Online, people trust people they can talk to as another human being. Conversation is king. Content is how you start conversations.Content Rules is divided into three parts. The first covers the rules of producing content. Part two provides the hammer-and-nails practical section. The third part is a collection of success stories: businesses who use content as a core element of their online strategy.The section on rules asks you to consider who you want to attract with your content. Answering that question helps you decide what content to create and how to best reach your audience. Vague targets lead to vague results.Producing content can be less time-consuming than you’re expecting. Once you have your audience in mind, create an editorial schedule – what you’ll publish, where and how often – and then stick to that calendar. Consistency is the key to content success. Because of this, while you can master multiple content platforms at once, you will want to choose a content production schedule you’re confident you can meet.The book itself is an example of great content and should inspire you.Entrepreneurs can use this book to learn how to publish engaging content to establish themselves as experts. Very basic. Definitely fine for someone who is delving into social media for the first time. I think it lost me as soon as it brought in drawings of robots doing various things. I understand that this was supposed to help you remember key ideas, but I found myself irritated by them. And then they were never brought back in the rest of the book. If you are going to introduce a visual element like that, you should at least carry it through.One of the points the book made over and over was to avoid a "professional" voice, as you need to appear human to identify with your audience. Of course this is important. However, the authors' use of it actually made me identify with them less, as it sometimes felt as if they were trying too hard to be cool and casual. Phrases like "put in your two pesos" bothered me. There were also some strange layout/design choices in this book. Some sections were in grey boxes that, instead of being a tidbit of useful related information, actually went on for pages. The title mentions "how to", yet the book is not telling you how to develop any of the media options it explores in its title (well, it does spend quite a bit of time on webinars, but not much on blogs, etc.). It does give you ideas on how to tailor your content to your audience, as well as how to break it down or splice it together to fit different media styles. Nothing I didn't already know.I seriously learned nothing from this book. Perhaps I have just taken a lot of time to investigate the issues it covers on my own, but much of it seemed like common sense. If you are lost when it comes to scheduling, communicating, and gauging your audience, you could be helped by this book. Otherwise, it would probably be best to pass this one by.
What do You think about Content Marketing (2012)?
Good Stuff about creating good content for the web. A Must for bloggers!
—jazzy1780
Good info for anyone who wants/needs an online presence.
—jay
