Canto takes on Content Marketing World 2019

I’ve been home 5 days, and I have to say, I’m still thinking about it. Content Marketing World was incredible. Its appeal stemmed in equal parts from the content it produced and the people it attracted. How do we combine the talent and the content we have to create something that leaves an impression? Content Marketing World sought to answer that question.

The event brought together a strong collection of seasoned digital marketers. The floor and sessions were constantly abuzz with intelligent people eager to learn. Topics ranged from how to build the bones of a successful content strategy all the way out to how to best leverage artificial intelligence in order to enhance your campaigns.

Personally, I found myself enchanted by the conversations around artificial intelligence. It’s an interesting scenario we find ourselves in with AI: how do we best leverage a power previously unseen in a way that brings tangible benefit? In his session, Chris Penn, the co-founder of Trust Insights, marvelously quantified what seems like a very qualitative question. He showed ways to draw insights, but perhaps most importantly, ways to implement the teachings into your process immediately. All of a sudden, something as cutting-edge as AI felt entirely familiar.

CMW’s vendors were well-chosen. Each sponsor was specifically equipped to aid in finding ideal answers to some of content marketing’s central questions. How do we best optimize and distribute our content? How do we achieve higher conversion rates? How do I find my brand’s voice?

There are whole hosts of different suites of technologies one could use along the path of finding those answers. There is no “perfect” tech-stack, just various permutations that may work better or worse.

Choosing your ideal content marketing suite is a bit like being an anesthesiologist: how do I find the perfect mixture of solutions to produce the desired effect? Between DAMs, webinar insights, social-posting platforms, video production platforms and more, there are innumerable solutions. From the educational sessions to the consultative vendors, CMW did a phenomenal job helping the attendees get closer to uncovering the proverbial “pot of gold.”

The fusing of the minds between vendor and end-user didn’t end at the sessions. The Content Institute knows how to have a good time! The first night’s event was a cocktail party at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The next one was hosted at an arcade bar with a mini-golf area, a rooftop and your choice of ‘Content Cocktails.’ Each of these events was well-curated, and the camaraderie was tangible. I had the opportunity to hang out with bright minds from across the digital ecosystem, vice presidents from enterprise content management software companies to content creators from fledgling agencies alike. There wasn’t a soul in that room that didn’t know how to have a good time. More powerful still, there wasn’t a soul in that room who wasn’t intelligent with an appetite for learning still more, and therein lies the key to breeding better and better ideas.

Content Marketing World was a blast. There’s not a doubt in my mind that Canto will be back, and I with it.