Content Rules: How To Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (And More) That Engage Customers And Ignite Your Business (New Rules Social Media Series) By Ann Handley, C.C. Chapman

Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business (New Rules Social Media Series) By Ann Handley, C.C. Chapman List Price: $24.95 Price: $14.85 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Ships from and sold by Amazon.com 46 new or used available from $14.53 Average customer review: (43 customer reviews)

Product 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #901 in Books
• Published on: 2010-12-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 282 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780470648285
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover
To market your business, reach new customers, and create long-lasting loyalty, you need one indispensable element: CONTENT.

Whether it's bite-sized tweets that allow you to forge relationships on Twitter, blog posts that give your readers must-have advice, ebooks or white papers that engage (and don't bore), videos that share the human side of your company, interactive webinars that deliver a valuable learning experience, or podcasts that can be downloaded and listened to on the fly (and more!) . . . now more than ever, content rules!

Today, you have an unprecedented opportunity to create a treasury of free, easy-to-use, almost infinitely customizable content that tells the story of your product and your business, and positions you as an expert people will want to do business with.

Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman, business writers, speakers, and marketing thought leaders for clients such as The Coca-Cola Company, HBO, and Verizon Fios, show you how to leverage all of today's tools to create content that truly speaks to your audience. They'll show you how to:

• Understand why you are generating content—getting to the meat of your message in practical, commonsense language, and defining the goals of your content strategy

• Explore ways to integrate searchable words into your content without sounding forced (or sounding like "Frankenspeak")

• Write in a way that powerfully communicates your service, product, or message across various Web mediums

• Create a publishing schedule that allows you to create different kinds and types of content at once

Offering examples of businesses using content effectively across a wide range of industries and fascinating explanations of how you might approach your own content strategy, Content Rules is the essential field guide to creating your story, finding the right balance of humor and humanity in your content, and building a portfolio of value that will keep delivering for the long haul.

About the Author
Ann Handley (annhandley.com) is the Chief Content Officer of Marketing Profs, a rich and trusted resource that offers actionable know-how to its 365,000 subscribers. As a thought leader and writer with a passion for good content, she writes and blogs extensively about online business, marketing, and sometimes just life.

C.C. Chapman (cc-chapman.com) is a media creator, entrepreneur, and online marketing expert. He recently launched DigitalDads.com—a site where a dad can be a guy—to serve as a cornerstone of the online parenting space.

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

48 of 53 people found the following review helpful.
Insanely Great Look at Creating Content
By Whitney S. Hoffman
I should preface this review by saying I have been podcasting and creating content for the web for over five years now, and that I regularly help clients do the same. This said, I was expecting Content Rules to be a good book on the subject, but perhaps one of those that did not speak to me, because of my experience. I was wrong- Content Rules speaks to everyone- even seasoned content creators, by providing the metrics we may know around content creation, but haven't yet articulated, and helps make the case for content for everyone from people getting their feet wet on the Web for the first time, to those who are looking to raise their game and up their level of engagement with others online.

Content Rules is compelling and honest from the introduction on. It is a book I can hand my clients, friends, teachers- almost anyone who wonders why people need to or bother creating content for the web- to help not only explain why compelling content is important, but how to create it. It helps people break down the barriers that often get in the way of creating compelling content, and instead gives them some parameters on how to make sure your authentic and compelling voice shine through. In addition, the examples and case studies in the book bring the rules to life, in a way that will help folks understand how to find their human voice, and why that is so important to success in contrast to another paragraph of over-polished, sanitized, personality-free "safe" messaging.

I'm really excited by Content Rules as a book I can enthusiastically pass on to friends, colleagues, clients and more. If it's between a more generic book on social media or online marketing and this one, you need Content Rules because it will help you understand the fundamental approach you need to take regardless of the tool, platform, network or marketing plan- you need to concentrate on your Content first.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful.
The Why and How of Using Content for Customer Engagement
By Carol Roth
Not for the faint of heart...this book is a meaty look at why content has become such an important tool for businesses to engage their customers, as well as how to go about creating the right type of content for you.

Packed with real-world examples, this book teaches you (as noted on page 24) to go for consistent doubles and triples instead of always swinging for the fences- consistent doubles and triples wins games.

I personally was able to take away a lot of specific tips, including methods to re-imagine content (instead of just plain old repurposing it). I also liked that the authors kept the focus on the customer perspective (so critical) and demonstrated how to use content to create trust instead of just using it to shout (or "shill" as they call it).

My favorite part is the case studies/examples that line the back of the book. Not only did C.C. and Ann do a great job in featuring a wide variety of companies, they included ideas that you can borrow (they says steal, but I am a more of a fan of inspiration instead of imitation) and a section they call "Ka-ching", which demonstrates how each company actually derived value from the example.

With strong content itself, written in a colloquial and easy to read manner and with solid examples, this is definitely one to dog-ear/markup and reference on an ongoing basis. A strong value.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful.
Demystify content marketing with Content Rules
By Jason Baer
The intermediary is dead.

We don't need to rely primarily upon the media or some other conduit to communicate with our prospects and customers - we can do it ourselves.
Eventually, every company is going to have to think of itself as a TV station and a magazine. Telling your story and answering customer questions with thoughtful, relevant, engaging content can improve your awareness, lead generation, conversion rate, sales, and loyalty.

This is the premise of Content Rules, the new book from Ann Handley (Chief Content Officer for MarketingProfs), and C.C. Chapman (founder of DigitalDads). Without question it is one of the most clear, concise, useful and actionable business books I've read in years. And because creating or curating content is important for all companies, it's a book that I hope will find a broad and enthusiastic audience.

Content Rules combines big picture thinking about the role of content, with step-by-step advice and helpful tips about precisely how to create content that matters. Interwoven throughout are instructive examples of companies doing it right, and links to specific pieces of content that epitomize the lessons within. The book concludes with an entire section of case studies, wisely covering businesses of many sizes and types.

Content Rules helps you make content that engages, by recommending that content be created through the eyes of your customers - the people that you're actually trying to influence. As stated beautifully in the book:

The inherent tension in marketing is that companies always want to talk about themselves and their products or services. Everyone else, meanwhile, only wants to know what those products or services can do for them. Creating content as a cornerstone of your marketing allows you to truly place yourself in your customer's shoes, to adopt their vantage points, and to consider their thoughts, feelings, and needs. In short, it allows you to get to know the people who buy from you better than any customer survey or poll ever could.

Even if you have never created a piece of online content in your life, you could do so successfully with help from this book. Once you've been disavowed of the notion that the content should be about your company per se, the authors advocate for understanding or discovering the stories you can tell; thinking through what behavior you want content consumer to engage in; selecting valid success metrics; and atomizing your content by breaking it into smaller pieces.

Content Rules wisely emphasizes that content marketing is a process, not a project. Just as a magazine doesn't have a single issue, nor should your content program, and the book provides several useful guidelines for establishing an ongoing editorial calendar, with content created not just by the marketing department, but from all over your company.

It's an easy and compelling read, lends itself to skimming and highlighting, and has real case studies and examples that you can mimic in your own business.
Content Rules takes a complicated and critical element of modern business and demystifies it with humor, instruction, and panache. Nicely done.