Cory Schaefer

Planning your channel strategy for an upcoming medical conference? Check out this article from Amanda Changuris breaking down volume of conversation on X. ⬇️

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My friend and fearless content marketing expert, Jenny Magic, is working on a survey about change fatigue and corporate project management. It takes just a few minutes. She's hoping for 500 responses and is about halfway there. 👏 I just took the survey and it's worth every bit of the 3 minutes. ⏱️ So many points I can relate to, and I'm sure you will, too! Employee burnout is real, and Jenny needs your insight to convince leaders to invest in change management support on EVERY project. 💯 It's a lot of work to gather this data. Every response counts — help Jenny today! https://lnkd.in/gVyyB5-c

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We recently updated stratmessage.com with a new message: Getting it right takes an expert, not a bot. There are still a few agencies out there that entrust strategy and writing to actual expert strategists and writers. More and more frequently, though, ad copy is generated by entering a prompt into some or other AI engine (often at the direction of an overworked brand manager.) And, with that, you usually get a compendium of what other people (or bots) have already written, with no attention paid to your unique challenges and opportunities. You might get lucky, and be delivered a quick hit of clever/catchy… but it’s almost certainly going to come at the expense of what truly motivates your audience. We believe that effective messaging is not a string of words culled from the department of Been There, Done That. It’s using words (and other communication cues) in ways that are truly relevant and—hold onto your hat—possibly even completely fresh. You don’t get there with tips, tricks or even hacks. And you DEFINITELY don’t get there with the philosophy that “nobody’s going to read it anyway.” Talk about your self-fulfilling prophesies. It takes a specialist with a track record of helping clients connect their brand truths with customer’s true needs. If you’re looking for things like improved brand health metrics, greater customer awareness, action and advocacy, an increase in earned media (and, for agencies, greater success in new business) … We’re here to help. Let’s talk.

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This is why consistency matters. If your teams are making their own off-brand decisions in the name of “creativity,” 9.9/10 times they need more consistency and stronger guidelines inside which to create. It feels counterintuitive, but we see it time and time again. Establish a strategy that’s different from the other guys, matters to your target (not everyone, just the right ones) and true to your business strengths. Then stick with it. Getting tired of it? Stick with it. That’s when it’s starting to work.

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Glen Taylor shares insights into his acquisition of the Star Tribune and how he guided it through a challenging era. Learn how his strategic thinking boosted digital subscriptions while honoring the print legacy. Check out the full episode! 🎥

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When I started out in marketing I was really sensitive. Really thin-skinned. I was wounded by feedback (especially late feedback) that was anything less than a pat on the head for being great. I was incapable of hearing criticism of any work I had done as anything but a damning of my character. I realize I don't come out very well in this story. That's ok. This isn't really about feedback. It's about learning to collaborate. Because somewhere - I honestly don't know where or when - I learned to listen (a bit). I don't think I'm perfect at it (who is?) but I stopped bristling at an alternative approach and started to rule it in. Is that idea valid? Is it better than my original idea? I've heard some things about how some really successful companies operate on a 'best idea wins' approach. In other words, it's not hierarchical, anyone with a good suggestion can put it forward. Sometimes the people that cause the most friction are the ones that get the most done because they spark us all into action. If you want to dive into better collaboration without the huge emotional journey I highly rate Neil Stoneman's post tagged below. Also tagging Hilton Barbour as someone who (dare I say relentlessly?) challenged me back in the day and made me stand on my own feet to better defend my views but also accept an outside view. #b2bmarketing #b2bstrategy

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While most crime numbers have significantly declined in most major U.S. cities, including Chicago, the perception is quite different: A lot of people still feel unsafe and quite often don't trust the published reports. Reviewing last year's Gallup research, respondents voiced more pessimism about local and national crime than at any point in the survey’s roughly 20-year history. Here are just two key data points that are essential for this conversation from multiple crime statistics: - Murder dropped 11.6% from 2022 to 2023 across the U.S. , the largest declined in the last 20 years with overall violent crime down around 3% across these two years. - The monthly U.S. homicide rate from around 10,000 in January of 2022 has declined to below 8,000 today, on trend to reach even lower numbers more comparable to 2018 than the high COVID years. But still, over 80% of U.S. residents believe that the monthly homicide rate is higher than a year ago. - In Chicago, we have experienced a +20% decrease in homicide numbers since 2021. In today's Crain's Chicago Business in a must read article, Steve Hendershot is trying to explain the vast difference between the reality and perception of crime in our country. He is arguing for a few reasons for this large gap: - A few high-profile crimes across the country and many regions contradict the crime data’s optimistic narrative. - Public transit crime occupies a high perceptional influence that makes people, especially users of public transit, feel unsafe. - The increased usage of crime alert social media platforms and apps increase the perception of widespread lawlessness. The constant reminder of crime incidents undermine any feeling of personal safety. - An increasing political dimension drives perceptions of urban crime as a recent Gallup poll highlights. Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents were more than three times as likely as their Republican and Republican-leaning counterparts to consider Chicago a safe place to live or visit. - Overall, people feel that their environment feels more chaotic and out of control than Pre-Covid. Random acts of violence undermine any feeling of improved safety. Overall, our crime numbers are still unacceptable high, especially in historically underinvested neighborhoods. But there is progress in many U.S. cities, including in Chicago. Steve Hendershot's article shows that we have to both continue to drive substantial improvement in crime numbers but also push for a broader crime data awareness and education to close the gap between reality and perception.

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✅Marketing Tip -- Want Better Response Rates? Here’s When to Send Your Emails I often get asked from clients, colleagues, and prospects about the best time to send communications, whether internal or external. Here’s what I’ve found based on experience and data from credible sources like HubSpot: 🚫 Monday Morning: Avoid it! People are catching up and getting organized 🚫 Friday Afternoon: Another avoid! Most are wrapping up or mentally checking out ⚠️Monday Afternoon: I don't love it, but maybe. Some people start settling in, but it’s still not optimal. ⚠️ Friday Morning: Another maybe. There's focus in the early hours, but attention starts to fade as the day goes on. ✅ Optimal: Tuesday Morning (9 AM - 12 PM) – Data confirms this as the best window for open rates, with people actively engaged and ready to tackle their to-do lists.📅 Want more details? Check out the insights from HubSpot: https://lnkd.in/eCHMvRHM Why does this matter? Timing is crucial to success—hitting the right moment can dramatically increase its chances of being noticed and acted upon. This could mean securing an SQL, closing a sale, or driving a key action. #EmailTips #MarketingStrategy #EmailTiming #BestPractices

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Social media isn't a bulletin board. Your audience doesn't care about what your org is doing or what your issue experts generally want to have happen in a vacuum. Your audience wants to know why you're doing what you're doing and why it matters to them as it relates to the current political or mainstream moment. (bonus if you can make it entertaining) This is what makes social media strategy so hard for some to understand. Social is about creating content your audience wants to see and packaging it in a way your audience can digest or relate to it. It's not about creating content you want your audience to see. (Tiktokers are such experts at this). Once you can crack this code, it feels incredible and you'll realize your content doesn't even need to be that good to get a lot of engagement. Queue this clumsily put together video where Tim Walz talks about class struggle while waxing poetically about fixing the cruise control on his ol' Chevy. Does this video bring in Project 2025 is the most inelegant way? Yes. Did I still watch it all the way through? Yes. (Sidenote: Getting engagement is very different than having impact. We'll see if the working class people Tim's video is supposed to target actually are targeted or if the video just gets shared around by digital nerds like me.)

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Being the "best" isn't enough anymore. Grant Cardone says you need to be the "best known". But how do you do that in an authentic, compelling way? Find out in my latest blog post! #storytelling #business #marketing

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After a brief summer reprieve, I'm digging back into the content game. Seeing so much lately about the importance of investing in the brand, making it authentic, direct response (or programmatic or performance marketing - pick your term) vs brand marketing. It seems the general thought leadership out there is we swung too far to performance marketing, moved too far away from brand marketing (one author even articulated performance marketing as "renting customers from Meta and Google") and companies are starting to see the impact. I absolutely could not agree more. As a marketing leader I have been guilty of this myself, but when I really dig into why, the answer is simple: The uphill battle for a marketing leader to convince CEOs who don't understand marketing (and there are plenty of them) and CFOs who are focused on ROI and quarterly goals, that brand marketing is a valuable investment, oh but you won't see the return in quarter or even possibly within year, is steep. And that's putting it mildly. Find me a CEO who understands the importance, wants to make the investment, is willing to use performance indicators as a gauge of its success rather than revenue, and has the patience to wait it out - that is a CEO I want to work with. #brandmarketing #performancemarketing

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Many #GTM teams are starting to focus on the cost of inaction (COI) -- something that Jen Allen-Knuth (Founder of DemandJen) talks a lot about. For example, Kantata's new report "Agency Transformation: The Cost of Inaction" focuses on key areas vulnerable to market changes including operations, client relations, talent management, and innovation. You can read the report at: https://lnkd.in/ehdbYAJD However, the COI stories they're telling are still industry and persona stories vs. the specific cost of inaction story for named accounts. This is something that we're starting to work on at Personal ABM: An Account-Based GTM Firm in partnership with ROI Selling. We are creating a cost-of-inaction calculator and putting together content solutions that will help sales and marketing teams tell a better cost-of-inaction story. If you're interested in learning more, put "COI" in the comments and I'll DM you with more info.

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Are you burned out because you're attached to your work rather than invested in it? Burnout is a reality for many professionals, with 75% of workers reporting they’ve experienced it. Employees who feel attached—driven by fear of failure or loss—are far more likely to struggle with stress, exhaustion, and disengagement. In contrast, those who are invested—motivated by growth and purpose—maintain a healthier work-life balance and thrive professionally. So, how do you know if you’re attached or invested in your work? And how can you make the shift from burnout to sustainable growth? Check out my latest blog for a deeper dive into this critical distinction and actionable steps to realign your mindset for success. #leadership #careergrowth #burnout #worklifebalance #mentalhealth

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Comms Framework is a strategist’s secret weapon. The key to integrated campaigns. It’s one of the top 5 frameworks I use most often! HOWEVER we often don’t get to see this framework in action. Here are some great examples of comms frameworks. Thanks to Matthew O. for helping source these examples! 👉Next week, I’ll be sharing examples, including the 5 frameworks I use for the 15 years I’ve been in strategy. Sign up link here: https://lnkd.in/gZgjv_gQ #advertising #brand #strategy #brandstrategy

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Now that curation has earned its way into more and more programmatic circles, it's only fitting that Pesach Lattin has dived into the question "are all data curation solutions interchangeable?" Spoiler alert - they aren't, which makes this article a must read both those who are already capitalizing on curation and those just getting started. Drew Stein Audigent Ted Smith Greg Williams Jake Abraham Gina Cavallo Chris Meredith #data #curation #programmatic #programmaticdata

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What Do Guinness and a Database Have In Common? They were both on my napkin at an Irish pub. After doing TV, radio, print, outdoor, etc. for a decade,  I started getting interested in database marketing and  data-driven direct response in the early 1990s. At the time, direct marketing was the  “unshiny" toy nobody wanted to play with but I’m kind of a weird dude🤷‍♂️ I read a few books and found a database marketing consultant. We had our first meeting at an Irish pub  and he drew a database schema on the napkin. So I hired him. What’s better than Guinness and data? That began my journey into database marketing, email marketing, CRM, marketing automation... I love creating 1-to-1 relationships with prospects and customers. To have a dialogue. Not a monologue. I believe a meaningful dialogue with prospects and customers. Is a marketing fundamental. That shouldn’t go away. How, when, and where they happen depends on Your target audience. Their needs. Your product or service. And where your prospect is in the buying process. What do you think?

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Be sure to join me on Friday, Sept 13, for a free session with my friends at MarketingProfs: "Leveraging Data & Insights for Marketing Planning." We'll talk about the numbers that you should prepare BEFORE your annual planning, to make the most of your insights and make 2025 your best year yet. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gWeEvZhn #datadrivenpersonalization #datastrategy #marketingdatastrategy #marketingstrategy #marketingplanning

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Second installment of a multipart examination of the potential and the pitfalls of ChatGPT and other generative AIs for business writing.

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