Welcome back one and all to this, the sixth of the 7 A's of Content Marketing. You've earned and kept your readers' attention. You've rewarded their time investment with interesting, relatable, reliably helpful material. You are a well-oiled machine producing stellar content.

There's one thing that makes it all go - our next A:

Agility

You don't have to get ready if you stay ready.

Content Marketing is a dynamic game. Like basketball, soccer, or football (and plenty of other sports), it's more a dance than a march. You reassess strategy after every step based on the moving players around you.

To be an effective content marketer, you must keep your antennae up at all times for stories. Stories can come from anywhere.

You are the voice of your organization. Internalize your organization's spirit, the reason they were created. Feel what makes you different in the marketplace. You are the biggest cheerleader for your company. You shine light on the stories that embody the values you stand for. Your company might have the best product in the world. That won’t earn you allegiance or advocacy. Loyalty is developed through the heart, by telling stories that resonate with your audience.

Thankfully, there are lots of ways you can stay agile:

1. Be involved. In every event your organization puts on. Talk to every employee who has earned a promotion or industry certification. Ask around about every newsworthy activity your company take parts in.

2. Be a butterfly. Keep in contact with the people of your company. Talk to people on every floor, in every department. Make friends. The story can come from anywhere, at any time. You can be the spelunker that unearths these diamonds in the rough. You can be the glue that brings these stories together. You are the messenger bringing your message to the public.

3. Know what you stand for. When you know your company's values, you'll know what stories to share. You'll know which messages to deliver, when. You are in a privileged position. When people want to learn more about your organization, they’ll look to your content. They'll look at your blog, your press releases, your recent news stories. Show them quality posts recently published and you'll build credibility. You have a big hand in bringing new consumers into the pipeline.

There's more good news: there are always worlds of stories to tell. If there aren’t, it means you’re just not finding them. Stay agile, keep your eyes and ears peeled, and you'll capture them. You are the kaleidoscope that takes in data and turns it into a technicolor quilt of emotionally fulfilling stories for your consumers.

Stay ready. Stay agile. Create the great and varied works that befit your breadth of creative abilities.

Coming up next: the grandest A of them all.