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Marketing gurus Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman have authored the new book Content Rules.
In a word, it rocks.
Although the authors would hope "to discredit the notion that creating content is complicated and difficult," Content Rules makes one thing crystal clear: it pays to tackle social media marketing with care and know-how.
If you're at all shy in the latter department (who isn't?), Content Rules will help.
Part One provides 11 do's and don'ts, the "rules" touted in the title. It's packed with advice about writing, curating, co-creating, repurposing, sharing and other activities essential to good content marketing.
Part Two delves into how-to's.
The authors, like most social media marketing experts, insist a blog forms the "hub" of any sound content marketing strategy. There's a strong chapter on blogging with 12 more rules on that activity alone.
Fanning from the blog are Webinars, white papers, case studies, FAQ sheets, videos, podcasts and photos. Part Two includes hundreds of pointers for perfecting these.
Part Three offers 10 case studies.
Profiled are content marketing grand slams by big and little players, including Boeing, HubSpot and Kodak.
Included with each case study are "Ideas You Can Steal." These alone justify the price of the 250-page book.
While co-author Chapman, a "thought leader" in the space, is no slouch, Ms Handley is chief content officer of the much-lauded Website MarketingProfs.
So you can guess the advice in Content Rules is fairly sound.
After all, 365,000 followers can't all be wrong.
I can't allow the moment to pass without noting the death last week of Don Van Vliet, who performed in the 1960s and '70s as Captain Beefheart.
Many an hour of my youth was spent (some would say misspent) grooving to Beefheart.
We toss the word around lighty, but Van Vliet was an artist.
He was the only big-name rocker I ever saw walk off the stage at the beginning of a performance, because the audience wouldn't accept his latest work.
"You don't deserve this, [expurgated*]," he announced mid-song, and stormed off.
The concert was held in 1972 in George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium. It lasted about 12 minutes, as I recall.
*Rhymes with suckers.
My mom and dad said, if I write you a letter, you'd bring me all the things I want this Christmas.
So here goes.
Transformers. Bring me as many of these as you can, Santa. Sometimes I run out of ways to transform dull first drafts into inspiring copy.
Stinky the Garbage Truck. I can use this to haul off the ideas I come up with that my clients reject.
Spy Net Video Watch. I can use this super-special watch to keep tabs on competitors. But, more importantly, I can use it to show up on time for appointments.
High School Musical 3 Game. I want to relive high school this way. My actual high school was more like the Revenge of the Nerds 3 Game.
Speedster Fire Truck. I need this to rescue the numerous clients I have who are too busy to notice their hair is on fire.
Thank you, Santa.
If you bring me all these things, I promise, promise, promise to be good.
Today’s customers demand simplicity, even in complex matters.
Seth Godin reminds us in a recent blog post, "You can't sell complicated to someone who came to you to buy simple."
You can't persuade "masses of semi-interested people to embrace complicated answers," Godin says.
So don't try.
Instead, he urges, break down the complex. Communicate baby steps. "Teach complexity over time, simply."
And don't aim for masses. Aim for the few. "Teach a few people, the committed, to embrace the idea of complexity."
Find more tips in my special report, Path of Persuasion.
While paying lip service to "social" in the virtual world, far too many organizations remain decidedly anti-social in the real one.
Whenever I'm the victim of such an outfit, I recall the motto of W.C. Fields, "Never give a sucker an even break."
Truth be told, the anti-social organization holds this motto dearly. No matter what it spouts on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.
"The customers are just suckers. Let's never, ever give 'em a break."
On Social Media Today, guest columnist Alexis Karlin takes anti-social organizations, deservedly, to task.
She's a tad more generous in attitude than I.
Forget what the social media gurus advise, Karlin writes. "Organizations need to start by indoctrinating every employee with a customer support mentality before they even begin to think about social anything."
She offers her own example of anti-social corporate behavior.
Recently, Karlin cancelled a license for software she'd been using.
Two months later, she received an email from the vendor. It claimed Karlin was four payments in arrears.
Karlin shot back an email. Why hadn't she been notified earlier?
The vendor's reply: "someone else" in her firm had been notified.
But Karlin's was the only name ever given to the vendor. She then asked to see copies of the late-payment notices.
There has been no response.
Karlin feels anger over the incident. "Even though we spend all this time talking about engaging, energizing, supporting, and embracing," she writes, "I strongly feel that companies are forgetting to do this in the day-to-day dealings through email, over the phone and face to face.
"My guess is that this vendor has a great social strategy and plan in place, but didn’t bother to instill the prerequisite customer service mentality."
My guess is slightly different.
Yes, this vendor has a great social strategy and plan in place. But it doesn't have a lot of scruples.
Engage. Energize. Embrace. And never give a sucker an even break.
What do you think?
