Acknowledging that content marking is a current and effective marketing technique is one thing, but when you’re embarking on a whole new philosophy it can be easy to get a bit lost in the mountains of information you come across when trying to research.
Before attempting to develop your own content marketing strategy, you should be very familiar with the concept and understand what you are trying to achieve and some specific techniques that can help you achieve it. Therefore, to save you sifting through the abundance of content on content marketing education, we have cherry picked the best articles and resources to help you get started with content marketing.
11+ resources for people who are new to content marketing
Marketing Land: How Do I Get Started With Content Marketing?
This article seeks the advice of seven content marketing experts who give their own take on how to get started with content marketing. Everyone has their own way of explaining something and, similarly, everybody understands things differently therefore, with several different view points, advice and explanation, there’s bound to be someone in this article who speaks your language!
Click here to read full article.
Hootsuite: What is Content Marketing, Really?
This article is aimed at people who struggle to understand what content marketing is or justify the spend and effort. Written by Hootsuite’s marketing lead for brand and content strategy, Ashley Jane Brookes, this article gives in-depth information about what content marketing is, why it’s worth our time and money and how to make room for it in your business.
Click here to read full article.
KISSmetrics: The Beginners Guide to Content Marketing
This article explains content marketing by comparing it to traditional marketing and advertising techniques while providing visual examples of companies with effective techniques. This article is ideal for business owners who are unconvinced of the effectiveness or credibility of content marketing or those who would rather stick to traditional marketing methods.
Click here to read full article.
Content Marketing Institute: Getting Started
This webpage answers some questions you may have such as “What exactly is content marketing?” or “Who is using content marketing?”. It also includes numerous links to articles that help explain more about the difference between content marketing and traditional marketing, as well as helpful links to articles on how to get started.
Click here to read full article.
Content Marketing Experience: Content Marketing Guide
This comprehensive article begins with a definition of content marketing and then goes on to offer a range of related resources and guides that will help you build all the vital elements of a content marketing strategy. Each article has pictures, infographics and quote to help illustrate their point and even provides a list of content marketers to watch out for.
Click here to read full article.
WP Curve: How to build you business with Content Marketing
This article is tailored to small business owners. Written by Ross Beard, a marketing specialist from Australia, he outlines the reasons why content marketing should be part of your marketing strategy. Ross then provides four simple steps towards implementing your content marketing strategy: understand your audience, develop a strategy, create compelling content and promote content and increase reach. At the end of each step there is a “Your Turn” section which allows you to put what you have just read into practice.
Click here to read full article.
NewsCred: Content Marketing Playbook
This white paper uses examples of companies such as Pepsi, J.Crew and Oreo to demonstrate the three key aspects of content marketing: content strategy, design and delivery. This paper sets out what the case study company did and then provides you with the key takeaways you need to replicate their success.
Click here to get the white paper.
Marcus Sheridan: Inbound and Content Marketing E-Book
The Sales Lion, Marcus Sheridan, has compiled all his blog posts over 2 years and turned them into an e-book that is not only an easy read but is full of useful and real world advice that you can easily implement into your business, no matter what industry you are in. Read this, take a few notes on what Marcus says, implement them well and you will be on your way with content marketing.
Click here to get the e-book.
Quick Sprout: The Advanced Guide to Content Marketing
This content marketing guide from Neil Patel’s Quick Sprout is perhaps the most in depth, step-by-step and ‘hand-holding’ guide for developing your content marketing strategy. You can view this online and you can also download the .pdf for offline reading.
Click here to get the full guide.
Feldman Creative: The Planner for Growing Your Business with Effective Online Marketing
Feldman Creative (Barry Feldman) has created a two free downloadable e-books to assist you with your content marketing strategy. The two e-books compliment each other. Firstly, The Planner is for you to read through and to help you to understand how marketing has changed and why content marketing is the future. Secondly, The Plan is your workbook where you start to develop your content strategy based on your reading from the The Planner. It’s a very easy to follow step-by-step guide for content marketing strategy development.
Click here to get the e-book.
Copyblogger: A 52-Installment Content Marketing Course (FREE)
A list of content marketing resources wouldn’t be complete without something from Copyblogger – well known as the leading authority in the world on everything to do with copywriting and content marketing. Copyblogger have curated their own content into a list of 52 articles all organised nicely into logical and step-by-step content marketing strategy sections. Take on their advice and book time in with yourself to read through their articles and become the content marketing expert you want to be.
Click here to read the full article.
Bonus – content marketing podcasts
As a bonus we have included 6 podcast shows that are specifically based around helping us develop out content marketing philosophy and strategy.
This Old Marketing Podcast with Robert Rose and Joe Pulizzi
In this show you get to listen in on a chat between two of the most well known and leading content marketing authorities, Rose and Pulizzi. Every week, for about an hour, they discuss very recent content marketing programmes from organisations around the world and critique articles published by other leading authorities.
Click here to listen.
Mad Marking Podcast with Marcus Sheridan
If you have been following our blog you will most likely know who Marcus is by now. If not, the best way to get to know him is to listen to his podcast. In between sharing personal lessons and stories, Marcus sheds light on his philosophy of content marketing and answers marketing and sales questions that his followers have sent him.
Click here to listen.
Resonance Content Podcast with Rachel Parker
Rachel has published over 80 Content Marketing Podcast shows and each each week she shares actionable tips, clear guidance and honest advice about developing your content marketing strategy.
Click here to listen.
Content Marketing 360 Podcast with Pamela Muldoon
With 40+ episodes under her belt Pamela has interviewed many of the leading authorities in content marketing, some of whom are mentioned in this article. Through her podcast show Pamela has provided us with access to some of the top marketing minds in the world.
Click here to listen.
Content Warfare Podcast with Ryan Hanley
Ryan Hanely publishes a weekly interview style podcast with content marketing experts from across the globe, including some of the experts we have mentioned in this article. With almost 100 episodes published, Ryan’s show is very much worth subscribing and listening to.
Click here to listen.
Content Champion Podcast with Loz James
Lez also hosts an interview style podcast with content marketing authorities. There are currently 26 published shows, and Lez hasn’t held back on booking quality guests for his show. An impressive showcase and we are looking forward to his future guests and the development of his podcast show.
Click here to listen.
Your turn
- What’s your favourite content marketing resource?
- What would you like us to add to this list?
- What are your biggest challenge when it comes to content marketing strategy and development?
Let us know in the comments section below.