Vice President of Marketing and CRM at The Second City, Marilyn is an authority on the hilarity of content marketing. Whether she’s marketing the “funny” or doing “funny marketing,” she puts the customer at the center of the experience so it’s truly exceptional. And that’s what content marketing is all about, right?
Who’s better qualified to treat us to a keynote at CMC18? Read Marilyn’s Speaker Q&A as a preview to what’s sure to be an inspiring presentation:
Q: What excites you most about presenting at CMC18?
A: I’m psyched to present alongside people I’ve admired for so many years. And CMC18 has a Comedy Marketing Club, which is wicked awesome and makes me feel right at home.
Q: Why is NOW the time to master content marketing?
A: Unfortunately we now live in a time of tremendous skepticism. People are not confident that the information provided to them is accurate, correct, and legitimate. Companies must work so much harder to establish trust with their customers. Content marketing is one path to establishing that trust. But this can only happen by truly understanding the customer and what they value.
Q: What does it take to connect with customers today—and how can great content do that?
A: Conversation and authenticity. I love technology and I love automation, but you can’t use those tools as a substitute for conversation. The most impactful content marketing programs I’ve been a part of have resulted from direct outreach and conversation. I don’t believe the content led to the great conversations and customer relationships—the relationships led to the great content.
Q: If there was just one thing you could convince all content marketers to do, what would that be?
A: Relax and have fun. The field of marketing is stuck in an echo chamber. Don’t feel you need to replicate what others are doing. I’m presenting on what works for our brand, our customers, and our industry. What I’ve done at other companies would never work at The Second City. What we do at The Second City doesn’t necessarily transcend to other industries. But the approach to identify what works—now that is something to explore.
Get a few more of your questions about Marilyn answered by tuning into her keynote on May 3 from 4:45pm – 5:30pm.