Content Catchup: LOL Is Dead, CMOs' Content Problem, and More Must-Reads

Here’s what you missed while wondering what Donald Trump’s hair is really made of…

‘LOL’ Is Dead: The Marketer’s Guide to Online Laughter, in 7 Charts

This week, Facebook released a fascinating report on online laughter, and if you’re a marketer, it’s a must-read:

This snapshot of our digital habits when it comes to humor is very interesting from both a sociological and a marketing perspective. After all, laughter is a ubiquitous part of online communication, and now, brands are constantly tweeting and snapping and commenting with consumers. Like the 15-year-old version of me, they’re desperate to get it right—and terrified of getting it wrong.

Read it.

CMOs Are Unhappy With Their Content. Here Are 3 Things They Can Do About It

Just because content marketing is on the rise doesn’t mean everything is going well, writes Tessa Wegert. Simply put, top execs aren’t satisfied:

A recent survey conducted by the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council and NetLine Corporation found that only 12 percent of marketers feel their organization’s content keeps specific audiences, industries, and targets top of mind—a critical practice for connecting with readers and generating qualified leads. Among the more than 200 senior marketing leaders polled, 90 percent said they have a content strategy, yet a mere 2 percent consider their existing approach to demand generation highly effective.

The report isn’t all doom and gloom, but it’s clear that many marketing executives aren’t confident in their team’s ability to produce content that translates into business results. So what can CMOs do to reverse course and get back on track? These three strategies will help.

Read it.

5 Content Marketing Problems That Keep Me Up at Night

Piggybacking on the CMO report, I dug deeper into the problems facing the content marketing as a whole—identifying five that threaten to ruin the party before it’s really started:

Despite the good vibes, it’s easy to see the industry continuing to fall back on uglier alternatives—like the nearly $15 billion that’ll be spent on programmatic display advertising this year.

A world where intrusive advertising rules is one where no one wins—especially not consumers and content creators. And there are five main issues that keep me up at night, worrying that we’ll slink back into a dark age.