The 5 Best Content Marketing Books
I started thinking about the 5 best content marketing books this weekend while I was canning green beans.
Here I was, sitting at my kitchen table snapping green beans and listening to Joe Pulizzi's Content Inc. marketing podcast on Spotify and thinking about how much I'd gotten out of his book. Snap-snap went the end of the green bean as Joe and Ann Hadley talked about content marketing. Suddenly, it dawned on me: I should write about my favorite content marketing books!
Joe's book is, of course, tops on my list. It's the best book on on content marketing I've come across and that's no coincidence. You may know Joe's name since he was the founder of the Content Marketing Institute. At a time when few of us knew what content marketing is or how powerful it could be, Joe was busy starting an institute, a conference, and a training system for would-be content marketers. Now, through his company The Tilt, he continues to spread she mission and mindset of content marketing.
There books aren't your typical list. For one thing, there's a book decidedly about writing sales copy on the list, and as content marketing managers are so fond of telling people, sales copy isn't content marketing. But the book belongs on this list because of the enormous influence it has had on my marketing writing as well as on my team's writing. Often when new writers start at Seven Oaks Consulting, I ask them what content marketing or writing books they like. Nine times out of ten, if Bob Bly's Copywriter's Handbook is mentioned, they'll be a great fit for us.
Without further ado, I present to you Jeanne Grunert's unofficial list of the 5 best content marketing books. And yes, these are Amazon affiliate links. I will make a small commission on any books you buy after clicking on a link. It doesn't affect your price. Thank you. Commercial over.
Best Content Marketing Books
If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland
This book is one of the best books about writing, period. Brenda Ueland taught fiction writing for many years. She helped her students break free from the inhibitions that lead to stale, boring writing. We could all use some of her advice especially when writing on topics we may find less interesting.
The Copywriter's Handbook by Bob Bly
I intentionally included Bly's classic on writing marketing and sales copy for a reason even though content marketers are adamant that content writing isn't sales writing. They are correct, of course, but all of us do at some point or another need to know how to write compelling sales copy. There's no matter teacher than this primer from Bob Bly. I bought this book decades ago when I first dreamed of freelancing and I still read it periodically to refresh my memory on all things writing for business.
5 Chairs, 5 Choices by Louise Evans
I am not exaggerating when I say that Louise Evan's book, 5 Chairs 5 Choices changed my life. Actually, it was her TedTalk on YouTube that first began my journey into communication styles. Her method of identifying various mental mindsets during conversations is essential reading for content marketers who are serious about understanding their customers. Whenever I sit down to write, I think about the five chairs and wonder whether my customers are seeing my content through jackal, giraffe, meerkat, dolphin, or what. Check out the Tedx Talk. You'll thank me later.
Content Inc by Joe Pulizzi
Serious about your content marketing? Trying to make it as a content marketing entrepreneur? Or just want to cut to what's important in the content marketing journey? Whether you are a seasoned content marketer or a beginner at content marketing, this is a must-read book. It will teach you the basics and set your mind buzzing with the possibilities of advanced content marketing. Joe Pulizzi makes content marketing accessible and easy to understand for all.
Stories that Stick by Kindra Hall
At the heart of great content marketing is the ability to tell a compelling story. That's one reason why I love content marketing - as a novelist, I can use my fiction writing skills to craft great content for my clients. Understanding the hero's journey, the concept of a villain when writing industrial copy, all of this I learned from Kindra Hall's approach to storytelling. Kindra's book will help you better understand the idea of stories as part of business writing and especially in content marketing.
What Are Your Favorite Content Marketing Books?
I've shared my 5 favorite content marketing books. Now, what are yours? Drop me a note and let me know your favorites. I'd love to add more great reads to my business book collection.
Why Long Form Content Is Great for SEO
When it comes to content marketing, it seems that every marketer under the sun has their own opinion about what works and what doesn’t. Some say that posting frequent short content pieces, such as blog posts, works the best. Others swear that long-form content, or articles and blog posts over 2,000 words, works the best. Who is right?
Long Form Copy Produces Better Organic Traffic
A firm called SERPIQ analyzed the search engine results position (SERP) for more than 20,000 keywords and discovered something very interesting. It seems that the length of the content had a direct correlation on a web page’s search engine results position.
Here’s a summary of their findings:
- All of the top 10 positions were dominated by posts with 2,000 or more words.
- The average word count for the top position was 2,416 words.
- Most posts averaged around 2,200 - 2,400 words.
Our Take on Long Form Copy
From my own research, I’ve concluded a few interesting facts about long-form content. I write a popular home and garden blog, Home Garden Joy, and include a “free gardening guide” section filled with long-form posts on topics gardeners want to learn about. The section is new, but growing. My goal is to add one long-form content piece each month.
Last month, I added a long-form piece on composting - How to Make Compost. I haven’t done much to promote it except send a special email out to my subscriber list to announce it and announce it via Twitter and Facebook. I decided to schedule some automated posts via HootSuite to share the link during peak traffic times on Twitter.
Almost immediately, a popular gardening website aggregator picked up on the link and included a blurb and link to my long-form content prominently on their website. Several shares on social media also increased visibility for the new guide. At last count, my site’s inbound links increased from 42 to 63. Not all are going to this content page, but I think the increase is partially due to the long-form content.
What Makes Longer Articles Appealing?
What makes long-form content so appealing? Long-form content appeals to website visitors seeking more than a cursory look at a topic. If the content is well-researched, it adds value and depth to the information, and makes your blog, website or article worthy of bookmarking or sharing.
By its very nature, long-form content also requires site visitors to spend more time on your website, another clue for search engines to use to gauge the value of your site. Longer, well-written and intriguing content naturally holds visitors’ attention longer, and if you include thoughtful links to related content on your site, you’ve also increased the time spend on your site even more.
Long-form content is great for really diving deeply into a topic. Some topics don’t lend themselves to long form content; others, however, naturally need more room to develop the thesis and explore the many nuances around the topic. Anytime you dive deeply into a topic, you’re adding value to the reader’s experience, which develops your relationship with the end-user and creates a favorable brand impression.
B2B Content Marketing for Customer Acquisition
I generally think of marketing in three phases: acquisition, retention and loyalty-building. Content marketers tend to focus on the tail end of that three-phrase cycle, loyalty building. B2B content marketing is ideal for building brand loyalty. Magazines, long-form content, case studies and similar content marketing strategies are often used to great effect by B2B marketers to boost loyalty. However, B2B content marketing for customer acquisition can be equally as effective if it’s done well.
Why Are Customers Looking for Your Products or Services?
All good marketing programs, including content marketing programs, begin by answering the question, “What do my customers want or need?”
People shop for products and services based upon needs. Those needs may be physical needs; you need milk for your cereal, so you go to the store to buy it. Needs may also be psychological. I made an appointment with my favorite hair salon a few weeks ago, and the first words out of my mouth to my stylist were, “Blonde me.” I needed a psychological “lift” for the new year, and my naturally ashy blond hair had turned dark brunette over the past year. An hour or two at the salon and I left with lighter hair and a lighter spirit. In that case, my needs were psychological.
Before crafting your content marketing programs, know what your customers want or need. Conduct surveys, listen to their comments on social media, visit with them, hang out with them, but do understand what they need. That understanding flows into the first segment of a three-step acquisition program.
Good B2B Content Marketing Begins with Education
Once you understand what your customers want or need, you can begin to think of how your products and services might fill that need. But don’t rush right into an advertising campaign disguised as content marketing. Instead, educate them first on how your products or services solve that need.
How do you educate customers via B2B content marketing? You have many choices:
- Educational content: This type of content tends to revolve around industry facts. Statistics, facts, data, product information are all forms of educational content marketing.
- How-to articles: Teach your customers how to tackle simple tasks that solve their problems and win their attention and loyalty. How to choose an accountant, how to tackle a computer-based task, how to do something smarter, better or faster are all great how to article types for B2B content marketing.
- Advice: I like using personal advice from an authority or expert to educate customers. This works best when your brand is already well-known or you have a strong ‘voice’ in the industry. I’ve used this successfully with manufacturing clients and those who have a very unique, specialized area of expertise. Customers are hungry for advice from a true ‘expert’ in their industry, especially industries where products are more prosaic and functional.
B2B Content Marketing as an Acquisition Funnel
All steps along your B2B content marketing program should act like a sales funnel, gently leading and guiding prospects to make that final decision to call, contact, or complete a sales action. Once you educate prospects, it’s time to introduce solution-focused content. Such content takes the educational information shared in step 1 and introduces your firm as a solution for whatever problem led them to your content in the first place. By helping, advising and guiding instead of hard-selling them on your product or service, you can share useful, actionable information without clubbing them over the head (figuratively, of course) emotionally with hyperbole charged rhetoric. Instead, you’re selling to professionals in a manner that appeals to them as business people.
Jeanne Grunert is the president of Seven Oaks Consulting, a content marketing writing and services firm based in Virginia. She hopes you found this article educational and informative.