Joe and Susan discussed:

Part one of the broadcast [12 minutes]

• What exactly is content marketing?
• What types of content can be effective as part of a content marketing strategy?
• Why delivering valuable information to your customers is a key to driving your business?
• What happens if you are not a writer?  Can you still be a content marketer?
• Why has marketing changed so much in the past few years?
• What does it mean to put on a publisher’s hat?
• Why strategy rules?
• What does it mean to set up listening posts?

Part two of the broadcast [10 minutes]

• Why consistent communication is the key?
• Start simple.
• How often should you update your website?
• How to package your information that will position you as an industry expert?
• Setting up the content calendar.
• Biggest mistakes small businesses make with content.
• Resisting the urge to “sell” too much in your content.
• Don’t wait for perfection.  It will never come.

To be honest, when Newt and I sat down to write this book, our prospective reader was a marketing professional in any size organization.  Surprisingly, the majority of positive feedback we have received has been from owners, operators and from other functions throughout businesses that are really looking into how they are running their businesses and their business models.

In my discussions with these decision-makers, many were aware that significant changes needed to happen in their business communications and marketing approach, but they weren’t quite sure how to deal with them. We are humbled to be able to help these individuals take a new content marketing mindset into their organizations that will pay dividends.

Here is one worthwhile quote from a small-business owner in California: “We’ve been talking about these issues in our organization for quite a while, but have never found the necessary direction to make actionable change. Your book is helping us do that.”

Here’s a comment from Bob Leonard on the Amazon.com site: “Barrett and Pulizzi went well beyond an academic treatise of what “content marketing” is. They took the Harvard Business School approach and told the stories of 15 different companies and how they leveraged content marketing for business success. You get all the hows and whys. The stories are fun to read and, like every well told story, they’re memorable.

This book should be required reading in every business school in the country. It explains a fundamental shift in the way products and services are sold, and every person in business needs to understand it.”

Also, check out this review from Greg Verdino (Greg was an early reviewer of the book).

Blatant Sales Pitch:  Get this book! If you don’t get something out of it, I’ll buy it back from you.