Content Marketing World Is Back Talking About ROI, Experiences, And Purpose. Read The Exclusive Interview!


For all content marketers out there feeling the need for networking, look no further. Content Marketing World 2022, one of the biggest Marketing events in the world, is here to provide you with many interactions, connections, and experiences. 

This year, the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) is bringing a different hybrid format. The in-person event will take place in Cleveland (OH) from September 13-16, but those who couldn’t attend in-person will have access to recordings of all the main conference sessions as well as live elements the week after, from September 21-22.

There will be more than 100 sessions, workshops, and industry forums presented by the leading marketers and experts from around the world from companies like Google, Salesforce, Twilio, and Lever.co, among many others. 

They are expecting to have more than 2,000 attendees this year; combine that with more than 120 hours of content, and you can see how many opportunities to connect to other marketers and how much insightful knowledge you can get at CMWorld 2022.

According to Stephanie Stahl, General Manager at CMI, they “have added several new track topics this year, including Purposeful Marketing, content planning/operations, Content Experiences, content ROI and masters of Content Marketing (which will feature presentations from past Content Marketing Award winners).” A lot of interesting content to experience, grow and be inspired by.

We interviewed Stephanie to get to know the main highlights for CMWorld 2022, discuss the impacts of the pandemic on the event business and what trends we need to keep an eye on from now on – and to be cautious – if we want to be successful content marketers.

Stephanie Stahl and Robert Rose at CMW 2019. Credit: CMI

About technologies like metaverse and NFTs, for example, she gave some advice: “It’s worthwhile to learn about emerging technologies whether or not they are pertinent to your current strategy. But as one of our CMWorld speakers advised, ‘don’t get distracted by it.’”

Check the full interview below!

Ah, and Rock Content is offering a $100 discount code for anyone interested in attending the live event! You just need to click on this link to register and use the promo code “ROCK100”. And if you want to visit us there, we will be at the booth #715. See you there!

Which new initiatives/topics should participants expect from CMW 2022? Could you highlight the most important elements you and the team will bring to this “post-pandemic” edition?

We have planned an agenda that will have our audience learning, laughing, and connecting.

We will still be taking Covid precautions this year with the requirement for all attendees to show proof of vaccination or a negative test. Masks will be recommended, and we’ll have a variety of seating options so that everyone can feel comfortable while learning.

We will have 13 concurrent tracks in our Main Conference this year, covering the most important topics and strategies. For deeper learning, we’ll have a variety of Workshops, and we’ll offer vertical industry Forums focused on Financial Services, Healthcare, Technology and more.

And, of course, we’ll be bringing many inspirational and entertaining keynotes to the big stage! Keynote speakers include Amanda Todorovich, Director of Content Marketing at the Cleveland Clinic; Jessica Bergmann, VP of Content Marketing at Salesforce; Kim Olson, CCO at Land O’ Lakes; Mark Harrison, Founder of T1, and more. Our closing keynote will be comedian/actor/writer, Hasan Minhaj. 

CMW 2022 will enjoy more than 150 speakers, sharing knowledge in many different fields related to Marketing and Content Marketing. Is it possible to highlight the most important trends that marketers need to keep an eye for today to be updated in the market?

We base our agenda decisions on the results of our industry research, feedback from our community, and trendspotting by our editorial team.

We have added several new track topics this year, including Purposeful Marketing, content planning/operations, Content Experiences, content ROI and masters of Content Marketing (which will feature presentations from past Content Marketing Award winners). These are in addition to popular topics such as visual storytelling, content strategy, and demand generation. 

How do you see the return of in-person events? Last year CMW was a hybrid event, but in 2022 we start to see a worldwide return to “normal” pre-pandemic life. Do you think marketers will go back to in-person events? Are the face-to-face and the online versions of CMW going to merge?

There is definitely pent-up demand for marketers to return to in-person events. Nothing can take the place of such interactions, connections, and experiences!

But we know that travel for many marketers is still not possible – either due to Covid fears, budgetary issues, or scheduling conflicts – so we are committed to providing a virtual experience for them.

This year, instead of running concurrent in-person and virtual events, we’ll run the virtual experience the week after the in-person event. It will include recordings of all the main conference sessions as well as live elements. Our goal is to create great content experiences for in-person and virtual attendees. 

We are in the middle of a discussion about the end of the third-party data. Also, we saw a relevant growth of Digital Marketing during the pandemic. How do you see the growth of Content Marketing during this period of time? How is Content Marketing evolving?

When we analyzed our annual Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends survey data last year, it was crystal clear that companies woke up to the power of Content Marketing during the pandemic.

That led to increased budgets for 2021 and 2022, with expected investments in video, events (digital, in-person, hybrid), owned-media assets, and paid media.

While building, engaging, and retaining your own audience is the best strategy, it’s important to remember that content is at the core of great experiences – whether it is pure Content Marketing, content for Marketing, content for sales enablement, content for customer service, content for internal communications, etc. 

Content Marketing World 2019. Credit: CMI

At SXSW we saw the predominance of Web 3.0, metaverse and NFTs. In events like the Coachella Festival, we also saw virtual objects and other technologies. Meta company is investing a lot in the metaverse. But some experts, like the former Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, are skeptical about the popularity of these technologies in the near future. Thinking about Content (and Digital) Marketing, do you think these topics are hype or real opportunities for brands?

For many marketers it feels like the next shiny new object that is over-hyped. For others, it is something worth seriously considering.

I personally think it is worthwhile to learn about emerging technologies whether or not they are pertinent to your current strategy. But as one of our CMWorld speakers advised, “don’t get distracted by it.”

I’d suggest reading this article to see what many of our speakers had to say. The fact is, no one wants to get left behind on an important trend, but no one wants to waste precious time either.

We are in the experimentation phase for these technologies and those who have the budgets to really dig in will provide valuable lessons for others.

We’ll have a few sessions at CMWorld that focus on emerging technologies, including: Ahead of the Trends: Tapping Emerging Forms of Content to Freshen Your Content Mix and Captivate Your Customers featuring speakers from Google, Salesforce, Twilio, and Lever.co; and  Piloting AI for Content Marketers: How to Get Started with Artificial Intelligence; and Futurist Mindset: How Brands and Creators Must Re-Imagine the Community Experience With NFTs.

What about improving your networking and learning a lot about the Content Marketing landscape? Rock Content is offering a $100 discount code for anyone interested in attending the live Content Marketing World! You just need to click on this link to register and use the promo code “ROCK100”. And if you want to visit us there, we will be at the booth #715. See you there!



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