If I mention "content marketing", you automatically will think of the Content Marketing Institute... And in the next second, in Joe Pulizzi, its founder. If we google Joe, over 140,000 listings pop up . Among the most inspiring and educational phrases we especially like this one:
"Stop Writing about Everything. So many brands create content and try to cover everything, instead of focusing on the core niche that they can position themselves as an expert around. No one cares about your special recipe... Find your niche, and then go even more niche."
The Content Marketing Institute is a reference point for content marketers all over the world who are trying to learn more and apply more. What makes a content marketing strategy effective is the question for them, and the CMI provides the key.
Joe participated along with Jay Baer, Jason Falls and others at The 2014 Digital Communication Map that we presented during the recet World Public Relations Form in Madrid. Today his full interview is being posted.
How has the work of communication practitioners evolved over the past 5 years?
The consumer is in complete control today. That means that communication professionals are making the shift from talking about themselves to talking about things customers care about. This is a BIG shift to make, and since most brands are not very good at talking about their customers' pain points, this is going to be a long process.
Some years ago we were talking about PR. Now is content what enables us to generate corporate communication? 
Well, it's all content. This difference is that instead of much of the PR focus being about getting the media to talk about us, we are creating our own (owned) platforms, building audiences over time, and monetizing those audiences in some way (so they buy more, save on costs, or stay longer as customers). The focus of the content has shifted.
Concerning Influence Marketing, What do new online influencers (bloggers, twitter users…) tend to expect from companies?
Influencers expect nothing from brands. Why should they? But, if brands are smart, they will form alliances with all kinds of organizations, especially those web sites where their customers are hanging out on a regular basis. In order to build those relationships, we need to give a lot to the influencer first. Just like we do for our customers (readers), we need to find out what the pain points are for the influencers, solve them, so that they will want to work with us.
And what is an Influencer able to offer to a company? (What is their intrinsic value)
Audience (plain and simple).
Are Press Releases really dying? What should a press release have to actually deliver value to an influencer?
I don't think a press release has any value to an influencer. I believe press releases are dying because marketers haven't evolved the format. Brands should be telling interesting stories via the releases instead of the same old product pitch.
If you really want to learn more, here's a very exciting video about Content Marketing 😉
Joe Pulizzi considers himself the poster boy for content marketing. Founder of the Content Marketing Institute, Joe evangelizes content marketing around the world through keynotes, articles, tweets and his books, Managing Content Marketing and Get Content Get Customers. Joe's latest book is Epic Content Marketing (McGraw-Hill). If you want to get on his good side, send him something orange.
For more on Joe, check out his personal site or follow him on Twitter @JoePulizzi.
By Gina GulbertiVICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING
Gina is passionate about storytelling, creativity, and digital strategies. As Vice President of Marketing, she leads a rockstars team from the sunny city of Madrid! Being a crazy savvy marketer, in 2020 Gina co-founded the global community of b2bmarketers.com and currently combines all this activity, teaching Inbound Marketing in different business schools.
