How do you learn today? Do you like to attend webinars? Read books? Travel to conferences? Companies these days often have very high expectations for their employees to constantly be educating themselves on the latest in their industry. There is just so much information available to us. Luckily, the content marketing industry provides many great resources for learning about this topic. From one-hour webinars to three-day conferences, you have access to all of the experts and tons of information.
Here is a list of the Top 9 Content Marketing Resources you have access to so far for 2011.
Register for at least one of these conferences, purchase at least one of these books and subscribe to at least one of these blogs and your knowledge of content marketing will significantly increase. Our education is no longer confined to the four walls of a classroom. This is the age of information and it is at our fingertips.
Conferences
1. 2011 Content Marketing Strategies Conference
The Content Marketing Strategies Conference will be hosted by Dlvr.it February 16 and 17 in beautiful Berkeley, CA.
The conference brings together leading brands, ad agencies, publishers, PR professionals and service providers to discuss the latest strategies, solutions and technologies in digital content marketing.
The conference will reveal through real-world case studies how to use content marketing to increase business and explore the future of this powerful marketing tool.
This is a conference that is well worth the travel and you can easily make a great vacation out of it and spend a few days in the Bay Area.
2. Confab hosted by Brain Traffic
Confab: The Content Strategy Conference is hosted by Brain Traffic, a content strategy consultancy.
Taking place May 9-11 in Minneapolis, MN., keynotes and breakout sessions will feature a variety of industry experts selected for their groundbreaking and diverse takes on content strategy.
Topics include; Web/UX content strategy, multi-platform strategy, Enterprise content strategy, content marketing, how to create killer content and CMS/agile content.
Content strategy case studies from some of the worlds most recognized brands including; Disney, eBay, Facebook, Johns Hopkins, Merck, The New Yorker and YouTube.
A must-attend conference if you want to get all of the content experts in one place, whose work is truly changing the conversation.
3. Content Marketing World 2011
Content Marketing World is taking place in Cleveland, OH September 6-8. This is the premier international content marketing event from the Content Marketing Institute.
At Content Marketing World, youll learn how to transform your marketing department into a storytelling factory, engaging your prospects and customers in all the right channels with the right messages" including social, mobile, email, online and even print and in-person strategies.
Through 24+ breakout sessions and amazing keynotes led by worldwide experts, youll get the tools you need to be a successful content marketer. Keynote speakers include David Pogue and David Meerman Scott.
Check out the complete lineup!
Books
Get Content Get Customers, by Joe Pulizzi and Newt Barrett, proves that the transformation from traditional to content marketing often requires both a new mindset and a new skill set. Pulizzi and Barrett are publishing and marketing veterans, bringing a unique perspective to content marketing success. With decades of experience in adapting to rapid change, they have observed the fundamental shifts in buyer behavior. Get Content Get Customers provides the concepts to create customer-focused, innovative organizations. The authors illustrate in-depth case studies, proving that even very traditional companies have deployed content marketing strategies in print, online and in-person. If any of this sounds familiar, you should definitely pick up this book.
5. Content Strategy for the Web
Content Strategy for the Web, by Kristina Halvorson of Brain Traffic, explains how to deliver useful, usable content for your online audiences, when and where they need it most.
Halvorson explains content strategy and its business value in plain language and reveals why so many web projects implode in the content development phase as well as how to avoid the associated, unnecessary costs and delays.
With Content Strategy for the Web, you will learn how to audit and analyze your content and make smarter, achievable decisions about which content to create and how. Finally, in order to truly be successful, you must maintain consistent, accurate and compelling content over time. This is a must-have book for 2011.
Content Rules by Ann Hadley (Chief Content Officer, Marketing Profs) and C.C. Chapman (Founder of Digital Dads) demystifies the idea of organizations as publisher and streamlines the process of creating remarkable blogs, podcasts, webinars, eBooks, and other web content that will lure would-be customers to you.
It walks the reader through the fundamentals of how to create bold stories, videos and blog posts. In addition, the book goes through steps of how to share this content across the web to cultivate fans, arouse passion for your product or services, and ignite your business.
Content Rules is suited for organizations of all sizes and stripes, whether you are a Fortune 500 corporation or a mom-and-pop on the corner, or anything in between: hospital, entrepreneur, nonprofit, sole practitioner or consultant, artist, government agency, church, school, political candidate, sports team, community group, or rock band or maybe a butcher, baker or candlestick maker.
Blogs
TopRanks Online Marketing Blog has provided insights, resources and commentary on a range of digital marketing and public relations topics including; search engine marketing and optimization, social media marketing, business blogging and marketing as well as online public relations since December 2003.
All of these aspects are essential to a holistic content marketing strategy and should be understood in order to be successful. The TopRank blog is internationally renown and was recently ranked number one in the Junta42 Top 42 Content Marketing Blogs list, which highlights the best bloggers on the web discussing content marketing.
By subscribing to a blog such as this, youll have this information delivered directly to your inbox on a regular basis.
8. Junta42 Blog
Junta42 was founded in July 2007 by Joe Pulizzi, author of Get Content Get Customers.
His goal is to help marketers and publishers better understand the need and application for content marketing activities. The Junta42 blog is a gold mine for those looking for high-level expertise on various topics related to content marketing and strategy, delivered personally by the expert himself.
This is a must-subscribe blog.
9. Web Ink Now
Web Ink Now is written by David Meerman Scott, author of the BusinessWeek bestseller The New Rules of Marketing and PR which is published in 26 languages.
David is a prime example of someone who is delivering compelling content. His blog, as well his hundreds of speaking engagements around the world, give him a singular perspective on how businesses are implementing new strategies to reach buyers.
Web Ink Now is ranked by AdAge Power 150 as a top worldwide marketing blog. Many of his posts include information about how to use social media, online video, news releases, blogs, podcasts, viral marketing and online media to reach your buyers directly.
Another must-subscribe blog for 2011.
Thanks for compiling these great resources. Is it just me, or is Content Marketing hitting its stride in 2011?
You’re welcome. And I agree, I think this is the year for content marketing to finally reach critical mass – and to be truly understood.
Thanks for spreading the word Arnie,
Suzanne — My second book was called “Cashing in with Content” and it came out in 2005. I was WAY ahead of my time. Nobody know what the heck I was talking about. Glad these ideas are now being seen as valuable.
David
Indeed! Again, I have to thank you, David, for being a career-saver. I had planned from 2004 to leave newspapers and start my own business, but it was so unclear: Doing what exactly?
I’ll take early over too late, tho 😉
Hey David – you were def WAY ahead of your time. I think people are finally understanding there is a big difference between spraying out poor content and creating content people actually want to engage with. It also helps to now have tools like YouTube, Twitter & Facebook to spread the word once you have created that engaging content.
Thanks so much for this fantastic list! I will definitely check out the books you mentioned.
If you had to choose one of the conferences to go to for 2011, which would you choose? I already run a small “brand storytelling” business and have a varied marketing/communications (and writing) background, so I am looking for some help with better process (process I can “sell”) and an understanding of how to apply content strategies to digital applications (I am already strong on the print side)…would appreciate your input. Thanks!
@Jacqueline – if you are talking about the 3 above, i will assume it is too late for you to make it to Oakland next week, so that leaves either Confab or CMW. Since this is the first time for both conferences, it’s impossible to make a recommendation based on experience, but if you are looking for strategy oriented material Confab is probably the best fit. But I am partial towards CMW for a more well rounded view of the “new marketing”.
Thanks, that’s helpful. I think I’ll try Confab!
Hello Arnie, thank you for this great Overview! Your article is alo distributed in europe so it must be a good one 😉
For those Content-Marketers that travel or make business in Germany (and speak german) is another good Event-Opportunity the Content-Marketing-Conference in Cologne. It is dated on 1st September and a look worth:
http://www.content-marketing-conference.com
Best Regs from Contilla
René
Thanks for the tip, Rene. Keulen is beautiful. We were often in Solingen and went day-tripping in Keulen.