: 8am-10pm, Sunday: 8am-3pm)

Special Mention From the Curata Staff: Mabel’s BBQ
My co-workers cannot stop raving about Mabel’s—I think they’ve tried (and loved) every item on the menu. It’s located on East 4th Street (more about East 4th below). (Sunday-Thursday: 11:30am-10pm, Friday-Saturday: 11:30am-12am)

Hot Neighborhoods

East 4th Street

It’s a cobblestone street, with no cars, tons of bars and restaurants, and just a 13 minute walk (or seven minute Uber) from the convention center. Count us in! Here are few spots not to miss:

The Corner Alley
Bourbon, beer, and bowling! Grab a few buddies and place some friendly bets. (Monday-Thursday: 11:30am-12am, Friday-Saturday: 11:30am-2:00am, Sunday: 11:30am-12:00am)

Lola
Enjoy Chef Michael Symon’s inventive and creative American menu. (Monday-Thursday 5pm-10pm, Friday and Saturday: 5pm-11pm)

Chinato
In the mood for a little Italian? (Monday-Wednesday: 11am-10pm, Thursday-Friday: 11am-12am, Saturday: 4pm-12am)

The Chocolate Bar
After a long conference, don’t you deserve dessert and a martini? (Monday-Thursday: 11am-12am, Friday-Saturday: 11am-2am, Sunday: 3pm-10pm)

East Bank of the Flats

Located at the union of the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie, this new waterfront development has some great restaurants, bars, and patios. It’s about a 15-20 minute walk from the convention center, or a five minute Uber ride.

Bold
Enjoy a 100 percent sustainably sourced, delicious meal on the patio. (Monday-Thursday: 11am-10:30pm, Friday-Saturday: 11am-11pm, Sunday: 11am-10pm)

Coastal Taco
Boasting the “Best View in the CLE,” expect a lively experience! (Come for the view and the drinks, not the food.) Keep an eye on their Happenings calendar for free live music and other events. (Sunday-Wednesday: 11:30am-11pm, Thursday: 11:30am-12am, Friday-Saturday: 11:30am-2:30am)

Punch Bowl Social
Karaoke, bowling, pinball, pool—there’s something for everyone here, plus a patio. (Monday-Thursday: 11am-12am, Friday: 11am-1am, Saturday: 9am-2am, Sunday: 9am-12am)

Best Workouts

Once you’ve sampled all the finest food and drink Cleveland has to offer, it’s time to work it off. Need more inspiration than the hotel gym? We’ve got you covered.

Title Boxing Club Ohio City
Just a five minute Uber from the convention center, Title Boxing Club offers 30, 45, and 60 minute boxing classes for every fitness level. (And your first class is free!)

Harness Cycle
Located just a few doors down, Harness Cycle offers morning and evening spin classes for $18 per 45 minute class.

The Studio Cleveland
Donation-based yoga and meditation classes, just a 15 minute walk from the convention center. The suggested donation is $9-$20 per class.

How to Make Friends and Influence Influencers

So, you want to rub elbows with the influencers at Content Marketing World 2017? With an estimated 4,000 attendees, you’ll need to stand out. Should you bump into any of these industry leaders, here’s a few suggestions for what to talk about.

Joe Pulizzi, Content Marketing Institute founder

What to talk about: Joe has a new book coming out! He teamed up with CMI’s Chief Strategy Officer Robert Rose to pen Killing Marketing, calling for the dismantling of the marketing structure as we know it. Pre-order now, and read it when it comes out on September 19th.

Fun Fact? “Most people don’t know that I grew up watching my father cook at the restaurant my parents owned, and then worked with my grandfather and uncle at their funeral home before college. It’s probably one of the main reasons why I ended up being an entrepreneur… watching my family run companies.”

Whether you’re responsible for your company’s content marketing strategy or just want to learn more about content marketing, The Content Marketer’s Guide to Marketing Nation 2017 in San Francisco has something for you. It’ll help you find the best sessions, vendors, and fun that this year’s event has to offer.

With four Marketing Nation Summits under my belt, let’s start with some general advice for getting the most out of the conference.

Talk to people… and continue the conversation when you get home

Add like-minded Marketo minds to your network this week. Introduce yourself, share your marketing successes and aggravations, and bond over a few cocktails at the events. You’ll learn plenty at the sessions, but having a group of smart marketers to reach out to throughout the year when you need tips, tricks, or even your next career move is the most valuable thing you can take away from Summit. Set up a monthly chat with your new squad when you get back to the office.

Remember that sponsors are there to help you

No one wants to be sold to; it’s human nature. But every single booth in the expo hall is full of people trying to make you a better marketer. Review the sponsors before the show (see our picks below) and make sure to take some time to visit vendors during the week. Not only will you walk away with some great swag, you could come home with technology that takes your organization to the next level (and make you look really smart too!)

Don’t be hard on yourself

You’re going to hear from a lot of really smart people doing really sophisticated marketing. But they all have a secret… they started out just where you are. Soak up their ideas and experience and get fired up to implement some of their programs at your organization!

Sunday, April 23rd: Kick Off

Marketo isn’t wasting any time this year. The Marketing Nation Summit kicks off on Sunday with a Fun Run, University Day, Certification and, most importantly, the Opening Reception in the Expo Hall! Even if you’re local, make the trek to Moscone. The reception goes from 5:00pm—7:00pm. It’s a great way to start the conference, meet up with your marketing friends (or make new connections), and see what fun sponsors have cooked up to make the week special. (Hint: follow the smell of cupcakes to Curata’s booth.)

Monday, April 24th: It’s Content Time

Avoid the snooze button—the conference kicks off in earnest this morning. One of Marketo’s 3 Can’t-Miss Learnings at Marketing Nation Summit 2017 is The Art of Storytelling. Grab your coffee and note-taking apparatus and settle in. Monday boasts the most sessions for marketers committed to content.

8:30am—11:00am

Day 1 Marketing Nation keynoteKeynote

Speakers: Steve Lucas, CEO, Marketo | James Corden, Tony-Award-winning performer, host of The Late Late Show on CBS
3rd Floor

You might know James Corden from his viral sketches for The Late Late Show. These include Carpool Karaoke and Role Call, where he invites guests such as Matt Damon and Tom Hanks to act out their entire filmography in 6-7 minutes. (I suggest starting with Adele.) Before that, he rose to prominence in the UK with the hit series Gavin & Stacey, which he co-wrote.

Our Take? Get ready to laugh and learn a thing or two about storytelling.

11:30am—12:15pm

What’s Your Story? How Powerful Narratives Drive Great Companies

Speaker: Deb Lavoy, CEO, Narrative Builders @deb_lavoy
Room 2002/2004

Keep the storytelling theme going! A strong, structured narrative is the backbone of any long-term multi-faceted marketing effort, guiding business, content and even product decisions. Narratives aren’t vague constructs—you can actually measure them.

Our Take? No one wants a scattered content marketing strategy. This session arms you with the tools to help you step back, assess, and strengthen your company’s narrative. Bonus: see below for the corresponding workshop!

After lunch, things really heat up. You’ll have some choices to make for some of these session blocks. Here are our picks:

1:15pm—2:00pm

Content & Social Are For Everyone (Marketo @ Marketo)

Speakers: Ellen Gomes, Sr. Content Marketing Program Manager, Marketo @egomes1019
Lisa Marcyes, Sr. Social Media Marketing Manager, Marketo @lisa_marcyes
Room 2014/2016

Read Marketo’s blog? Follow @marketo on Twitter? You’re in luck. Marketo’s Lisa Marcyes and Ellen Gomes share tried and true tactics and examples for creating stellar content that work whether you’re a team of two or a global enterprise.

Our Take? Do you, like us, admire Marketo’s content strategy and social presence? Check this session out to learn how they build and execute on their content marketing strategy.

2:15pm—3:00pm

Human to Human #H2H: Learn to Speak Human, Share Human, and Market Human

Speaker: Bryan Kramer, President/CEO, PureMatter @bryankramer
Room 2005/2007

Are you B2B or B2C? Whatever you answered, you’re wrong. Business and products don’t have emotions; humans do. That’s #H2H marketing. Bryan explores why and how communication needs to be adjusted to exude simplicity, empathy, and imperfection. He delivers practical tools to connect with other humans and be better marketers.

Our take? Content feeling a little impersonal? This session helps you develop tools for more human marketing.

The Three Pillars for Potent Content Marketing

Speaker: Jeff Bullas, Founder/CEO @jeffbullas
Room 2001/2003

Coming at you all the way from Australia, Jeff shares the core content marketing pillars to embrace and master in 2017. Learn how to attract traffic to your content, create content people engage with and love to share, and how to produce content ROI. Understand the content marketing trends you need to beat the competition.

Our take? Check out this session to learn new tactics and tricks for keeping up with the ever-changing digital marketing landscape.

3:30pm—4:15pm

[Workshop] How Strong Is Your Corporate Narrative? Come Find Out!

Speaker: Deb Lavoy, CEO, Narrative Builders @deb_lavoy
Room 2010

Try your hand at assessing your own narrative using the Narrative Strength Assessment scorecard. You’ll get a snapshot into your narrative’s strengths and weaknesses. It’s the first step toward building a deliberate and powerful corporate narrative.

Our take? Get your hands dirty. Rather than a high-level overview, get personalized insights into your own corporate narrative and take action when you return to the office.

Monday Night: Time to Party on the Sponsor’s Dime!

After the networking reception in the Expo Hall from 5:30pm-7:00pm, there are several partner parties to hit up! Don’t be fashionably late unless you like waiting in line. Here are my favorites:

Taking You To The Top, The Battery Club Penthouse, 7pm-10pm
Turn your Snapchat followers green with envy—these views are spectacular.
RSVP
(717 Battery Street, 7 minute Uber from Moscone)

The Tiki Experience, Pagan Idol, 9pm
Who doesn’t love a Tiki Bar?
RSVP
(375 Bush St, 15 minute walk from Moscone)

Tuesday, April 25th: Afternoon Delight

Tuesday really picks up after lunch with some great sessions for the content marketer. We’re not recommending you blow off the morning and sleep in. But maybe take this time to check out some sponsors when the Expo Hall isn’t too crowded.

11:00am—1:00pm

Day 2 Marketing Nation Keynote

Speakers:
Chandar Pattabhiram, CMO, Marketo
Queen Latifah, Grammy Award-winning musician and critically acclaimed actress
3rd Floor

Get ready to bow down to rapper, songwriter, singer, actress, model, television producer, record producer, and talk show host, Queen Latifah! She’ll be joining Marketo CMO Chandar Pattabhiram for the Day 2 Keynote.

Our take? Expect to hear more about the art of storytelling at this keynote. (Just don’t hold your breath for a duet.)

2:30pm—3:15pm

2017: The Year of Tough Choices

Speaker: Michael Brenner, CEO, Marketing Insider Group @BrennerMichael
Room 2001/2003

How do successful marketers decide what to create, where to distribute it, and how to measure it? Marketing expert Michael Brenner offers a simple framework for deciding which activities (and content) will have the biggest impact on your bottom line.

Our take? Brenner boasts that brands big and small have re-invigorated their marketing by using one simple question. Don’t you want to know what that is?

4:45pm—5:30pm

How to Build a Killer Content Marketing Strategy

Speaker: Amanda Todorovich, Director, Content Marketing, Cleveland Clinic @amandatodo
Room 2009/2011

Cleveland Clinic boasts the most visited healthcare blog in the country, 1.3 million Facebook likes, and 750,000 Twitter followers. Learn how they achieved rapid success, grew their content team, and used marketing automation to get more from their content.

Our take? We love hearing from marketers who are in the trenches, fighting the good fight. Amanda is no slouch—she was the Content Marketing Institute’s 2016 Content Marketer of the Year. This session is not to be missed.

Wednesday, April 26th: Highly Sessionable

No keynotes on Wednesday, but there are some great sessions on the last day of Marketing Nation. If you haven’t yet, check out the Marketo Champion Bar to get your toughest Marketo questions answered!

9:30am—10:15am

HOOKED: How Clever Brands Create Addictive Content That Drive Revenue

Speaker: Andrew Davies, Founder/CEO, Monumental Shift @DrewDavisHere
Room 2002/2004

We live in a world where our customers are drowning in content. How can you stand out? Former television producer and agency executive Andrew Davis will teach you how to create content so good it’s addictive.

Our take? I heard Andrew give a similar talk at the MarketingProfs B2B Marketing Forum. He’s a high-energy speaker, and you’ll walk away inspired to create content with a hook. It involves Muppets, so…

10:30am—11:15am

How Allocadia Squeezed More Demand Gen, Sales Enablement, & ABM Juice Out of Our Content Marketing

Speaker: Matt Davis, Director of Content & Digital Marketing, Allocadia @matt_vancouver
Room 2022/2024

Do you have a lot of content? So did Allocadia. Learn how they built a better home for their content using Uberflip and Marketo. And the positive impact it had on their MQLs, ABM programs, and sales teams.

Our take? I know, I know… a vendor session! But marketing technology is here to help, and it’s valuable to hear how other marketers are making the most of their tech stack.

Expo Hall Guide

You’re attending sessions, frantically scribbling all the ideas you want to implement at your own organization. Need some help? Head on over to the Expo Hall on the first floor to talk to vendors that can help take your content strategy to the next level. Keep some room in your suitcase for great swag!

Content Marketing Platforms
Curata
Kapost
NewsCred

Content Hubs
LookbookHQ
Uberflip

Content Curation
Curata

Interactive Content
SnapApp
ion interactive

Video
Brightcove
Vidyard
Wistia
GoAnimate

Curata is hosting a Demo Zone throughout the conference. Sign up to see a quick demo of our Content Marketing Platform and Content Curation Software. (Bonus: you walk away with a sweet Tuxedo t-shirt!)

Extracurricular Activities

The Marketing Nation Summit is back in San Francisco. While Vegas was a bold change of scene, SF is not lacking when it comes to things to see, eat, and imbibe. Fair warning: what happens in San Francisco might not stay there…

Have you tried the infamous sushiritto? Head to the aptly-named Sushiritto to try this buzzy new item. 59 New Montgomery St., eight minutes walk from Moscone.

Long line at Starbucks? Check out the robot barista at Cafe X, just across the street in the Metreon. It might just spell your name right… 135 4th St., two minutes walk from Moscone.

Do you know the password? San Francisco is known for speakeasies, and Rickhouse is a classic option for cocktails. 246 Kearny St., 11 minutes walk from Moscone.

Prefer ballparks to crowded bars? If you’re not feeling the parties, the SF Giants are hosting the LA Dodgers at AT&T Park on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evening. Grab your coworkers and some new friends and root, root, root for the home team! Tickets start at $18.00 on StubHub and MLB.com. (24 Willie Mays Plaza, 21 min walk from Moscone)

Have a little too much fun? You might want to grab a juice at Joe & The Juice (301 Howard St., 13 minutes walk from Moscone). We suggest the Hangover Heaven. Need something more decadent? The Bird keeps it simple: fried chicken sandwiches and curly fries. Opens at 8am. (115 New Montgomery St., 6 minute walk from Moscone.)

Want more? Check out Eater’s map of Where to Eat and Drink in SoMa.

Marketing Nation Summit 2017

There’s plenty to satisfy content marketers at the 2017 Marketing Nation Summit. Come visit Curata at booth #S742 or our Demo Zone. And let us know in the comments if you have hot tips for navigating the conference or fun things to do outside Moscone. Hope to see you there!

It’s a world class speaking lineup with many, if not most of the biggest names in content marketing. But what do you do if, at some apres-conference soiree, you find yourself face to face with one of these charming and erudite speakers, bereft of conversation starters?

At Content Marketing World, as in life, offering to buy someone a drink is always a good start. Then it comes down to finding something in common to talk about. To that end, Curata spoke with some of the headline speakers to find out a few interesting details about them. Discover the banjo player, the romantic novelist, the tequila collector and the breakdancer. Read on to find out who’s who!

—

Chad Pollitt

Co-founder & VP of Audience at Relevance, Marketing Adjunct Professor, Author, International Speaker and former US Army Commander

Lesser known fact:

“I once played in the International Foosball Championships in Las Vegas and actually placed second in one of the events back in 2002. That’s the only thing I think I learned in college. Check out the one minute mark in this video for the infamous “AERIAL Trick Shot.””

Well known facts: Chad is a decorated veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and former Army Commander. He is VP of Audience and Co-founder of Relevance, a digital magazine, agency, and events company dedicated to content strategy, promotion, and marketing.

A member of a Forbes Top 100 list, Chad authored The Native Advertising Manifesto, The Content Promotion Manifesto, and 51 Things Your Mother Taught You About Inbound Marketing. He is a regular contributor to industry media outlets, including the Huffington Post, Guardian and Social Media Today.

@ChadPollitt | LinkedIn

—

Doug Kessler

Creative Director, Co-Founder, Velocity Partners Ltd (UK)

Lesser known fact:

“Most people don’t know that I play the banjo. Most people are lucky that way.

Those who do know wish they didn’t.”

Well known facts: Awarded Launch of the Year 2015 by the Content Marketing Institute in October 2015 for Sprint Business launch, Doug is a displaced Yank who started his career at Ogilvy & Mather, New York. Soap and fabric softener bored him rigid so he jumped ship to specialize in B2B. Doug is a content marketing junkie. He’s a copywriter at heart but with a secret jones for analytics. And Lagavulin.

@dougkessler | LinkedIn

—

Arnie Kuenn

CEO at Vertical Measures, international speaker, & author of Content Marketing Works: 8 Steps to Transform Your Business

Lesser known fact:

“I am actually really into boating. And I have never even owned one. I have been on the water in almost every type of boat imaginable. I have trained and earned a powerboat certification and read countless books on the subject. My goal is to buy a trawler someday and either cruise it from the west coast to the east coast or possibly buy it on the east coast and cruise the great loop. Right now I am trying to find a yachting manufacturer or large broker who wants to hire a content marketing agency!”

Well known facts: Arnie Kuenn is the author of the award winning content marketing book Accelerate! Arnie is also an instructor for the Online Marketing Institute and the Content Marketing Institute. Arnie served on the 2008 Arizona Super Bowl Marketing Committee. He is a founder and past president of the Arizona Interactive Marketing Association (AZIMA). In 2014, he was voted the Interactive Person of the Year at the AZIMA TIM Awards.

@ArnieK | LinkedIn

—

Carla Johnson

Marketing and Customer Experience Strategist | Author | Speaker | Storyteller

Lesser known fact:

“I’m a classical pianist and started studying when I was eight. My mom made me take lessons and I didn’t like it in the beginning because I was an outside girl growing up. But then I realized that if I practiced, I got out of chores around the house and my older sister had to do my share. That motivated my practicing and then I fell in love with playing the piano. I studied for 13 years and still play today.”

Well known facts: Carla is recognized as one of the top influencers in content marketing. Her book, Experiences: The 7th Era of Marketing, teaches marketers how to develop, manage and lead the creation of valuable experiences in their organizations. Carla serves as Vice Chair on the Executive Board of the Business Marketing Association (a division of the ANA). She was previously the Vice President of Thought Leadership. Carla is an instructor for Rutgers University mini-MBA program, the Content Marketing Institute, the ANA, and the Online Marketing Institute. A frequent speaker at events such as Content Marketing World, Carla also contributes to industry wide news outlets, forums and conferences.

@CarlaJohnson | LinkedIn

—

Ardath Albee

SEO & B2B Marketing Strategist of her firm Marketing Interactions | B2B Marketing Strategist | Speaker | Author of 2 Books

Lesser known fact:

“People may not know that I’m a long-time member of Romance Writers of America and love writing women’s fiction. I’ve written five novels so far—none actually published… yet. When I say I’m a storyteller, I really mean it—whether in fiction or in business. Actually, even more interesting is that a lot of the strategy and skills needed to write compelling long-form fiction cross over into the development of B2B personas and content marketing strategy.”

Well known facts: Ardath grew up in Southern California. She is the author of eMarketing Strategies for the Complex Sale, (McGraw Hill), and Digital Relevance: Developing Marketing Content and Strategies that Drive Results (Palgrave Macmillan). Her mom says her hunger to write started with her fourth grade teacher. “I’ll take her word for it, as I don’t remember when, exactly, I knew I had to write.”

Ardath runs her own firm, Marketing Interactions, Inc. She helps B2B companies generate more sales-ready leads with e-marketing and content strategies. She has a B.A. in English Literature from San Francisco State University. Ardath was a finalist in the Golden Heart writing contest for unpublished romance writers through RWA in 2005.

@ardath421 | LinkedIn

—

Rand Fishkin

Wizard of Moz

Lesser known fact:

“In January 2007, I filmed a 30-second ad for a major retailer (in which I proposed to my then girlfriend, now wife, Geraldine) that was set to air during the Super Bowl. Thankfully, the retailer pulled out a week before the game, or I’d have gone down as a pop culture footnote. Phew! I proposed during a homemade TV ad on her favorite show a few days later, and she said yes while watching in our living room!”

Well known facts:

Education: Attended University of Washington, Seattle 1997-2001 | Dropped out to start Moz
Interests: Travel, Science, NFL Football, Food, Beer, Scotch, the Internet, Adventure Time

Over six years as founder and CEO, Rand grew Moz from seven employees to 134, revenues from $800,000 to $29.3 million, and traffic from 1 million to 30 million annual visitors. He raised two rounds of funding ($1.1 million in 2007 and $18.1 million in 2012) and led three acquisitions. In 2013, rebranded the company from SEOmoz to Moz, shifting focus from exclusively SEO tools to broader web marketing software.

Rand stepped down as CEO in February of 2014, promoting longtime Chief Operations Officer Sarah Bird to the position. He moved into an individual contributor role and retains the title “Wizard of Moz,” as well as the stuffier, less-fun title “Chairman of the Board of Directors.”

Rand has co-contributed to two books: Art of SEO, and Inbound Marketing & SEO.

@randfish | LinkedIn

—

Gini Dietrich

Founder and CEO, Arment Dietrich, and Spin Sucks Pro

Lesser known fact:

“In 2014, I was about two months away from having my own cookbook and cooking show on television! Then a couple of things happened: 1) It was the year Spin Sucks came out so I had my hands full; and 2) As it turns out, cookbooks are rarely your own recipes and I couldn’t bring myself to write about how much spin sucks every day and then release a cookbook that wasn’t full of recipes passed down through generations.”

Well known facts: Gini’s blog Spin Sucks is on the AdAge top 150 list. It’s a top 10 online destination for PR and marketing tips, tools, and techniques. An award-winning communicator, her clients have included Abbott, Sprint, Ocean Spray, Bayer, BASF, The Catfish Institute, Central Garden & Pet, and Denny’s. Gini speaks in venues ranging from trade organizations and international social media and communication forums to Vistage International and PRSA.

@ginidietrich | LinkedIn

—

Jay Baer

Marketing and customer experience consultant, NY Times best-selling author, keynote speaker and emcee, investor

Lesser known fact:

“I am a tequila collector and a certified BBQ judge. My very favorite tequila is Casa Dragones, which tastes like angel tears. It’s super expensive though, so definitely a special occasion sipper. On a more regular basis I like Corzo reposado, Avion silver, and a shout-out to Roca Patron Anejo and my friend Adrian Parker, who has the best job in the world (head of digital for Patron).”

“I had to go to BBQ judging school in Illinois to become certified, so I can tell you a lot of strange and boring details about competitive BBQ. But if you really want to compare and contrast, pork ribs are the way to go. You can tell a lot about a cook by how they do their ribs. Personally, I prefer Kansas City style BBQ, with Texas style brisket and beef ribs a very close second, and Santa Maria style third.”

Well known facts: Jay Baer is the author of Hug Your Haters: How to Embrace Complaints and Keep Your Customers. He has advised more than 700 companies since 1994, including Caterpillar, Nike, Allstate, The United Nations and 32 of the FORTUNE 500.

Jay is the founder of Convince & Convert, a strategy consulting firm that helps prominent companies gain and keep more customers through the smart intersection of technology, social media, and customer service. His Convince & Convert Media division owns the world’s #1 content marketing blog, the world’s top marketing podcast, and many other education resources for business owners and executives.

@jaybaer | LinkedIn

—

Joe Pulizzi

Founder, Content Marketing Institute

Lesser known fact: “Most people don’t know that I grew up watching my father cook at the restaurant my parents owned, and then worked with my grandfather and uncle at their funeral home before college. It’s probably one of the main reasons why I ended up being an entrepreneur… watching my family run companies.”

Well known facts: Joe Pulizzi is an entrepreneur, speaker, author, podcaster, father, and lover of all things orange. He’s the founder of multiple startups, including the Content Marketing Institute (CMI)—and the Content Marketing World conference. CMI also offers advisory services for organizations such as HP, AT&T, Petco, LinkedIn, SAP, the Gates Foundation and many others.

Joe is the winner of the 2014 John Caldwell Lifetime Achievement Award from the Content Council. Joe’s third book, Epic Content Marketing: How to Tell a Different Story, Break through the Clutter, and Win More Customers by Marketing Less was named one of “Five Must Read Business Books of the Year” by Fortune Magazine. His fourth book, Content Inc., was released September 2015. Joe has also co-authored two other books, Get Content Get Customers and Managing Content Marketing.

Joe also writes a column for Entrepreneur.com and is a LinkedIn Influencer. You can hear Joe on his podcasts, “This Old Marketing” and “Content Inc.” If you happen to bump into him at Content Marketing World, he’ll be wearing orange.

@JoePulizzi | LinkedIn

—

Ian Cleary

Founder and CEO of RazorSocial

Lesser known fact:

“I always wanted to do break dancing so about two years ago I started taking lessons. I was, by far, the oldest in the class with most of the class under the age of 15. But that wasn’t going to stop me. At a conference last year in Chicago the organizers asked me to do something fun during my speaking event so I did some break dancing! It’s a good way of ensuring that everyone remembers you at a conference!”

“I didn’t always work in marketing. A couple of years after leaving school I went to Australia and got a job as a laborer in an underwater tunnel they were building out beneath the sea in Sydney. I had no experience whatsoever in construction but I was told by my Irish friend to say yes to everything at the interview… it worked! I guess I was doing some marketing of my ability…”

Well known facts: After being a shareholder of several tech companies that floated on Nasdaq or got acquired, Ian Cleary thought, “Why not build a global company?” So he hustled, flew all over the world, bought beers and dinners, offered free advice and developed key relationships. This led to him becoming one of the Top 50 Content Marketers in the world, a regular speaker at conferences such as Content Marketing World, and a globally recognized influencer. Ian also contributes to VentureBeat, Entrepreneur.com, Content Marketing Institute, Social Media Examiner, and the Huffington Post.

@IanCleary | LinkedIn

Content Marketing World Keynote Speaker Mark Hamill

Actor, Voice Actor, Writer

Lesser known fact:

Luke Skywalker is gay. Or at least, in an interview with Britain’s The Sun, Hamill leaves Skywalker’s sexual orientation open to interpretation: “… fans are writing and ask all these questions, ‘I’m bullied in school… I’m afraid to come out’. They say to me, ‘Could Luke be gay?’ I’d say it is meant to be interpreted by the viewer… If you think Luke is gay, of course he is. You should not be ashamed of it. Judge Luke by his character, not by who he loves.” Then again, the only character Luke openly displayed any affection for in the original trilogy of films was his sister Leia. (He did have a rural upbringing.)

Well known facts: Hamill is world famous for his depiction of the character Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of The Jedi, and The Force Awakens. He made his acting debut on The Bill Cosby Show in 1970. He starred in action comedy Corvette Summer and war movie The Big Red One in 1978 and 1980 respectively. Hamill then tried to avoid being typecast as a heartthrob and worked primarily on Broadway, as a voice actor, and other lower profile movies. Hamill is also the co-creator of the comic book miniseries The Black Pearl. He has written several stories for Simpsons Comics. Unknown: what Hamill will talk about in his Content Marketing World keynote address.

@HamillHimself

We asked 25+ of the most influential content marketers this exact question.

We compiled these predictions and mapped them out by five major categories: distribution, investment, content creation, measurement/ROI, and organizational structure.

Learn more about each of these categories in the following infographic, then read on to see all of the predictions. Looking for a guide to forming content strategy for 2016? Download our latest eBook: How to Develop a Content Marketing Strategy.

Investment:

Companies will increase investment in content marketing. As they continue to refine their strategy, they will see this investment pay off through a higher number of sales-ready leads.

“My prediction for 2016 is that Content Marketing will finally hit the mainstream. I base this on seeing the knowledge level of the people attending our content marketing workshops. The attendees are almost all from the marketing teams, and the questions the attendees ask are based on experiences (they are at least trying it). This is pretty different from just a couple years ago when everyone in our classes were wide-eyed neophytes, and most were SEOs.”

–Arnie Kuenn, CEO, Vertical Measures

“In 2016, Content Marketing exits its crazy college years. Grows up. Gets real job. Pays its own bills.”

–Ann Handley, Founder, MarketingProfs

Organizational Structure:

Content marketing teams will continue to grow and content marketing leads will be “given a seat at the table,” as more and more organizations realize that content is central to their business.

“Too many marketers are creating content on an island, failing to optimize its impact due to a lack of collaboration across the organization. 2016 will mark the beginning of the collapse of barriers between marketing functions such as content marketing, social media teams, product marketing, marketing operations and digital marketing teams.”

–Michael Gerard, CMO, Curata

“Sales closing rates and even sales teams will be rendered less important than ever as companies continue to realize Marketing Departments are the ones actually handling the majority of the actual sale.”

–Marcus Sherdian, The Sales Lion

“Content will be acknowledged as a business asset by an increasing number of organizations. Amongst these forward-thinking firms, content will find a place on the balance sheet. Its importance will be recognized and honored by upper management. The money, time, and effort invested to create, manage, and deliver it will be scrutinized. Successful brands will find ways to maximize its value, milking it for every ounce of ROI possible.”

–Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler

“In 2016, the silos of content marketing will end, and a more unified team model will begin.”

–Amy Higgins, Director of Content Marketing, Deem

Content Creation and Curation:

The smartest content marketers will continue to diversify the types of content they create, expanding to new categories such as video and interactive content.

“Interactive content will play an important role in content marketing as we strive for greater engagement and to keep visitors on our site.”

–Ian Cleary, Founder, RazorSocial

“The near-future for content marketers wanting to leapfrog their top competitors is laser-focused on creating quality and depth vs. quantity and breadth; and away from writing articles and onto curating collections, galleries, guides and directories that save people time while providing useful verified information.”

–Robin Good, Content Curation Expert

“2016 will be the year more people will wake up to making USEFUL content for the people they serve, not just entertaining material.”

–Chris Brogan, CEO, Owner Media Group

“Content marketing will become more customized, in which blog posts will be tailored towards the reader. For example if you were reading a link building post, you’ll see options at the beginning of the article asking you to select the type of website you own. Based on the industry you select, the suggestions on how you would build links would vary.”

–Neil Patel, Co-Founder, Crazy Egg and KISSMetrics

“2016 content will go both long and short. Longer form content like blogs, Medium and LinkedIn Publishing (expect Facebook to rollout a long form entrant) will increase to drive longer term marketing results. Short form content such as photographs (Instagram) and video will appeal to immediate information needs and entertainment yielding short-term traffic and brand impressions.”

–Heidi Cohen, Chief Content Officer, Actionable Marketing Group

“After growing interest for five years, 2016 is the year Newsjacking – the art and science of injecting your ideas into a breaking news story to generate tons of media coverage, get sales leads, and grow business – goes mainstream.”

–David Meerman Scott, Online Marketing Strategist and Author

“All signs point to video. Whether it’s Facebook Live, video on Twitter, Periscope, Blab, Instagram, Vine or the old standby YouTube, 2016 will be the year when video becomes a primary content and social marketing consideration for all brands – even B2B. Partially because customer appetite for video (even low-res, real-time video) is insatiable. And partially because video is the most efficient way to atomize your message. If you have video, you have audio. If you have video, you have text (via transcription). If you have video, you have photos. But it doesn’t work the other way around. In 2016, video will take its rightful place as the petri dish of great social media marketing.”

–Jay Baer, President, Convince & Convert

“The biggest changes in my 2016 content plan include increased investment in video content and social media ads on Facebook.”

–Larry Kim, Founder & CTO, Wordstream

“I predict that we’ll see more and more content in new, exciting formats –beyond white papers and eBooks, beyond video, beyond podcasts – that make the most of interactivity. (And I’m looking forward to this as both a “reader” and a creator.)”

–Sherry Lamoreaux, Senior Editor, Act-On

“Content creation evolves into engagement programming, as more companies begin creating interactive social engagement programming on recurring schedules, i.e. the weekly podcast, live video chat, etc”

-Matt Carter, Program Director, Big Data & Analytics Category Digital Marketing, IBM

Distribution:

Content marketers will recognize the importance of using earned and paid media as on-ramps to their own media properties, with a focus on improving user experiences.

“Brands will integrate content more efficiently in paid, earned and owned channels to deliver better user experiences.”

–Pam Didner, Global Content Marketing

“I predict that in 2016 brands will begin reverse-engineering their approach to content: starting with the emotion that they want content to inspire from an audience; work backwards through the experience that triggers that emotion; and determine what content combination creates that experience.”

–Carla Johnson, Type A Communications

Measurement/ROI:

Marketers will use data to determine content effectiveness and will begin to double down on the content that works, eliminating waste and ineffective content.

“Too much content is created on a hunch and doesn’t perform that well. 2016 will be the year marketers start to use data and a connection with leads and revenue to develop their strategy, to create better content, and to more smartly distribute it.”

–Pawan Deshpande, Founder and CEO, Curata

“Content marketing in 2016 will be a year of convergence between data and storytelling, co-creation and curation, owned and earned media.”

–Lee Odden, CEO, TopRank Online Marketing

“In 2016, brands will discover that through purpose they’ll find meaning, through meaning they’ll find alignment, and through this alignment they’ll create content that matters.”

–Russell Sparkman, Co-Founder and CEO, Fusionspark Media

“2016 will be the year of the Content Marketing Backlash as the teams that weren’t very good at it start to blame the discipline instead of their own poor strategy, execution (or both). You heard it here first (ish).”

–Doug Kessler, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Velocity Partners

“In 2016, B2B marketers will stop, take a breath and get to truly know their audiences before launching content marketing programs that will now be more relevant and compelling due to that knowledge.”

–Ardath Albee, B2B Marketing Strategist

“More companies will exit than enter the arena because to everyone beside the companies who totally buy into and get into it, content marketing is a waste of resources.”

–Barry Feldman, Feldman Creative

Ready to create a strategy for 2016? Take a look at our Content Marketing Pyramid Framework in our new eBook, How to Develop & Execute a Content Marketing Strategy.

We’ve got you covered — from where to visit, to where to eat, to who to meet at the big event. We’ve even included a map (not to scale) of Cleveland highlighting the events, as well as a selection of restaurants, attractions and stores to visit. A number of speakers are also spread throughout the map. (Go to the bottom section to learn more about each speaker).

Keep scrolling for the complete guide or click on one of the following sections to learn more.

• Official Content Marketing World Events
• What else is going on?
• Attractions to visit
• What to buy
• Where to eat
• Who to meet — and what to talk to them about

If you haven’t registered yet, there ‘s still time. Visit the Content Marketing World official website to get started.

If you are attending, stop by Curata’s booth (#87) to learn more about how to scale a data-driven content marketing strategy with a Content Marketing Platform (i.e. editorial calendar and content analytics engine). You can get a free copy of Jason Miller’s book, Welcome to the Funnel, if you attend a demo of our solution. Schedule an onsite demo here.

Official Content Marketing World Events

Content Marketing World
Cleveland Convention Center
September 8-11 at 8:00 a.m.

The main event features hundreds of speakers, sessions and booths showing off the latest technologies in content marketing. In addition to the main conference, there will be events around town, including:

Meet the CMI Team
Azure Sun Lounge at The Metropolitan at the 9 Hotel
Monday, September 7 from 6:30 pm-8:30 pm

If you are arriving early to the conference, and looking for some fun,  stop by and meet the CMI staff. 

Opening Night Reception
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
Tuesday, September 8 from 7:00 pm-10:00 pm

Come for a night full of networking, drinks and food, as well as a chance to tour this impressive venue.

Modern Marketing Mashup at #CMWorld
House of Blues – Cambridge Room, Cleveland, OH
Wednesday, September 9
Agenda: 6:30pm Cocktails, Appetizers, Networking
7:15pm Modern Marketing Panel: “How Killer Content Boots Brand Engagement”
8:00pm More Cocktails, Appetizers, and Networking

Top industry marketers from some of the leading organizations will touch upon the topics of cross-channel marketing, content creation, social, and more.

#CMWorld Concert – Barenaked Ladies
Music Hall at the Cleveland Public Auditorium,
Wednesday, September, 9
Doors open: 8:30pm
Concert begins: 9:00pm

CMI has invited Barenaked Ladies to perform on Wednesday night. Make sure to join in on the fun! The venue is within walking distance of the hotels, and just as close to great restaurants for any pre- or post-concert happenings.

ion interactive Afterparty
Sixth Floor at the Westin Cleveland Hotel (777 St. Clair Avenue NE)
Wednesday, September 9 from 10:30 pm – 12:30 am (immediately following the BNL concert)

Immediately following the Barenaked Ladies concert, ion interactive will be hosting an Afterparty at the Westin. The Westin is right across the street from the concert, making that much easier to have some fun.

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What Else is Going On?

Will you be arriving early or staying later in the week? There’s plenty to do to fill up your free time! In addition to the CMW related events, here’s what else is going on in Cleveland during the week of the event.

Line Dancing at Thistledown Racino
ThistleDown Racino
March 2 to December 30  at 7 pm
Admission: Free

Cleveland Labor Day Oktoberfest
Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds
September 4 to September 7
Times: Fri – 4pm to midnight, Sat & Sun – Noon to midnight, Mon – Noon to 8pm.
Admission: $10 (Children Under 12 Free)

Bloom!
Stan Hywet Hall & Garden
June 4 to September 20
Times: 10am-6pm, last admission at 4:30pm. Open Tues-Sun. Closed Mondays, except for Labor Day when regular hours apply.
Admission: $0-$14

Art in the Afternoon
Cleveland Museum of Art
April 8 to December 9 from 1:15 to 2:30 p.m
Admission: FREE, registration required

BAYart Farm + Art Market
July 02 to October 29
Times: 5-8pm
Admission: Free

Cleveland Indians v. Detroit Tigers
Progressive Field
September 10 & 11 at 7:05 PM

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Attractions to Visit

Steamship William G. Mather Maritime Museum – Embark on a self-guided tour of this retired ship that was once used to transport ore, coal, stone and grain to ports throughout the Great Lakes.

USS Cod Submarine Memorial – Stop by and explore this navy vessel that was first launched during World War II.

Great Lakes Science Center – Make good use of your time by spending a free afternoon to check out some of the educational exhibits or catch a movie at the OmniMax.

FirstEnergy Stadium – You can’t miss this stadium that’s host to the Cleveland Browns home games and other college games.

Cedar Point Amusement Park – Although it is a bit out of the way, if you have an extra day, make sure to visit the World’s Best Park, voted 16 years in a row.

Horseshoe Casino – Take a break and enjoy a night out full of food, drinks, laughs, and of course, the chance of winning some extra cash!

A Christmas Story House – Fulfill a childhood dream by visiting this historic symbol of the spirit of christmas, seen in the very popular family christmas movie, A Christmas Story.

Quicken Loans Arena – Home to the 2014 NBA finalists (sorry, Cleveland Cavaliers, this arena carries a great deal of memorable basketball moments in history.

PlayhouseSquare – This is the second largest theatre district in the country, hosting more than 8,000 performances each year.

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What to Buy

West Side Market – Swing by the market for fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and much more from over 100 vendors at Cleveland’s oldest marketplace. Here are some cool vendors to visit:

• Crepes Deluxe – Home of authentic, Parisian style crepes.
• Paradise Flowers– Want to congratulate a CMW speaker? Grab them a bouquet of flowers at this full-service florist.
• The Cheese Shop – Choose from over 175 traditional and rare cheeses at this shop that encourages sampling before purchasing!

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Gift Shop: – Stop in the gift store to get rock and roll gear such as these two items:

• 45 RPM record mouse pad ($7.99)
• Guitar pick bottle opener magnet ($6.99)

Great Lakes Science Center: The Science Store: Embrace your inner nerd and buy Kinetic Sand — watch it float and be amazed.

5th Street Arcades – A one-stop destination for shopping in downtown Cleveland. Spend a few hours browsing the shops and restaurants or visit some of our favorites:

• Chocolate76– Want to satisfy your sweet tooth or bring back a treat to the office? Check out Chocolate76 for homemade desserts and chocolates such as pecan turtles and chocolate-covered oreos.
• Kernels by Chrissie – If you’re looking for something salty, grab a tin of regional, gourmet popcorn.
• Colossal Cupcakes – Over 50 cupcake flavors and the first-ever cupcake milkshake.

Big Fun Toy Store – This toy store was recently named one of the “coolest stores in America” by Playboy and is a 15-minute drive from downtown Cleveland. If you have a rental car, be sure to check it out.

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Where to Eat

Blue Point Grille – This restaurant is a 5-minute walk from the Cleveland Convention Center and features a wide range of seafood in addition to traditional fare. A Zagat survey named this “Cleveland’s most popular restaurant.”

Mallorca – Just a 15-minute walk from the convention center, this restaurant offers a taste of Spain and Portugal in the middle of downtown Cleveland.

The Greenhouse Tavern – A hidden gem that provides a wide range of vegan and vegetarian options. Curata is hosting a dinner here on Wednesday Sept. 10 (Contact Michael Gerard if you are interested in attending!)

Melt Bar & Grilled – In the mood for a grilled cheese? Make it gourmet at this hotspot.

Lola Bistro – Peter Loibl of CMI says this is his favorite restaurant in all of Cleveland. It’s also the flagship restaurant of celebrity chef Michael Symon.

Little Italy – There are over 20 Italian restaurants to choose from and several fine art galleries to peruse.

Sweet Moses – The best ice cream & handmade confections shop in Cleveland according to Tripadvisor reviews!

L’Albatros Brasserie + Bar – Get a delicious taste of France in Cleveland. Winner of the Silver Spoon Award for Best French Restaurant.

Fire – Delicious food, affordable prices, exciting atmosphere. All the necessary ingredients for a wonderful night out!

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Who to Meet — and What to Talk to Them About

There will be an estimated 3,500 people at Content Marketing World. To make it easier for you to decide who to try and meet, we have rounded up a list of speakers and the topics you might discuss.

BONUS: Look for these people in the map above.

Joe Pulizzi, Founder of Content Marketing Institute

What to talk about: Joe recently launched Content Inc., a blog and podcast specifically for startups and entrepreneurs (and he wrote an upcoming book on the subject). If you’re trying to grow an audience through content marketing, talk to Joe — he has a wealth of knowledge on the subject. He also runs the highly successful podcast, This Old Marketing, along with Chief Strategy Officer Robert Rose. Chat with Joe about podcast best practices and the latest news in content marketing – he’s always in the know.

Pawan Deshpande, CEO of Curata

What to talk about: Our very own CEO has been attending Content Marketing World since its inception, giving talks on both content curation and content operations. Having authored eBooks on content curation and content marketing metrics, Pawan is an excellent person to talk to about either of these subjects. Do you need help quantifying your content marketing efforts? Chat with Pawan, who can walk you through his Content Marketing Metrics framework.

Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs

What to talk about: Ann wrote the 2014 book “Everybody Writes,” providing marketers with hands-on tips on how to become a better writer. Chat with Ann about the struggle that is content writing — Are you going through bouts of writer’s block? Having trouble structuring your latest eBook? She can give you some killer tips and assure you that everybody, (yes even you!) writes.

Andrew Davis, Author & Podcast Host

What to talk about: Andrew keynoted at last’s year’s Content Marketing World and gave a crowd-pleasing speech about how fractured the buyer’s journey is. Talk to Andrew if you are looking for new and unique ways to attain customers (and are tired of hearing the same funnel theory over and over again).

Jay Baer, Author and President of Convince and Convert

What to talk about: Jay is the author of the bestselling book, Youtility: Why Smart Companies are Helping Not Selling, and also runs the social and content agency, Convince and Convert. He is a great person to talk to about creating non-egocentric content that will truly help your customers.

Brian Clark, Founder of CopyBlogger

What to talk about: As the CEO of CopyBlogger, Brian helps businesses use blogging and other forms of content marketing to generate revenue. He has also built three businesses using online marketing techniques, so he’s a great person to talk to if you about using content to drive growth in your own business.

Robert Rose, Chief Strategy Officer of Content Marketing Institute

What to talk about: As Chief Strategy Officer at CMI, Robert Rose advises several clients on how to form content strategy and how to implement content marketing in their organization. Chat with Robert any problems you may be facing trying to gain support for content within your organization. Robert also cohosts This Old Marketing with Joe Pulizzi and is always interested in talking about the latest news in the content marketing industry.

Heidi Cohen, Chief Content Officer at Actionable Marketing Guide

What to talk about: As a consultant and frequent blogger, Heidi truly has her fingers on the pulse of the industry. She is known for writing in-depth posts, in which she covers topics down to a granular level, providing marketers with practical advice. Chat with Heidi about any problems you may be facing in your content operations – she will certainly give you her input and point you to a blog post diving deep on the topic.

Pam Didner, Author

What to talk about: Pam has formerly worked at Intel as a Global Integrated Marketing Strategist, so she has hands-on experience leading marketing at a large enterprise company. Talk to Pam if you are having trouble implementing content marketing at your organization. She also recently published Global Content Marketing (our review here) so she can shed knowledge about how to create content for a global audience by localizing it for individual markets.

Gini Dietrich, Author and Co-founder of Arment Dietrich

What to talk about: Gini runs Arment Dietrich, an integrated marketing firm, and started marketing and public relations blog SpinSucks. If you’re a PR person feeling lost in a sea content marketers, Gini is a great person to talk to about the intersection of the two practices.

Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler

What to talk about: Scott is adept in many areas of content marketing, but you may want to specifically talk with him about globalization and localization of content and information.

Lee Odden,  CEO of TopRank Online Marketing

What to talk about: Lee has a wealth of marketing knowledge, but he is a particularly great resource to tap into to learn more about the benefits of influencer marketing.  He has several examples and case studies of influencer marketing campaigns from many of TopRank’s top notch clients, including Dell.

Ardath Albee, Marketing Interactions

What to talk about: Ardath specializes in helping clients create a seamless transition from prospect to buyer and she will be giving a talk this year on the B2B demand generation model. If you’re working at a B2B company and trying to perfect your marketing and sales funnel, Ardath is a great person to chat with.

Jason Miller, LinkedIn

What to talk about: Currently leading global content marketing at LinkedIn, Jason also has several years of experience working in content and social at Marketo. He also recently published the Amazon #1 Bestseller, Welcome to the Funnel (which you can get a free, signed copy of if you stop by the Curata booth for a demo of our solutions —schedule an onsite demo here.). Chat with Jason if you need any tips about using social media to promote your content. He also has some killer tips about using your company’s LinkedIn page to its highest potential. If you want to tap into his insight before the event, do register for our upcoming webinar, where you will be able to ask him questions and hear his thoughts on content strategy.

Marcus Sheridan, The Sales Lion

What to talk about: Marcus became an industry leader in perhaps one of the most unique ways: he used content marketing to drive growth in his outdoor pool business. If you’re trying to get your business off the ground using inbound methods, Marcus is a great guy to swap stories with.

Kristina Halvorson, CEO of Brain Traffic

What to talk about: If you’re struggling with putting together your company’s content strategy, you’ll want to pick Kristina’s brain. She is a trusted authority in content strategy and has even launched the Confab content strategy events.

Scott Brinker, Co-founder of ion interactive

What to talk about: As head of ion interactive, Scott has a lot of knowledge surrounding interactive content. If you haven’t yet brought interactive into your content formats, talk with Scott about best practices. He’s also a trusted authority on marketing technology and is a great person to talk to about the ever-expanding technology universe.

Rand Fishkin, Moz

What to talk about: Having cofounded Moz and Inboung.org (among other ventures), Rand is a great guy to talk to if you want to learn more about how the intricacies of your SEO strategy (If you need any more convincing, he also wrote a book called The Art of SEO). Rand also stars in a popular video series “Whiteboard Fridays” where he maps out complex topics on a whiteboard. If you see Rand near a whiteboard, he may just sketch something out for you.

Bernie Borges, Chief Find Officer of Find and Convert

What to talk about: Bernie is an expert on all things digital marketing, but one specific talk to chat with him about is podcasting. Bernie has been podcasting long before the recent podcasting boom, so he’s a great person to ask about the evolution of the practice and how to best use audio for content marketing.

Ian Cleary, Founder of RazorSocial

What to talk about:  Tools, tools and more tools. Ian helps companies improve their social media strategy with a specific focus on tools and technology. If you need a recommendation for a tool to fit your specific business need, Ian can provide you with top-notch advice.

Andy Crestodina, Co-founder of Orbit Media

What to talk about:  Andy is the co-founder of Orbit Media, a web design firm. He is particularly knowledgeable in SEO and linkback strategies. He also conducts an annual research study where he surveys 1000+ of marketers to produce a report on the topic of blogging. Chat with Andy to get some pointers about including primary research in your content marketing strategy. He may also be able to let you on in the secret to getting so many survey respondents!

Matt Heinz, President of Heinz Marketing

What to talk about: Matt runs the B2B marketing agency, Heinz Marketing, so do chat with him about any struggles you have getting creative in the B2B space.

Barry Feldman, Feldman Creative

What to talk about: Barry is a consultant and owner of the blog, The Point, where he regularly blogs about marketing, content strategy and influencer relations. Barry is particularly adept at helping marketers set up a plan for their content marketing strategy (he did author an eBook called The Plan). If you are just starting to form your content plan — or you would like to perfect it — Barry is a great resource to tap into.

Mike Stelzner, CEO of Social Media Examiner

What to talk about: All things social. Mike runs the Social Media Examiner blog, Social Media Marketing Podcast and Social Media Marketing World. If you’ve got a question about how to best promote your content on social media, Mike can answer it.

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See you in Cleveland!

Once again, feel free to stop by the Curata booth (#87). We’d love to meet you. In the meantime, we’d like to offer you a checklist that helps you scale your content operations. Download this free checklist to learn how to:

• Define content marketing and build internal support
• Develop a content marketing supply chain
• Consolidate and integrate marketing applications

1. Choose Topics Based on Conference Sessions

Show organizers do their research and know what will interest their target audience. Take advantage of their hard work. If a topic is on a conference agenda, it’s on the minds of people in your industry.

Study the agenda and session tracks to get a sense of trending user problems and concerns.
 Conference keynotes and sessions highlight trending topics in your market that you can cover in your blog. You’ll also get ideas for keywords to use in your writing. If you work in content marketing, take a look at this list of conferences to start exploring sessions and speakers.

2. Repurpose Your Speaker Presentations

If your company has a presenter scheduled at a conference, collaborate with them to write blog post before and after the event. It can be a win-win for both of you. You’ll create awareness for the speaker, and you’ll save time on content by tapping into the presentation as your source material. For a complete guide to repurposing content, see Curata’s Content Marketing Pyramid framework.

For this specific scenario, consider creating pre-event content to talk about why the presentation or panel is relevant, but don’t give away all the presenter’s ideas. Frame the pre-event content towards questions the speaker will answer to encourage readers to attend the session. Link to the speaker bio and abstract on the show site. Post-show, position your speaker as a thought leader. Because the speakers just presented on this topic at a conference, they will already have a sense of authority on the topic. Also consider posting a version of the speaker’s presentation on SlideShare and make that the call to action for your blog.

Curata has posted several SlideShares after various events, such as this presentation from their October 2014 Content Marketing Forum, which has received 41,866 views and 22 downloads.

3. Leverage Webinar Content

Does your company produce webinars? Here’s an opportunity similar to conference sessions. Write posts based on your webinar content, with pre- and post-event content following the same guidelines suggested for conference presenters. This helps gets more mileage from the event and more thought leadership for you. For pre-event content, webinar registration is a desirable call-to-action. Post-event, have readers register for an on-demand view of the webinar.

4. Make the Most out of PowerPoint Presentations

If your sales, product and executive teams make presentations in internal meetings, customer meetings, or analyst briefings, you’ve got another source of blog ideas and reusable content. Turn presentations into thought leadership, but keep it neutral. Instead of focusing the content on your product or service, stray from egocentric marketing by creating a set of best practices or tip to follow to excel in your industry.

If the presentation has a strong talk track, cut and paste content from the script to save time building your blog. You might find some suitable images within these presentations as well. (Take a look at this guide to crowdsourcing content across your organization for more tips)

5. Learn from Your Customers

Does your company host customer councils or user conferences? Feedback from these events reveals what’s going on in customers’ minds and what they want to know more about. Ask your colleagues who run the councils for transcripts of the meetings. Or better yet, sit in on these meetings to receive real-time insight.

Did the council agenda and speakers generate any “aha” moments for attendees? Anything that catches people’s attention is a strong candidate for a blog post, because it could have the same impact on a broader audience.

Blogging and events have a mutually beneficial relationship. Each can strengthen and amplify the other. These days, that’s what marketing is all about – an integrated web of connections and content, all leading to useful information that helps readers and customers find answers they need.

To learn more ways to fill your editorial calendar with content, download Curata’s eBook, How to Feed the Content Beast (Without Getting Eaten Alive).

To give you a better idea of what 2015 will look like, we compiled predictions from eight different posts on the topic (and added a few predictions of our own!). We’ve also mapped out these predictions by six major categories: measurement, technology, distribution, personalization, content supply chain and organizational structure.

Ring in the new year with the top predictions in the following infographic, then read on to see the best of the rest.

Measurement:

The smartest content marketers will understand that analysis leads to a better strategy and more successful content initiatives.

• “As social networks become more sophisticated and streamlined with data collection, targeting options for paid media will become more focused. Twenty-fifteen will yield greater demographic/psychographic inclusions into platform analytics reporting to help inform paid media targeting. This will result in more in-depth and actionable social media reports.”

-Kent Lewis, President, Anvil Media (iMedia Connection)

• “We live in a “show me the money!” kind of world. But you have to connect if you want to convert, and digital offers a big marketing opportunity. U.S. adults spend 43-plus hours per month on a mobile app or browser. However, our research shows that 39 percent of mobile ad impressions do not reach their intended audience. In 2015, digital will need to prove its worth. That’s only possible if marketers measure and optimize their campaigns holistically—looking at the reach of their ads, whether they resonate, and how they drive sales.”
  

-Jeremy Allen, EVP, Marketing Effectiveness, Nielsen (CMO.com)

• “In 2015, businesses must evolve how they plan and measure content. There are still too many marketers who are not understanding the value of content marketing. This is common when strategies, goals, and metrics are not clearly spelled out up front. Better planning will lead to better results.”

-Tommy Landry, Founder, Return on Now (Content Marketing Institute)

• “Digital analytics sophistication and (effective) usage increases: we know from research, talking to users and being an active part of the industry that marketers are increasing emphasis on measurement. Our team even launched a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) to provide a free and robust resource to educate marketers and help them succeed. An ever-expanding mix of devices and channels is creating even greater pressures for digital teams to quantify their efforts, but the technology is here and the market demand for talented analysts & data-savvy marketers has been in place long enough that 2015 is the year digital measurement finally comes of age. Smart brands have already formalized their efforts across organizations and efforts. If you’re not there it’s time to catch up.”

-Adam Singer, Analytics Advocate, Google (TopRank Online Marketing Blog)

• “As a result of more advanced skillsets and new technology, 2015 will be the year that content and social media marketers get serious about determining their impact on marketing and sales’ pipeline. New metrics will emerge to improve the management of content and better demonstrate its impact on the organization; for example, number of marketing leads or sales opportunities generated as a result of specific pieces of content; and number of marketing leads or sales opportunities influenced by individual writers.”

-Michael Gerard, CMO, Curata (Curata)

Marketing Technology:

Content marketing and marketing operations teams will join forces to use new technologies to better manage content marketing investments and demonstrate its impact/ROI.

• “In 2015, marketing analytics reporting tools will become just as common as Web site analytics tools. The end has come for making marketing decisions based on gut instincts; everything marketers do in the digital world can now be tracked, from the first click all the way to the deal close. CMOs who do not embrace and accept this concept will likely not be CMOs for very long.”

-Kurt Andersen, CMO, SAVO (CMO.com)

• “Marketing technology will allow marketers to create smarter, more targeted, and more effective content marketing campaigns in 2015. The most effective content marketers will make it their business to understand, not necessarily exactly how particular technologies work, but rather what can be achieved with certain technologies — i.e., the potential of marketing technology. They may not have a marketing technologist in place (yet), but they will structure their teams and agencies in such a way that they have access to tech skills.”

-Karen Webber, Marketing Director, Axxon Media (Content Marketing Institute)

• “Coding will become a necessity for digital marketers. As the modern marketer strives to understand how social, content, demand gen, PR, and SEO call all work successfully within a fully integrated marketing strategy, the next skill is to add coding to their resume/ LinkedIn profile. The ability to understand how front end web development and coding can affect, enhance, and optimize a content strategy will become a necessity for marketers instead of a nice to have.”

-Jason Miller, Senior Manager, Content Marketing & Marketing Solutions (TopRank Online Marketing Blog)

• “In 2015 we will see marketing systems start offering prediction models out of the box, which will help the marketer find the “needle in the haystack.” The marketer can then spend the time building and optimizing campaigns based on relevance, timing, and customer insight. 2015 will also be the year where we will see companies start to integrate technology for iBeacons and wearables to give the customers a better omnichannel experience and bring the online and offline worlds together, facilitated by the smartphone. This will be a revolution in retail.”

–Christian Agger, Ecommerce and Marketing Director, Saint-Gobain Distribution Denmark (CMO.com)

• “With the multitude of consumer data available to today’s marketers, one of the keys to success lies in being able to sort the need-to-know data from the nice-to-know data. To accomplish this, marketing and information technology leaders have to both agree on adopting a consumer-focused frame rather than a technology-driven one. Therefore, the one step marketers need to take in 2015 is to establish a fluid, cooperative, and dynamic relationship with the information group within their organizations. Without such synchrony, the wealth of available data will be underutilized, and we will not see the transformation that could be possible.”

-Dr. Kurt Carlson, Associate Professor of Marketing at the McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University (CMO.com)

• “Remarkable content and storytelling isn’t enough. Marketing technology, specifically marketing automation and analytics platforms, will play an increasingly important role in the planning, creation, and distribution of content. The technology enables marketers to be more sophisticated in targeting the right content, to the right audiences, at the right times. High-performing content marketers must become hybrids — part marketer, part technologist.”

-Paul Roetzer, CEO, PR20/20 (CMO.com)

• The one thing marketers need to concentrate on is the adoption of new technologies and their frictionless integration into the customer experience. NFC, RFID, and geolocation push services are going to drive intelligent marketing, and the data harvested from them will supercharge the decisions of the smartest CMOs.”

-Nihal Pekbeken, VP Marketing, Ticketmaster (CMO.com)

• “As digital marketing is extended through and more tightly integrated with technology, the walls between Marketing and IT are weakening. If marketers are truly to harness the power of our content management, customer relationship and measurement platforms, we must not only communicate but “co-operate” with IT. We must build a common vision, leverage one another’s skills, and be respectful of each other’s resource and time pressures. And it won’t be easy. In fact, it will be culturally disruptive for many companies – but absolutely crucial to the success of technology-enhanced digital marketing.”

-Denise Dilworth, Content Strategist, Fusion Alliance (Forbes.com)

Content Distribution:

Companies will dedicate more investment in 2015 to promotion, and spend more time optimizing for mobile.

• “Content creation has gotten a lot of attention lately, but content management and distribution will rule the day in 2015 (watch out, here comes the analogy…). You can have the nicest car (read: content) in the world, but if no one knows about it, you won’t be able to sell it.”

–Mike Myers, Consultant, Content Marketing, NationWide (Content Marketing Institute)

• “A year of digital transformation is a year where mobile is at the center of all marketing–not just digital marketing. As a marketer, if you’ve figured out how to reach people through their mobile devices–the ones that are always within arm’s reach and accessed constantly–then you have a fighting chance at getting your message across through a medium where people may be paying attention.”

-David Berkowitz, CMO, MRY (CMO.com)

• “2015 will be the year of “mobile-first.” Get it to work on mobile-first and let all other platforms follow. We’ll all be sick of hearing it by the end of the year.”

-John Fox, CMO, Venture Marketing (CMO.com)

• “I am seeing lots of advertisers & everyday folks switching from putting videos on YouTube to putting them on Facebook. I think in 2015, Facebook will be at risk of junking its news feeds with all this stuff and it may backfire and drive users to users to Google or other platforms.”

-Karyn Gavzer, Consultant, KG Marketing & Training, Inc. (Content Marketing Institute)

• “This may not sound like a revolutionary prediction, but the reality is most brands are still not to the point where mobile is woven into everything they do. It’s viewed as just another channel in which to deploy marketing tactics or even as a nice-to-have. 2015 is truly the Year of Mobile. Marketers need to view how mobile is invaluable in their personal lives and take that to their brands–both organizationally and in practice. With adoption rates as high as they are in all demographics, the pendulum has swung. If brands are not thinking and acting mobile first now, you fill in the blank.”

-Jen Gray, VP, Marketing & Creative, HelloWorld (CMO.com)

• “Like many others, I believe 2015 will be a breakthrough year for mobile marketing. The introduction of Apple Pay and other NFC payment solutions, combined with geolocation, geofencing, and beacon technologies finally make real-time, one-to-one marketing a reality. Marketers can now use the variables of time, proximity, and person to create compelling and relevant offers that will drive incremental sales. This new paradigm creates the need to assure apps deliver as much utility as possible and are as functional as possible. The mobile phone has truly become the 21st-century Swiss Army knife.”

-Eric Lent, Chief Marketing & Consumer Technology Officer, Herschend Family Entertainment (CMO.com)

• “Marketing teams will recognize the need to reinvent their organizations around customers who expect an amazing mobile experience. Mobile is no longer a “test” for marketing leaders who are making sizable investments in people, processes, and technology. I expect marketers to shift investments from what they know: desktop Web marketing, to the new world of mobile marketing, where acquisition, engagement, and conversion tactics address apps, mobile Web, and mobile messaging. In addition, more companies will prioritize the use of mobile analytics and optimization technologies to drive relevant, personalized, and location-aware experiences in their mobile apps.”

-Ray Pun, Strategic Marketing for Mobile Solutions, Adobe (CMO.com)

• “Digital transformation will be achieved when digital is embedded and optimized in everything that a marketing team does. In that sense, marketers will need to stop distinguishing between online vs. offline and instead create seamless customer experiences that embrace the true zigzag that is the customer journey. The customer no longer makes the distinction between their digital experiences and any other experiences–they are all simply part of the customer’s life. To that end, marketers will need to think multiplatform, multichannel, multidevice, and multitouchpoint. The bottom line will be the overall customer experience.”

-Tom Shapiro, CEO, StrataBeat (CMO.com)

• “Mobile analytics is going to become a much bigger factor in 2015. No one is doing a great job of tackling this right since the world is still transitioning to a more mobile world.”

-Eric Siu, CEO, Single Grain (Forbes.com)

• “The emphasis on helpful content with paid visibility will continue to grow. Content will always be a priority but getting visibility to it will not be as free because Google and other properties will continue their push to keep the visitors on their sites giving users direct answers such as contact info, stats, game scores, etc. Site owners will have to pay for visibility for their entire web presence which extends far beyond their website and social properties and includes how they look in the SERPs, review sites, etc.”

-Geoff Karcher, President, The Karcher Group, Inc. (Forbes.com)

• “We’ve already seen the massive ripple effects mobile has had on the digital marketing industry. I believe we’re going to see this accelerate in 2015 and beyond. We’re going to see further advancements in how Google indexes apps in search. And we’ll see it become harder and harder to track and measure important data across users and devices.”

-Dan Shure, Owner, Evolving SEO (Forbes.com)

• “2015 will be the year when B2B marketers will wake up to hyper-targeting. Only 10% of online visitors find what they are looking for when interacting with online content. Savvy digital marketers will be able to match traffic with business attributes, identify segments they want to grow and serve them with a very targeted message.”

-Christophe Primault, CEO, GetApp (Forbes.com)

• “The content creation engine has been fired up across most enterprise marketing teams; however, many companies continue to underestimate the resources needed to market their marketing. Enterprise marketers will begin to address this gap in 2015. Technology and service offerings to distribute and promote marketers’ content will quickly expand in response to this need.”

-Michael Gerard, CMO, Curata (Curata)

• “If you want your content to be great, get customers to participate! I think we’re going to see a lot more of what I like to call “participation marketing.” The value of co-creating content with the very audience you want to do business with is very powerful. Participation marketing is co-creating content with existing customers, partners and especially with prospective customers in the community, and I think we’ll see a lot more of that kind of crowdsourcing, which will affect content development and promotions.”

-Lee Odden, CEO, TopRank Marketing (Content Marketing Institute)

Personalization:

Content marketers will begin experimenting with personalization: Getting the right content to the right person at the right time, place and format.

• “2015 will be the year when person-to-person planets align. Leading B2C brands (Netflix, Amazon, Facebook) and some B2B brands have been priming the pump and raising customer expectations to engage with brands on a personalized level. In fact, personalization ranked as the No. 1 capability for marketing in the future, according to the 2014 “Digital Roadblock: Marketers Struggle to Reinvent Themselves” (PDF) study from Adobe. Importantly, the study also revealed that brands that were focused on delivering more personalized experiences to their customers outperformed competitors in sales and revenue.”

-Steven Cook, Founder, FortuneCMO.com (CMO.com)

• “In 2015, customers will become less satisfied with mass personalization. For years, companies in the financial services sector have been able to store, manage, and deliver data per individual, in real time. Going forward, marketing organizations need to do the same, connecting with customers in ways that are fluid, seamless, ongoing, meaningful, and personal. It all starts with a vision of what you want your customer’s experience to be. Then, you’ll need a comprehensive data strategy that will tear down silos, unravel snarled data streams, and implement integrated processes designed to put the customer at the center of all you do.”

-Lisa Arthur, CMO, Teradata Marketing Applications (CMO.com)

• “We will see a shift from discoverability-oriented content development and distribution (SEO driven) to context-aware content. It’s a shift from utility to utility-in-the-moment. Think about how you can create and distribute content triggered by weather, location, or news events. The bar will be raised on hyper-relevance.”

-Julie Fleischer Director, Data & Content & Media, Kraft Foods (Content Marketing Institute)

• “Excellence in curating customized experiences should be the goal for digital/multichannel transformation in 2015. Marketers should fully embrace the transition to true personalization based on finding consumers and providing, per individual preferences, customized and curated communications and experiences. To do this, marketers will have to shift from focusing on channels, data, and content to focusing on customers solely. This change in strategy will reverse today’s troubling decline in engagement and retention rates.”

-Ernan Roman, President, Ernan Roman Direct Marketing (CMO.com)

• “Your messaging will be lost in the future if you aren’t optimizing content across channels and keeping in mind the unique nuances of each community and platform, while remaining consistent. It’s not about focusing on SEO over social and vice versa, it’s about ensuring one piece of content your company produces lives on each of your marketing channels in the right format to better scale your efforts so your organization can make quicker actions that reap more results. This doesn’t mean it’s important to be active on every channel, but it is important to create a consistent experience where your audience is active and make smarter marketing moves to stay relevant with the resources and talent at your disposal.”

-Brian Honigman, Marketing Consultant, Honigman Media (Forbes.com)

• “2015 will be the year of HUMAN for digital marketers. Gone are the days of corporate-speak messaging and dull, boring campaigns. Instead, we’ll begin to see more marketers incorporate human-speak into their messaging – videos, pictures, humor, and human!”

-DJ Waldow, Digital Marketing Evangelist, Marketo (TopRank Online Marketing Blog)

• “Marketers will become obsessive about becoming relevant to their audiences and buckle down to do the work that informs the development of a digital strategy.”

-Ardath Albee, CEO, Marketing Interactions (TopRank Online Marketing Blog)

• In B2B in 2015, we will see:  More emotional content as we take on our B2C peers, budgets shifting from creation towards promotion, the return of email and outbound, the rise of interactive — more marketing apps, marketing ops will come of age & we will graduate from “data kindergarten”

-Doug Kessler, Creative Director, Velocity Partners (Content Marketing Institute)

• “Marketers have been advised to create and tailor different formats of content with customized copy for highly fragmented marketing channels from TV and print to various social media platforms in order to reach their target audience. It’s the right thing to do. Digital marketing will continue to morph and promotion channels will be further fragmented. The major change for 2015 is NOT about digital marketing. The major change will come from Marketers by Going Back to Basics: reevaluate the target audience, determine what works and what doesn’t. Re-prioritize and be smart about resource allocation and investment.”

–Pam Didner, Author, Global Content Marketing (TopRank Online Marketing Blog)

• “Brands that want to better understand their customers’ needs will finally accept that asking how they want to be communicated with is often better than guessing. . . .In 2015, preference management will takes its place as a key item on the marketing road map.”

-Luca Paderni and Shar VanBoskirk, Analysts, Forrester (Loyalty360.org)

• “2015 will be the year of cooperative content. Companies want to create more and more content, but how can they do so efficiently (and affordably)? Increasingly, the answer will be found in their customers and their employees. 2015 will bring decentralized content creation programs with participants across the company (not just marketing), as well as content initiatives that rely on user-generated content in expanded and highly strategic ways. The best source of content in most companies may be right under your nose: your employees and customers.”

-Jay Baer, Founder, Convince & Convert (Content Marketing Institute)

Content Supply Chain:

The most strategic content marketing practitioners will replicate the best practices established by media companies, such as:

• Fortifying the content supply chain,
• Prioritizing owned and earned media over paid media,
• Tapping into the journalist talent pool.

• “We will see a surge in print magazines from brands in 2015. As most brands continue to focus heavily on digital, the smart ones will realize that it is much easier to cut through the clutter by leveraging “the post” — where there isn’t much competition at all, comparatively speaking.”

-Joe Pulizzi, Founder, Content Marketing Institute (Content Marketing Institute)

• “Brands will recognize the role of editor as the missing link to true content marketing effectiveness. We’ve figured out how to create content and how to publish, but can’t move firmly into brand journalism until we adopt an editorial discipline.”

–Sarah Mitchell, Head of Content Strategy, Lush Digital Media (Content Marketing Institute)

• “I predict 2015 as the year of content-as-process. Brands will stop looking at content marketing as “campaigns” and instead will look to create smart processes.”

-Robert Rose, Chief Strategy Officer, Content Marketing Institute (Content Marketing Institute)

• “We will begin to see well-known B2B publishers and editors at media companies getting recruited by and joining large B2B brands, with technology companies leading the charge.”

-Joe Pulizzi, Founder, Content Marketing Institute (Content Marketing Institute)

• “2015 will continue a trend that has caught steam this year, which is mixing paid media with owned media to accelerate content distribution. The best “native” advertising helps build an audience into a a long-term business asset, and that’s a goal worth spending on in conjunction with owned content creation.”

–Brian Clark, CEO, CopyBlogger, (TopRank Online Marketing Blog)

• “Medium-sized and large businesses will begin to purchase niche media companies because they thirst for creating real relationships with their target audiences.”

-Joe Pulizzi, Founder, Content Marketing Institute (Content Marketing Institute)

• “We’re taking the notion of “”brands are publishers”” and pushing the boundaries of that further. How that plays out: We’ll focus on enormous empathy and customer experience (and not just more blog posts). (That doesn’t mean blog posts aren’t important, for the right company and the right customer. But it means we consider if that’s the best approach, rather than making a post the default.)”

-Ann Handley, Founder, MarketingProfs (TopRank Online Marketing Blog)

Organizational Structure:

Marketers must break down silos between teams and departments to create a truly digital marketing presence.

• “To impact true digital transformation, we must stop thinking about digital in the context of nontraditional versus traditional advertising. The marketing landscape, as well as media consumption, has evolved to the point where the only people left who silo digital and TV are actually CMOs. Silos are created through the annual budget process, as well as legacy organizational structures. It’s not about, “What percentage of your budget is digital?” Rather, it’s about how are CMOs telling and communicating brand stories, and, based on your consumer journey, how you are engaging those consumers in a meaningful way?”

-Sean Blankenship, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Coldwell Banker Real Estate (CMO.com)

• “Borrowing from the idea of getting the best players with the right skills on the baseball diamond, marketing leaders should make an effort to understand and bring the best digital skills to the table-regardless of their organization or affiliation. For example, the IT organization likely has experts in evaluating vendor offerings, creating data designs utilizing multiple sources, and integrating heterogeneous software. Understand and bring these and other aces to the table early in the process to help you make the best decisions and achieve your digital transformation goals. Cross-functional teams will lead to more wins in the market.”

-Chris Curran, Chief Technologist, PwC (CMO.com)

• “In a word: agility. Marketers have to change the way their organizations get work done to match the pace of our always-on, digital market. While facing a nearly constant state of disruption, CMOs are expected to deliver more growth and to act faster than ever. As a result, they’re seeking ways to improve how they go to market and move toward enhanced collaboration, shorter planning cycles, and a more data-driven, iterative approach. I believe transformational approaches like Agile for Marketing will help marketers respond to the market more quickly, champion the customer, collaborate across functions, and achieve better results.”

-Barre Hardy, Senior Director, CMG Partners, (CMO.com)

• “In order for 2015 to be the year of true digital transformation, marketers will have to give up their current silo-based functional approach to “going digital” and help build a new cross-enterprise governance model to enable digital to cross the chasm and become the accepted new business model in their companies.”

–Peter D. Moore, President, Wild Oak Enterprises (CMO.com)

• “Rather than trying to publish as much content as soon as possible, we’ll move towards content marketing that’s both sustainable and reliable. We’ll build up content suppliers (both internal and external), and work more closely with other teams to act as content distributors (such as ad or social media teams).”

-Pawan Deshpande, CEO, Curata (Content Marketing Institute)

• “Phil Kotler had said that “marketing takes a day to learn and a lifetime to master.” Unfortunately, even if the individuals in your teams do become masters in (digital) marketing, your marketing organization will fail if you’re unable to get them to work together. High-impact digital marketing requires the strategic and tactical alignment of content creation, asset production, search engine optimization, promotion, and analytics all connected along a common backbone of technology. For true digital transformation to take place in 2015, marketers will need to put the right organizational structure and processes in place to break down the silos between their different teams.”

-Michael Gerard, CMO, Curata (Curata)

Do you agree with with these predictions? Did we miss one of your favorites. Let us know in the comments below!

To continue planning your 2015 content marketing strategy, consider using the metrics provided in our free eBook, The Comprehensive Guide to Content Marketing Analytics & Metrics.

If you weren’t able to attend the event or don’t live in the Boston area, we have shared the presentations below.

• The Art & Science of Content Marketing by Jamie Whalen

First of all, the definition of a tchotchke, according to Wikipedia, is as follows:

tchotchke [choch’-key] noun
“A small bauble or miscellaneous item. The word may also refer to free promotional items dispensed at trade shows, conventions, and similar large events. They can also be sold as cheap souvenirs in tourist areas, which are sometimes called tchotchke shops.” (A.K.A. swag)

Tchotchkes range from the simplest and cheapest of gifts to high-end giveaways that will even entice the nearby concession stand worker to sit through one of your demos.  Everyone wants to stand out from the crowd at events, and having the best tchotchke can make a huge difference.  It’s even better if you can select a tchotchke that helps to support your brand.

In the spirit of content marketing, I’ve put together the following infographic with 7 attributes and 8 categories of tchotchkes. Use this as a guide the next time you’re brainstorming what items to give away at a conference.

For additional assistance planning your next conference, be sure to check out our ultimate list of marketing conferences.