A bible for content creators and marketers, Ann Handley has done a fantastic job with this book on marketing.
When it comes to teaching writing through a book, most authors tend to notice a disconnect with their readers. But not Ann!
Ann quotes in the book, “Writing is a habit, not an art” and this book is not like any other usual guide, because it does not have step-wise instructions for people to abide by. Instead, it is just like reading stories divided into 70 short chapters.
The book is filled with noteworthy moments and a proclivity of humor. It teaches you how to be a writer and win customers through words. Doesn’t matter if you are a business owner, content creator, or just interested in writing, pick up this book and you will not regret it.
Some of the key takeaways we gathered from the book are:
Be flexible and open to growth
While being in any kind of professional content creation or communication job, people usually stick to a single type of writing and often notice that they possess no direction or clarity in any other area.
So, website content won’t be similar to social media content and formal reports may not be similar to blogs. In this situation take Ann’s advice, throw all your traditional methods and habits away and incorporate creativity and a typical corporate personality. Good writing is about telling a story, talking to your audience, and knowing their concerns.
“‘Write in a way that comes naturally’…write for real people using real words. Yet here we are, decades later, and our writing and content are still littered with revolutionary, value-added, impactful, cutting-edge, best-of-breed, go-to ideated words designed to leverage and incentivize and synergize the current paradigm.
Show the bigger picture
It is essential to constantly evaluate your company’s position and value in the market. To attract customers associate your brand with a story. Storytelling reflects the values of humanity to your customer. And when you talk about a bigger picture, you are not only working for the company but also for the consumer.
Handley says that if you keep the consumer as the face of the story you are placing your customers in hero’s role. Remember that a story is a team effort and is ultimately aimed to make the world a better place.
“Because coming up with your bigger story is (relatively) easy, yet telling a true story in an interesting way ‘turns out to be about as easy and pleasurable as bathing a cat,’ says the writer Anne Lamott.”
As a content marketing agency, we recommend this book every time we hit writer’s block or somehow feel our writing is drifting away into outer space. One for re-reads, we recommend getting a hard copy of this one!
