Books

If you’re curious about how to get started with content marketing or are looking for a fresh perspective, look no further; these 5 books are the crème de la crème on the topic.

Content Rules

The mantra of Content Rules is to get you (the reader) thinking in terms of content on a broader scale. While some content strategists will often put all their emphasis towards text, and in particular site copy, Content Rules goes a step further and also discusses the importance of video, podcasting, and social media. Co-authors Ann Hardley and C.C. Chapman’s multifaceted approach to content makes Content Rules a clear choice for beginners and those who are still on the fence and looking for hard evidence.

The Elements of Content Strategy

Don’t let its short page count fool you, The Elements of Content Strategy is packed full of useful information. Author Erin Kissane knows her stuff and it really shows. This book is clear and direct (just like solid content should be) and wastes little time skating around the reasons why content strategy deserves a seat at the table in terms of marketing budget and attention. A very deserving addition to anyone’s library and a perfect fit for the already excellent A Book Apart series.

Content Strategy at Work

The newest book to the list, Content Strategy at Work by Margot Bloomstein, is a great starting point for those with backgrounds in SEO, social media, or design. Bloomstein effortlessly ties common marketing disciplines to the emerging forefront of content marketing and does so by providing ultra-readable and down to earth case studies. The real lesson presented here, and what drives this book, is to give the user a better experience, a goal that all marketers, regardless of background, shouldn’t find much trouble getting behind.

Managing Content Marketing

For those working in a large corporate team environment or the overachievers who have highly ambitious goals for their web content, Managing Content Marketing is the must have book on this list. To an extent unlike any other book currently on the market, Managing Content Marketing sets out an unshakable ROI backed argument on not just the why, but also the how of content strategy. The information alone presented on developing a workflow specifically for content, is itself worth the purchase price.

Content Strategy for the Web

Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson is on the top end of the short list of the best books ever written on the topic. Halvorson’s gift for communication is evident from page one and makes for an engaging read. The layout of the book and the way the information is organized, taking the reader from the doorstep of content marketing to a thorough understanding, is second to none. The recommendations on content audits and long term maintenance were personal standouts, and shouldn’t go unnoticed by those with a particular knack for design and UX. If you’re serious about content strategy to any extent, it doesn’t get any better than this.

About 90% of the people that speak at conferences on the topic of internet marketing have a sense of humor comparable to that of a sack of bricks and that reason alone is enough to root for Brian Carter. He’s got a personality big enough to fill any room and comes equipped with jokes, many of which are quite funny or at least palatable in comparison to the typical drab of the average keynote speaker. The man also frequently writes for All Facebook, a site that I’m quite fond of, and thus another reason why I was eager to get through The Like Economy. A book that – you guessed it – is all about the topic of Facebook marketing and branding.

Before jumping to any conclusions, it’s worth noting that this isn’t a manual strictly for beginners. Carter gives the reader credit and assumes that if you’ve taken the effort to crack open a book on the topic that you’ve already done some preliminary work within Facebook or that at minimum you’re curious and are trying to decide if it’s something that might benefit you or your department. Don’t worry though, there’s a bunch of a 101 material within these pages if one should happen to need it. The instructions presented are clear and the benefits behind each view point are made obvious and tied up neatly by the end of every chapter.

But still, why even bother with Facebook?

Unlike PPC advertising through Google or Bing, there are many who won’t go near Facebook. It still holds a stigma in certain circles and thought of as a network of young people, who outside of Zynga products, don’t care too much for ads. Fortunately none of this hold trues and The Like Economy makes a convincing case that there’s plenty of money to be made and customers to be won through smart Facebook marketing campaigns. Pick up this book and you’ll learn how to optimize ad copy, refine landing pages, target the right people, and save some time, headaches, cash, or all three in the process.

All of it reminds me of a time not too far back when a friend was yelling in angst at her computer screen wondering why her finely tuned collection of ads weren’t generating any traffic. This is a book I would have enjoyed throwing in her direction in hopes of silencing the little subconscious voice that kept begging her to give up and admit that an AdWords campaign was the only way. Aside from simple cost per click comparisons, Facebook is a different beast altogether. It’s not going away and with new features such as Sponsored Stories being added to the mix, understanding how Facebook operates and learning some best practices has never been more of a relevant ambition than it is today. The information may be out there for the taking within blog posts or through self-practice, but having an organized guidebook likes this to work off of makes for a lot of sense. Facebook likes to shake things up without warning and make big changes quickly, but at of the time of this publishing one would be hard pressed to find a better education companion than The Like Economy. If it’s not the definitive book on the topic, it’s surely near the top of a very short list.

When reading the words of Brian Solis it’s rather normal to feel like you’ve just been handed an all access glimpse into the future, not one that’s decades away or substantially out of reach, but rather a tomorrow that appears as if it’s just around the corner. Like many high level social strategists, Solis has a way of putting the here and now into context in a way that the average web consumer can relate to. He’s never complex for the sake of being complex, but to the contrary has a knack for taking on the big picture questions and breaking them down into bite sized pieces. Engage, perhaps Solis’s best known work thus far, was an appropriate precursor to some of the high level concepts presented in The End of Business as Usual. Regular Solis readers are going to feel right at home with this one.

The End of Business as Usual is a book for the over achievers; those who aren’t nearly satisfied with the idea of being taught how to fish, but rather would like to know how the rod is built, what type of bait to use, and how to attract the biggest catch. There are plenty of smart books on the market that teach readers how to set up a Facebook page, or why blogging is important, or why a revolution in journalism is happening, and thankfully The End of Business isn’t one them. Solis spends little time treading in shallow water and instead leaps right into the tough and relevant questions.

What are the trends in behaviors of millennials that businesses should be most aware of?
What does it look like for a brand to be a part of the conversation?
How can organizations use real time data to their advantage?

After reading The End of Business the first time through it felt as if I had just attended several university level classes on digital communications and organizational psychology. There’s a lot of material here that will likely require several reads over to fully grasp. The variety of charts and graphics, along with end of chapter bullet points makes the journey that much more enjoyable. This is a book that demands concentration; it rarely lets readers off the hook and assumes that we’re not only ready, but aslo excited to change the way we approach the fundamentals of business in order to reach a growing connected and digital savvy audience.

The End of Business as Usual is a little dense, but to those who have some pull within their organizations or have been thinking about making some big changes, the topics presented here are worth their weight in gold. If you’re the person who would lose sleep over the notion of being left behind in a rapidly changing digital world, this book will be far from disappointing. If you’re a practical, level headed decision maker and are bit on the fence when it comes to making some fundamental adjustments on how your business operates and communicates, this book makes for an excellent companion and should be required reading.

The Now Revolution is the debut offering from long time social media strategists Jay Baer and Amber Naslund. Baer is a professional consultant and speaker who writes at Convince and Concevert and Naslund is a top strategist at Radian 6 and co-writer over at Brass Tack Thinking. Both authors have earned a reputation of being among the top thinkers in their space and it would be an understatement to say a book has been long overdue.

The Now Revolution is split nearly 50/50 between both authors and it’s impossible to determine who is behind each chapter. Anyone who has followed the blogs of Baer and Naslund know that both writers have a gift for being very personable when appropriate, but also have the ability to talk hard numbers and strategy when needed. The Now Revolution is no exception. It’s a book for those seeking guidance when it comes to developing a brand communications strategy and want easily digestible case studies and how to points. It’s a rare find to come across a book that can talk big picture/enterprise level tactics while stile making the material relevant to even the smallest of businesses.

The book is divided into seven structured topics and doesn’t stumble in trying to be overly ambitious by bombarding the reader with a bunch of fluff material. In the first chapter, Engineering a New Bedrock, the authors place a strong emphasis on culture and why every organization should be investing heavily in its ideals. There’s even a checklist included so readers can conduct a test of their own. In the second chapter, the focus is on hiring and nurturing the talent within the company. Baer and Naslund make a call for the importance of the generalist; the employee who is customer service oriented, can adapt to social media, and has planning and deep communication skills. Later on the need for response time and enhanced levels of communication is highlighted. As participants we should go beyond just listening and be able respond and participate in conversations. The book concludes by discussing key performance indicators in relation to goals, using social media to listen to competitors, and putting it all together through web analytics and customer contact information.

It goes without question that The Now Revolution is one of the stronger reads as of late when it comes to exploring the social web. No matter if the reader is an experienced pro or has just recently placed an emphasis on online communication, The Now Revolution makes for a compelling guide to navigate the new terrain of media and consumer marketing.

At first I was a bit skeptical to purchase How To Make Money With Social Media. I’m not a fan of get rich quick schemes, taking short cuts, or making social media work appear easier than it actually is. This book only came across my radar due to the reputation of co-author Jamie Turner and his excellent blog and website The 6o Second Marketer. Although Turner has produced a countless number of great articles, I’m still very skeptical when someones tries to preach on how to make money.

Much to my surprise, How To Make Money With Social Media is full of quality information. It’s a complete 180 of what my first impressions were. In this book Turner and co-author Reshma Shah lay out an easy to understand game plan for creating and implementing a social media strategy. I’d go as far as to say that this is the best resource I have ever come across that can take a complete beginner from square one to an end destination of improving the bottom line with social media. It’s a bold claim, but this book lives up to what it promises. Turner goes over a large amount of 101 material quickly and doesn’t waste time on details that aren’t essential. The last thing we need is another author who devotes chapters on how to set up a Facebook page. How To Make Money With Social Media briefly describes social networking channels and how to set yourself up for success from the beginning.

This book touches on material that I’ve rarely seen in other books. I’ve read many works from some of the top thinkers in the space and most never bring up topics such as:

• Conducting a competitive assessment
• Augmented reality and QR codes
• Quantitative vs qualitative data
• Creating a strategy to match brand essence
• How to conduct an internal situation analysis

Both authors take social media and talk big picture when it comes to integrating strategy with other marketing efforts. At one point it’s stated, “you need to understand how customers make decisions and then how they respond to various stimuli, whether it’s a traditional ad campaign or a social media campaign.” The no nonsense advice here is backed up with actionable ideas. Each chapter concludes with an overview of a key concept and an action step you can take to make it work for yourself or your business.

The final chapters of How To Make Money With Social Media include detailed explanations on how to measure the ROI of your efforts. Many books speak on the importance of ROI, but very few actually dive into the core fundamentals of how to measure it. Turner and Shah give hard numbered examples and tie ROI back into customer lifetime value. I’ve yet to read anything that goes as far as this book does to break up the mystique around obtaining positive return with social media marketing.

I recommend this as one of the first books you read on the topic of social media. Very well written and worth its weight in gold.

Why are we marketing the way we hate being marketed to?

This is the question at the heart of UnMarketing, a new book from viral and social thinker Scott Stratten. Stratten (Mr. UnMarketing himself) lays out a strong case that business owners should rely less on traditional marketing tactics and start using innovative techniques via new media platforms.

UnMarketing is a highly entertaining, yet informative read that packs a lot of useful data into 56 chapters related to on and offline social networking. This book challenges traditional ways of thinking and at minimum will make the reader evaluate his or her use of new media. What’s most refreshing is that unlike many books related to social media, UnMarketing has a timeless quality and doesn’t come across as trendy or pushy. Both seasoned professionals and brand new practitioners will find numerous takeaways. This book has the rare quality of being relevant to a wide audience.

Like many good authors, Stratten is highly personable and practices what he preaches. UnMarketing is full of case studies consisting of brands that really know how to connect with customers as well as those who are completely clueless. Stratten offers his take on a wide variety of topis and always talks big picture. One of his strongest gifts is putting ideas into prospective and he takes time to explain all of his thoughts clearly. There are techniques and inspirational stories in this book that have the power to change the way you run your business. I’d be hard pressed to find someone who wouldn’t find at least one actionable idea. Readers who internalize and follow through with the suggestions in this book will without doubt be able to enhance the way they communicate online.

Stratten goes on to state social media is a telephone, not a megaphone. Use it to get in touch with customers as opposed to just broadcasting. Email marketing, search engine marketing, social networks, and customer service are just a few of the subjects that are touched on. Stratten himself is an avid Twitter user and he dedicates a large portion of the book describing positive examples and personal experiences. This is a book that leaves the reader wanting more. Stratten goes far and above expectations and it’s a welcome change to read a piece of work that will make you laugh and think hard. Stratten’s humor and warn personality are present on every page.

From start to finish I couldn’t put this book town and I highly recommend it to new and seasoned entrepreneurs, those interested in personal branding, and anyone who happens to be curious about new media marketing. This is easily one of the best releases of 2010.

More on Scott Stratten.
Buy via Amazon.

The following blog post from Cool Marketing Stuff discusses lessons from the book The Referral Engine, which describes ways in which businesses can increase their referrals and word of mouth marketing – one of the most cost effective ways to generate new customers.

John Jantsch, the author of the excellent blog and podcast Duct Tape Marketing, explains how small businesses can create an effective referral generation system in The Referral Engine. Most business owners know that the referral is one of their biggest sources of new customers, but few actually have a system in place to generate referrals. This book goes into depth on how to tap into this potentially endless source of new customers. While focused on small business, the concepts are very applicable to any size business that would like to increase their referral rate.

What is your talkable difference?

To make it easy for customers to talk about you, create a talkable point of differentiation. This should be something that is easy to explain so that people can easily share it. For instance TerraCycle produces all their products from stuff that is thrown away. Another example is TOMS Shoes who gives a pair of shoes to a child in need for each pair that is sold. It’s not enough to do something slightly different because people do not talk about boring businesses. It has to be something unique and worth sharing.

Having the right attitude for referrals

In order for you to generate referrals for your business you have to first believe that you deserve them. If not, you may need to first work on your product or service. Additionally, Jantsch argues that you have to believe that you are helping people by asking for referrals. A good referral can help someone improve their social status and build social capital with their friends or colleges.

Set an expectation of referrals

When you first meet with a client, Jantsch suggests telling them: by the end of the engagement, we are so sure that you will be thrilled with the results that you will refer us to three of your friends.

Create a referral network

Jantsch suggests working with other businesses to create a referral network. For instance an accountant, web designer, commercial leasing agent, and marketing consultant can hand out eachother’s discount cards to their clients. You can also gather together service providers that have the same customer, such as small business owners in your town, and cooperate to write blog articles for a local small business blog. Another idea is to partner with non-similar businesses like a coffee shop that had a local fly-fishing instructor give lessons in the back of the shop which attracted more traffic.

The Referral Engine is definitely a book worth referring and I would echo Seth Godin’s recommendation that says “this book will pay for itself in one day”. There are tons of great examples of businesses that have come up with creative ways to encourage referrals and Jantsch shares a lot of actionable things you can start doing right away to get more referrals.