Introduction: Why you need this book

PART ONE: Why valuable content?

Chapter 1: Marketing has changed. Have you? • The business development challenge • How successful businesses are marketing themselves today • What are these companies doing right? • The three factors transforming buyer behaviour • The new buyer mentality • Buyers prefer valuable content • Chapter 2: What is valuable content and why it wins you business • What we

mean by valuable content • The rise of valuable content as a smart marketing choice • Five vital things every business needs, and valuable content delivers • The wider benefits to your business • How valuable content connects you with your customers • Chapter 3: ‘What do I say?’ Guiding principles for your valuable content • Seven guiding principles for your content • How to find stuff to write about • Quick ideas starters

PART TWO: What valuable content?

Chapter 4: Start with a blog • Some blogging basics • Why blog? • How to create a successful business blog • How to write a valuable blog article • A simple template for your blog articles • Blogging Q and A • Chapter 5: Distribute your valuable content using social media • Social networks - the main arenas for businesses • Which tool is best for sharing content? • Valuable content guidelines for all social networks • Vary the content you share by platform • How to be valuable on Twitter • How to be valuable on Linkedln • How to be valuable on Facebook • Chapter 6: Keep in touch with engaging email newsletters • The importance of keeping in contact • Email newsletters the valuable way • How to build an engaged mailing list • An alternative way to keep in touch - autoresponder emails • Chapter 7: Get search engine savvy • Why you should care about search engines • What search engines want • Top five ways to optimize your content for search • Chapter 8: Your valuable website • The role of a good business website • More library than online brochure • Traditional website vs valuable website • Guidelines for a valuable website • Think content first (before you get the web designers in) • Instructions for your web designer/ developer • Ideas for key sections of your site • Tips for writing the content on your website • Chapter 9: Add deeper written content: white papers, e-books and books • The benefits to your business of deeper content • Your deeper written content options • What deeper content to choose when? • 10 top white paper and e-book writing tips • Should you make people fill out a form to download your content? • The importance of a strong landing page • Great content needs great design • Repurposing your stock content • Chapter 10: Diversify with different formats: video, audio and more • Different formats to connect with more people • The rise and rise of video content • Where to start with video • Working with a video company • Wonderful webinars • The power of infographics • Podcasts for business • Online games as sales tools • Mobile apps • Chapter 11: Widen your reach: take your content on tour • How valuable content wins you PR opportunities • Getting your content published in industry-leading media • The etiquette of guest blogging • Making the most of speaker opportunities • Chapter 12: Valuable content for salespeople • How to use content to start sales conversations • Valuable content, not brochures • Tips for valuable content sales campaigns • The art of good sales copy • Valuable content and the power of good sales follow-up • Bringing sales and marketing closer together

PART THREE: How to make your marketing valuable

Chapter 13: How to write content your customers will value • Make your writing valuable • How to be engaging • How to write less and say more • Help with headlines • Making time for writing • Making writing manageable • The importance of editing • How to stop procrastinating and just do it! • Chapter 14: Making it happen: seven steps to success • Seven steps to success with valuable content • Step 1- Know your business objectives • Step 2- Be clear on what you will talk about • Step 3- Pick the right mix of content creation and distribution tools • Step 4- Make sure your website is up to the job • Step 5- Plan like a publishing pro with a content calendar • Step 6- Put the right team together • Step 7 Measure, refine, learn and continue

Conclusion: your new marketing manifesto

Additional resources • 1. How valuable is your content now? • 2. ‘Get to know your customers’ template • 3. No-nonsense glossary of SEO terms • 4. Checklist for your website content • 5. Questions to help you write a good case study • 6. Planning questions for deeper written content • Quoted experts and recommended further reading • Acknowledgements

Index

If you are the kind of person who would rather attract business than chase business then Valuable Content Marketing is for you.

Unthink what you’ve learned about sales and marketing communication. For today’s savvy, cynical, connected buyers, old style marketing no longer works. If you want to engage potential customers and help your business stand out from the crowd, you need to start doing things differently. Stop pushing noisy sales messages, get online and make your marketing valuable to those you want to do business with. From websites to white papers, blogs to tweets, newsletters to video, now more than ever content is king. But any old content won’t do - only high-quality, valuable content is trusted, read and shared. Get your content right and you will connect with clients and customers in ways they appreciate - they’ll soon be knocking at your door wanting to do business with you.

Valuable Content Marketing shows you how to create and share the type of information that clients, customers and search engines really want. Whether you’re starting a business, creating a new website or want to get better results from your marketing efforts, this book shows you how.

• Grow your business by raising awareness of your brand, turning prospects into buyers and buyers into long-term fans

• Gain real-world inspiration from companies of all sizes that have got it right. from small businesses to household names

• Get practical and focused advice, with reader-friendly features such as step-by-step action lists, valuable tips and templates