Remember how it felt to walk into a music store and find a favorite artist’s greatest hits album? How pushing play took you on a trip down memory lane? And how it felt to discover a new favorite from an artist you love?
Ann Handley is a rock star of content marketing. Since bursting on the scene 12 years ago, she has produced a string of hits helping others become more effective in content creation efforts. To celebrate the release of Ann’s latest book, Everybody Writes, we continue “Ann Handley Week” on LinkedIn. We started the week with an interview about how she approaches writing. Then, we covered why Everybody Writes should be in the hands of all content marketers. Today, we want to help you relive a selection of Ann’s greatest hits. This list of resources covers everything from the state of the industry to practical techniques marketers can apply to their efforts today.
So sit back, enjoy rediscovering some of Ann’s greatest content from the past year, and prepare to find new favorites.
1. Everybody Writes [book]
Rising rapidly in the charts, Ann’s second book, Everybody Writes, is a must-have resource for content marketers. Ann challenges marketers to view writing as a skill that can be developed. Everybody Writes is a guide to help marketers develop content that intrigues and draws in their audience.
2. 3 Ways to Master the Hashtag [article]
Love them or leave them, the hashtag is a fixture in content marketing. In this article on Entrepreneur.com, Ann reveals how hashtags can help marketers tell their organization’s story, tap into what their target market cares about, and convey personality.
3. The Biggest Marketing Lesson from Chipotle’s ‘Scarecrow’ Video (and It’s Not to ‘Start with a Billion Dollars’) [article]
With nearly 80,000 views, this is one of Ann’s most popular posts on LinkedIn. Ann shares why Chipotle’s viral video about industrial food production was a content marketing success story and why it is so important for brands to tell their “bigger story.”
4. Here’s How Ann Handley (the World’s First Chief Content Officer) Writes [interview]
In this extensive Q&A, Copyblogger convinces Ann to reveal her strategies for writing great content. Ann dives into the quick-and-dirty way to tell if content is compelling, how she beats procrastination, and how empathy is an essential tool for great writers.
5. Battling Mediocrity in Content: Ann Handley Talks to Marketing Smarts [podcast]
During this podcast, Ann talks with Kerry O’Shea Gorgone from Marketing Profs about how to write with a compelling style. The podcast covers how to make the customer the center of a story and crafting content that speaks in a friendly tone. Ann also dives into how to overcome the biggest hurdle faced by content marketers: the fear of not being a good writer.
6. 9 Qualities of Good Writing
In this widely-shared article on her blog, Ann contends that good writing is the backbone of all content marketing. Even videos start “with a story and a script,” she points out. To help marketers create better content, Ann distills 25 years of experience as a writer and editor down into the essential qualities of good writing.
7. Content Marketing 2014 North America Benchmarks [eBook]
A collaboration between Ann Handley’s content team at Marketing Profs and the Content Marketing Institute, the B2B and B2C Content Marketing 2014 North America Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends eBooks are a valuable resource for marketers. The reports cover how companies are using content marketing and how the industry is changing.
Looking for more inspiration from LinkedIn Influencers like Ann? Check out our Sophisticated Marketer’s Guide to discover additional content marketing tips from industry experts:
