Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business

Book description

Create bold web content and build a loyal customer base online

Blogs, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and other publishing platforms are giving everyone a "voice," including organizations and their customers. So how do you create the bold stories, videos, and blog posts that cultivate fans, arouse passion for your products or services, and ignite your business?

Content Rules equips you for online success with a one-stop source on the art and science of developing marketing content that people care about. This coverage is interwoven with case studies of companies successfully spreading their ideas online-and using them to establish credibility and build a loyal customer base.

  • Learn the art of storytelling and the science of journalism

  • Find an authentic "voice" and craft bold content that will resonate with prospects and buyers and encourage them to share it with others

  • Leverage social media and social tools to get your content and ideas distributed as widely as possible

  • Written by the Chief Content Officers of marketingprofs.com

Boost your online presence and engage with customers and prospects like never before with Content Rules.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. Foreword
  3. Acknowledgments
  4. Big Fat Overview (Sometimes Called an Introduction)
    1. How This Book Works (and Three Promises to You)
    2. Why We Need Some Rules, but Not Others
  5. 1. The Content Rules
    1. 1. The Case for Content
      1. 1.1. What Is Content, and What Can It Do for You?
      2. 1.2. Good Content as a Competitive Advantage
    2. 2. The Content Rules
      1. 2.1. The Content Rules
    3. 3. Insight Inspires Originality: Who Do You Want to Attract?
      1. 3.1. Start with the Why
      2. 3.2. A Quick and Dirty Search Lesson
      3. 3.3. Back to the Why—and Onto the Who
      4. 3.4. Set Your Metrics: What Does Success Look Like?
    4. 4. Who Are You?
      1. 4.1. Speak Human: How Do You Differentiate Your Content?
    5. 5. Reimagine; Don't Recycle: Anatomy of a Content Circle of Life
      1. 5.1. First, Look toward the Sun
      2. 5.2. Create a Publishing Schedule
      3. 5.3. Feed the Beast
      4. 5.4. Aim for Variety, and Do Something Unexpected
      5. 5.5. Imagine New Creatures
    6. 6. Share or Solve; Don't Shill
      1. 6.1. What Do I Talk about When There's Nothing to Say?
      2. 6.2. What I Really Want to Do Is Direct: Hiring Content Creators and Sourcing Content from Elsewhere
        1. 6.2.1. Who Owns Your Web Site Content?
        2. 6.2.2. What to Look For in a Writer (or Any Kind of Content Creator)
        3. 6.2.3. Sourcing Content from Elsewhere
          1. 6.2.3.1. Curated Content
          2. 6.2.3.2. Co-Created Content
          3. 6.2.3.3. User-Generated Content
          4. 6.2.3.4. Licensed Content
    7. 7. Stoke the Campfire
      1. 7.1. How to Build a Fire
      2. 7.2. Your Content Campfire
      3. 7.3. Start with the Small Stuff
      4. 7.4. Finding the Bigger Sticks
      5. 7.5. Singing Campfire Songs
      6. 7.6. Why Doesn't My Content Have Any Comments?
      7. 7.7. Telling Stories by the Campfire Light
    8. 8. Create Wings and Roots
      1. 8.1. Wings for the Web: Findable, Accessible, Shareable
        1. 8.1.1. Findable
        2. 8.1.2. Accessible
        3. 8.1.3. Shareable
      2. 8.2. Fishing for Attention in the Activity Streams
      3. 8.3. How to Make Your Content Go Viral
    9. 9. The Care and Feeding of Fans
      1. 9.1. Setting Up a Listening Dashboard
      2. 9.2. Responding Quickly, and with Sincerity
        1. 9.2.1. Commenters
        2. 9.2.2. Passives
        3. 9.2.3. Trolls
        4. 9.2.4. Passionates
    10. 10. Attention B2B Companies: This Is the Chapter You Are Looking For
      1. 10.1. Your Prospects Are Avoiding You
      2. 10.2. Marketers Need to Pick Up the Ball and Run with It
      3. 10.3. Content Marketing Is the Key
      4. 10.4. Additional Steps to Getting Hitched: Content and B2B, True Love Always
        1. 10.4.1. Why: Clarifying Objectives for B2B Content
        2. 10.4.2. Who: Understanding the Nuances of Your B2B Audience
        3. 10.4.3. What: Map What You Know to How They Buy
        4. 10.4.4. When: What's Special About the B2B Editorial Calendar?
        5. 10.4.5. How: Craft Interesting, Informative, Entertaining Content (Yes, You Can!)
          1. 10.4.5.1. Four Content Ideas You Shouldn't Miss
        6. 10.4.6. Where: Spreading Seeds
        7. 10.4.7. To Register or Not to Register
  6. 2. The How-To Section
    1. 11. A Blog as a Hub of Your Online Content
      1. 11.1. Blogging Guidelines
        1. 11.1.1. Define Your Purpose
        2. 11.1.2. Set a Reliable Schedule
        3. 11.1.3. Mix It Up!
        4. 11.1.4. Move Beyond the Written Word
        5. 11.1.5. Size Matters
        6. 11.1.6. Learn How to Write Killer Headlines
        7. 11.1.7. Design Is Important
        8. 11.1.8. Create Momentum
        9. 11.1.9. Consider Comment Moderation
        10. 11.1.10. Categorize and Tag Everything
        11. 11.1.11. Write the Way You Speak
        12. 11.1.12. Don't Overthink
    2. 12. If Webinars Are Awesome Marketing Tools, Why Do Most of Them Suck?
      1. 12.1. How to Create and Produce Awesome Webinars
        1. 12.1.1. Create
    3. 13. What's the Difference between an Ebook and a White Paper? (And When Should You Use Them?)
      1. 13.1. Nine Steps to Creating an Ebook or White Paper That People Will Want to Read
    4. 14. The Single Biggest Secret to Creating a Compelling Customer Success Story
    5. 15. From Dumpy to Sexy An FAQs Makeover
    6. 16. Video: Show Me a Story
      1. 16.1. Equipment: What You'll Need
      2. 16.2. Creating Your Story
      3. 16.3. Shooting and Scripting
      4. 16.4. Show the World
      5. 16.5. But What Am I Going to Shoot?
      6. 16.6. iContent: Your Own Web Show?
    7. 17. Podcasting: Is This Thing On?
    8. 18. Photographs: The Power of Pictures
      1. 18.1. What Should I Take Pictures of?
      2. 18.2. Sharing and Tagging
      3. 18.3. Getting the Good Shot
      4. 18.4. Bring In the Big Guns
  7. 3. Content That Converts: Success Stories (with Ideas You Can Steal!)
    1. 19. Reynolds Golf Academy: Greensboro, Georgia
      1. 19.1. Content That Ignites
        1. 19.1.1. Blog
        2. 19.1.2. Ebook
        3. 19.1.3. Video
      2. 19.2. Ka-Ching!
      3. 19.3. Ideas You Can Steal
    2. 20. The Cool Beans Group: Greensboro, North Carolina
      1. 20.1. Content That Ignites
      2. 20.2. Ka-Ching!
      3. 20.3. Ideas You Can Steal
    3. 21. U.S. Army: Fort Knox, Kentucky; Fort Monroe, Virginia
      1. 21.1. Content That Ignites
      2. 21.2. Ka-Ching!
      3. 21.3. Ideas You Can Steal
    4. 22. AskPatty.com, Inc.: Thousand Oaks, California
      1. 22.1. Content That Ignites
        1. 22.1.1. Partnerships
        2. 22.1.2. Syndication
        3. 22.1.3. Social Media
        4. 22.1.4. Industry Publications
      2. 22.2. Ka-Ching!
      3. 22.3. Ideas You Can Steal
    5. 23. Kadient: Lowell, Massachusetts
      1. 23.1. Content That Ignites
        1. 23.1.1. Ebooks
        2. 23.1.2. White Papers
        3. 23.1.3. Video
      2. 23.2. Ka-Ching!
      3. 23.3. Ideas You Can Steal
    6. 24. HubSpot: Cambridge, Massachusetts
      1. 24.1. Content That Ignites
        1. 24.1.1. Blog
        2. 24.1.2. Video
        3. 24.1.3. Webinars
        4. 24.1.4. Research and Reports
        5. 24.1.5. Free Tools
        6. 24.1.6. Video Podcast
      2. 24.2. Ka-Ching!
      3. 24.3. Ideas You Can Steal
    7. 25. Kodak: Rochester, New York
      1. 25.1. Content That Ignites
        1. 25.1.1. Blogs
        2. 25.1.2. Facebook
        3. 25.1.3. Twitter
        4. 25.1.4. User-Generated Content
      2. 25.2. Ka-Ching!
      3. 25.3. Ideas You Can Steal
    8. 26. Boeing Company: Chicago, Illinois
      1. 26.1. Content That Ignites
        1. 26.1.1. Bylined Articles
        2. 26.1.2. Video
        3. 26.1.3. Twitter
      2. 26.2. Ka-Ching!
      3. 26.3. Ideas You Can Steal
    9. 27. Indium Corporation: Clinton, New York
      1. 27.1. Content That Ignites
      2. 27.2. Ka-Ching!
      3. 27.3. Ideas You Can Steal
    10. 28. PinkStinks: London, England
      1. 28.1. Content That Ignites
        1. 28.1.1. Blog
        2. 28.1.2. Newsletter
        3. 28.1.3. Twitter
        4. 28.1.4. Facebook
      2. 28.2. Ka-Ching!
      3. 28.3. Ideas You Can Steal
  8. 4. This Isn't Goodbye
    1. 29. This Isn't Goodbye, and a Gift for You
      1. 29.1. A 12-Point Content Checklist

Product information

  • Title: Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business
  • Author(s): C. Chapman
  • Release date: December 2010
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9780470648285