Content is the latest buzzword of internet marketing–and with good reason. Content is the heart of the inbound marketing philosophy, as providing customers with free, professional, and personalized information is the best way to show that you care about acquiring and keeping their business. This information can include lead generation content–such as ebooks and whitepapers–or website content, which includes not only your company blog, but all written content on your website.
There are certain words you inevitably hear when you’re trying to develop your content–engaging, original, compelling…sound familiar? The problem is that it’s very difficult to convey such subjective terms to your company bloggers or marketing team. To get ideas for our blog, the Eustace marketing team has been reading Content Rules by Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman.
The authors spend the first half of the book making the case for spending time and money on content, and don’t get down to the nitty-gritty content recommendations until towards the end of the book. We won’t give any secrets away, but some of the topics covered include:
-How to write intriguing headlines for blog posts
-Specific ideas for unique blog post content, even when you’re feeling uninspired
-How to create an effective publishing schedule
-How to write in a manner that stays away from unapproachable, “selling” jargon
-How to create a variety of content formats, including videos, podcasts, webinars, and more
Additionally, the book is chock-full of insights from inbound marketing experts, including David Meerman Scott (who we met at Inbound 2012!). We highly recommend this book to anyone trying to beef up their online content.
