I was fortunate to have the opportunity to meet Ann Handley earlier this year at her Content Rules book tour in Arlington, VA. I’d been following her on Twitter and reading MarketingProfs for several months when I became convinced she was emerging as one of the most influential voices in online marketing.

So it was a great joy to meet her, pose for a picture together and leave with one of my now favorite marketing books ever – Content Rules.

This book blew my mind.  For one, I had not yet made the connection between social media and content marketing – I was still treating them as two separate entities. Reading this book was for me the moment the clouds parted and the angels sang – it was then that I understood social media is impotent without content marketing.

And that’s why this book is so important.  I believe it has something for everyone. Whether you’re new in the game or you’ve been marketing all your life, Content Rules is packed with value and wisdom and is a resource that simply cannot be ignored.

So without further ado, here’s a comprehensive review of Content Rules.Continue Reading

At the heart of social media is the desire that every consumer has to talk about something interesting, compelling and relevant and to share that information with his or her friends.

The question marketers must ask themselves is: “What makes my brand so interesting that people will want to talk about it and share it with their friends?” (Even boring brands have something interesting to say!)

You can’t succeed in social media if you don’t have something interesting to say.

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