Cornell Content Marketing

11/07/2025

I had a great conversation with Candy Messer () on the Biz Help for You podcast!

We talked about something that I think every business owner wrestling with their marketing strategy needs to hear:

Stop trying to chase people.
Start being there when they come looking.

Today's buyers don't want to be hunted. They want to discover solutions on their own terms, do their research, and make informed decisions without pressure.

Your job isn't to interrupt their day with aggressive tactics. It's to be the helpful resource they find when they're actively seeking answers.

Thanks for having me on, Candy. If you're tired of marketing that feels pushy or manipulative, give this episode a listen! 👉 https://bizhelpforyou.buzzsprout.com/1522381/episodes/17761021-how-to-use-psychology-driven-marketing-to-attract-pre-sold-buyers-without-ads-with-rai-cornell

Are you tired of pushy marketing that feels fake and manipulative? In this episode, Rai Cornell reveals how psychology-driven marketing builds trust, attracts 90% pre-sold buyers, and creates long-term demand, without relying on ads.  ...

11/05/2025

Here at Cornell Content Marketing, we’re beyond competitive when it comes to using precise and vivid language. We want our headlines to spark interest, our content to outperform, and our words to leave a lasting impression.

Nerd Word feeds our competitive spirit by expanding our language arsenal with commonly confused words like ELUDE, which means to evade or slip away, and ALLUDE, which means to hint at.

While getting the Wordle on your first or second try isn’t guaranteed, we can attest that you’ll see your vocabulary blossom with creative and scintillating language. And what’s more, you’ll feel confident using it!

Try it out for yourself! 👇

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nerd-word/id1641406770

11/03/2025

I'm so tired of watching sales and marketing teams point fingers at each other.

Marketing says: "Sales isn't following up on our leads!"

Sales says: "Marketing's leads are garbage!"

Meanwhile, revenue is tanking and everyone's frustrated.

Here's the brutal truth:
Finger-pointing gets you NOWHERE, except making you look like an incompetent jackass.

Instead, stop the blame game and switch into solution mode.

Sales reps are natural experimenters. They're constantly testing language, trying new approaches, and learning what resonates with buyers.

That insight is GOLD for marketing.

And marketing could be creating content that pre-sells leads if sales would just tell them what objections keep coming up on calls.

When you actually work with each other instead of against each other, you end up with MARKETING THAT DRIVES REVENUE.

Novel thought, right? lol.

I've seen companies go from 2 inbound leads to 41 per month in just a few months simply by getting these teams to share insights.

But it requires both sides to swallow their pride and admit they NEED EACH OTHER!

It’s your choice: Keep pointing fingers while your competitors eat your lunch, or start acting like you're on the same team.

Because you are.

https://annlcarden.com/episode-295-leveraging-psychology-to-pre-sell-leads-and-increase-market-share-with-rai-cornell/

10/30/2025

"Success is creating your OWN standards and living up to them.
Too often people are living up to the standards of their parents or of society, thinking ‘Oh, you have to go to college, you have to get the job, you have to get the corner office...’"

But what if that corner office makes you miserable?

What if that "safe" corporate job crushes your soul?

What if following the traditional path leaves you feeling empty and wondering, "Is this it?"

Stop living your parents' dreams.

Stop chasing society's checklist.

Stop measuring your worth by someone else's ruler.

Success isn't a house, a title, or a salary.

Success is waking up excited about your life.

Success is building something that matters to YOU.

Success is creating your own standards and having the courage to live up to them, even when everyone else thinks you're crazy.

Your version of success might look completely different from everyone around you.

And that's exactly what makes it yours.

https://podcast.cutthetie.com/2228414/episodes/17579915-the-hustle-is-not-a-badge-of-honor-rai-cornell-on-unlearning-toxic-ambition

10/28/2025

Just because a company has been around for decades doesn’t mean it’s the best.

In fact, a lot of the younger companies are out-thinking and out-innovating the long-standing giants. Yet, they don’t get the visibility they deserve.

The sad part, though, is when growing companies try to outspend the giants with ads and PPC.

That's like trying to outbid Amazon on Google Ads. Good luck with that.

Here's what actually works: You want to connect with people when their guard is down, when they're actively seeking answers to problems that they're struggling with.

Rather than getting tunnel vision on “lead gen” for people who are B2B-shopping right this instant,
start building your audience SOONER and earning LOYALTY by helping people who are struggling with problems AROUND your exact solution.

For example, I worked with a small, Midwestern CPR training company that was never going to outspend the AHA or ARC on CPR certification.

But we DID beat those globally known brands by:

Targeting HR professionals struggling with employee onboarding SOPs.

Targeting safety managers dealing with compliance headaches.

Targeting school administrators trying to standardize processes.

All of these issues could be solved by my client’s streamlined, automated CPR training platform. But the AHA and ARC weren’t looking where we were showing up and connecting with real, solution-hungry buyers.

Become helpful to them FIRST. Sales come second.

While your competitors are burning cash fighting over the 5% ready to buy today, you're building relationships with the 95% who will need you tomorrow.

That's how David beats Goliath in 2025.

https://www.growasmallbusiness.com/qff-unlock-buyer-minds-rai-hyde-cornell-of-cornell-content-marketing-reveals-how-to-outsmart-big-brands-build-trust--win-market-share-without-burning-out--empathy-driven-ma

10/22/2025

Ooof... Tom got me with this one.

Not your average podcast, folks!

Tom gets REAL and pulls back the layers FAST.

Key takeaway from Tom Helfrich's Cut the Tie podcast:

Your biggest career breakthrough might come from embracing what you thought was a weakness.

I thought clients would roll their eyes and hang up on me if I didn’t have an MBA or a degree in marketing or communications.

I used to be embarrassed about my background being in psychology and criminology when talking to potential marketing clients.

I thought it was irrelevant. I thought *I* was irrelevant.

Then one client said, "That's actually really interesting! There's so much overlap between marketing and psychology. I think it could be a real asset to our team. Tell me more!"

That moment changed everything.

I stopped trying to hide my background and started leaning into it.

Now it's literally my differentiator and the foundation of my ELITE Method.

👉 What you think makes you "weird" or "different" might be exactly what makes you invaluable.

Thanks again, Tom! This was an episode I’ll never forget!

https://podcast.cutthetie.com/2228414/episodes/17579915-the-hustle-is-not-a-badge-of-honor-rai-cornell-on-unlearning-toxic-ambition

10/20/2025

Here's a stat that should wake up every B2B seller:

70% of the B2B buying process happens before buyers ever reach out to sales. (So sayeth Demand Gen Report & 6sense)

Let that sink in.

By the time someone fills out your contact form or books a demo, they've already done most of their research.

They've probably narrowed it down to 2-3 vendors.

And 84% of the time, the first vendor they contact wins the deal. (6sense says so.)

This means if you're focusing on “lead gen”, you've already lost. 😱

Your buyers are out there RIGHT NOW researching solutions to problems they're having.

They're reading blog posts, watching videos, and asking colleagues for recommendations.

The question is: Are they finding YOUR content during that research phase? Or are they finding your competitors'?

Because that 70% of the journey is where trust gets built. That's where preferences get formed. That's where buying decisions ACTUALLY get made.

So what are you doing to capture their attention in that crucial first 70% BEFORE they’re willing to talk to sales?

If the answer is "running ads to people who are already ready to buy" or “cold DMing/calling/emailing people” or “buying lists”... you're playing an ancient, outdated game.

Start creating content for people who don't even know they have a problem yet.
Enlighten them.
Cater to their ego drivers and their ambition to be the problem-solvers within their companies.

EDUCATE THEM to be better at their jobs and, therefore, better buyers!

THAT'S how you win deals before your competitors even know they're in the running.

Check out my whole conversation about this and more with Vinay Koshy on his Predictable B2B Success podcast!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0lCQgm1CTvUjCSo3kOBM1e

10/20/2025

"People buy on emotion and justify with logic."

I’ve been hearing this a lot lately. And I’ve said it a lot myself.

BECAUSE IT’S TRUE!

But the problem with things that are “catchy” is that after a while, they stop carrying any weight or meaning.

So stop. And think about it.

REALLY think about it.

Think about the last time you fell in love with a brand before you even understood what they did.

Maybe it was their content that made you laugh.
Their founder's story that resonated.
Their mission that aligned with your values.

You didn't analyze their features first. You felt something.

And once that emotional connection formed, you started looking for reasons to justify working with them.

This is why the best B2B marketing leads with connection.

When you make someone feel understood, seen, or inspired, you're not just capturing their attention... you're earning a spot in their consideration set before they even know they need what you offer.

Stop trying to convince people you're the logical choice.

Start making them feel like you're the one they crave deep down.

The logic will follow. (After all, you’re in business for a reason and “features and benefits” are just another Tuesday, right?)

10/13/2025

Your competitors are waiting too long. Don’t do that, too.

They're sitting around until prospects are already researching solutions, comparing features, and asking for demos.

By then, it's too late. The prospect has already formed opinions about what they need.

Instead, start the conversation before the prospect even knows they have a problem.

Pre-Problem Awareness Stage:
Your ideal client has the issue you solve, but they don't realize it yet. They're just frustrated, overwhelmed, or stuck.

Most marketers ignore this stage completely.

But this is your golden opportunity.

While your competition waits for "qualified leads," you're educating prospects about:

* What the real problem actually is
* How much it's costing them right now
* Why there's hope for a solution

You're not selling anything yet. You're just opening their eyes.

When they finally move into active research mode, guess who they remember?

The brand that HELPED them understand their situation in the first place.

The brand they TRUST that told them true and helpful information.

The brand that INFLUENCED them to make a buying decision (even if they wouldn’t use that word).

Start the conversation before they know they need one.

By the time your competitors show up, you'll already be the trusted advisor.

10/09/2025

Working in content marketing means we’re all language enthusiasts. We get giddy with excitement by the perfectly crafted sentence or the ultimate metaphor.

Nerd Word validates our language obsession while feeding it with entertaining and workable content. They did an episode on the word EQUANIMITY, and we walked away knowing how to describe the calm confidence that we want our brand messaging to convey.

It’s our kind of people talking about our kind of passion, and we’ll never miss an episode!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nerd-word/id1641406770

10/07/2025

Most marketers build campaigns backwards.

They start with: "Let's run LinkedIn ads."

Then ask: "Who should we target?"

Finally: "What should the ads say?"

This is why your campaigns feel forced and your conversion rates suck.

You're starting with the mechanism instead of the human.

Here's the right order:

First: Audience
Who exactly are you talking to? What's their role? What keeps them up at night? What do they secretly want but can't say out loud?

Second: Message
Now that you understand their internal experience, what do they need to hear? What words do they use? What emotions are they feeling?

Third: Mechanism
Where do these specific people hang out? When are they mentally open to new ideas? Where can you reach them without interrupting their day?

Most marketers skip the first two steps because they're hard.

Understanding human thought patterns and drivers and psychological patterns takes work.

Crafting empathetic messaging takes skill.

But picking a platform? That's easy.

So they start with what's easy and wonder why nothing works.

Stop building campaigns around platforms.

Start building them around people.

10/03/2025

I'm so tired of watching companies destroy their content with AI.

Look, I love AI.

It's fantastic for research, analysis, outlines, even first drafts —all of that.

But if you're using raw AI and posting copy/pasted ChatGPT blather (full of comparison statements and rocket ship emojis) straight to your feed, you're shooting yourself in the foot.

Google is literally penalizing websites with predominantly AI-generated content. And even if they weren't, your buyers can tell the difference.

Unedited AI content is like chewing on a raw slice of potato. It’s bland, has an off-putting texture, and just makes it clear that you’re not even willing to put in 10 minutes of work to boil and salt the damn thing.

Stop using AI to cut out ALL of the work. Instead, take the time you’re saving by using AI and channel that time and energy into creating more thoughtful briefs and pre-publishing editing.

Check out my episode on Vinay Koshy’s Predictable B2B Success podcast here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0lCQgm1CTvUjCSo3kOBM1e