And Win More Customers by Marketing Less - How to Tell a Different Story

In his closing address at Content Marketing World 2013, Joe Pulizzi advised more than 1700 content marketers in attendance to "Try". Like so many elements of content marketing, it's a simple concept to understand but difficult to implement. In his new book, Epic Content Marketing: How to Tell a Different Story, Break through the Clutter, and Win More Customers by Marketing Less, Pulizzi manages to demystify both the art and science of the burgeoning content revolution and give marketers confidence and inspiration. Importantly, he also challenges the reader to get uncomfortable and assume a few risks.

The book is organized into five distinct sections starting with the history of content marketing and moving through strategy, process, implementation and measurement. Suitable for both the seasoned professional and marketing intern, Pulizzi's advice and examples guide the reader through the essentials of a successful content marketing program. Each chapter is summarized with an "Epic Thoughts" section, a helpful recap of the key points of the chapter, along with a comprehensive list of "Epic Resources". Pulizzi also provides online links to additional content and tools throughout the book demonstrating his commitment to being helpful, a principle he endorses as an essential trait of effective content. The final chapter in the book contains several checklists, examples, and prompts to help marketers develop and distribute epic content for their business.

The genius behind Epic Content Marketing is the easy blend of simplicity and complexity in its advice. The reader feels encouraged but also senses Pulizzi expects them to leave their comfort zone. While many business books offer a prescription for success, Pulizzi is throwing down the gauntlet and asking readers to experiment and take chances in order to uncover new and valuable customer stories. Pulizzi advises content marketers to embrace failure, forget about perfection but always move towards producing the very best content in their industry.

Epic Content Marketing stands out in the clutter of marketing books for several reasons. Pulizzi is a talented writer who packs a lot of information into easily digestible chapters. He's loaded each chapter with opinions and advice from expert practitioners, providing numerous case studies and success stories from both large and small organizations. He's generous with his own experience at the Content Marketing Institute giving frank insight into how content marketing has helped his own company to grow. Best of all, he's provided a structured road map that's equally useful for novices and experienced content marketers. His parting advice in this book is to "Be epic", a mandate that seems totally achievable with his help.

"Epic Content Marketing: How to Tell a Different Story, Break through the Clutter, and Win More Customers by Marketing Less" takes a complex, vitally important and sometimes contentious topic and breaks it down so that you can get your arms around it - and more importantly, so you can DO IT.

Almost every marketing book in the last 5 years has advised entrepreneurs and executives to "create amazing content" and everything good will fall out of the sky. This is perhaps the ultimate manifestation of the phrase, "Easier said than done."

Until now - because Joe Pulizzi has written ANOTHER great book that is part strategic guide, part implementation toolkit, and part content marketing manifesto.

I challenge any non-believer to work through this great book and not become a convert - or at least a solid practitioner - of content marketing.

The best thing about the book is that it's filled with specific examples, success stories, strategies, tactics and tools. Nothing is left out. Nothing is assumed. And Joe makes it clear that content marketing is a marathon, not a sprint - while proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that the "journey is worth the trip."

Great book - highly recommended. Makes a great companion to Joe's earlier work, "Get Content, Get Customers" - and if you liked the older book, you'll LOVE this one.

-- David Newman, author of Do It! Marketing: 77 Instant-Action Ideas to Boost Sales, Maximize Profits, and Crush Your Competition

Extracted from my review at [...]

Pulizzi's book is a worthy guide for marketers on both the brand and agency sides of the house. The author hasn't written just another book on content marketing 101 - it states it clearly in the title - he's going for EPIC!

The book is filled to the brim with do's and don'ts. Pulizzi offers 15 causes of why current content marketing may not be benefiting the organization, including: self-centeredness, fear of failure, communicating in silos, lack of C-suite sponsorship, and more. He goes on to provide six principles of epic content marketing:

Fill a need
Be consistent
Be human
Have a point of view
Avoid "sales speak"
Be best-of-breed
The thinking and advice around these principles is interspersed with numerous case studies and interviews that support the principles. Many of the case studies are from larger organizations or brands, like Red Bull, the Coca-Cola Company, and P&G - but he also provides case studies from smaller companies like a pool and spa company with 20 employees.

Some of the highlights of the book include creating a content marketing mission statement, creating an editorial calendar, and marketing your content. That's right - not only do you create content for marketing, but then you have to market that content as well. And as is the case in any marketing endeavors, we need to be able to ascertain the real value of their activities. Pulizzi offers some great approaches to identifying that value so that you can communicate that value to your executives.

My recommendation is that when you buy this book, you buy a blank notebook to go along with it so that you can take notes - maybe a highlighter pen as well. Squeeze this book hard - squeeze all of the good information out of it. If enough marketers do that, the whole world of marketing is going to be that much better.

OK, in full disclosure, I was honored to be asked by Joe to write the foreward for this book. But I only just read my advance copy this week.

Here's why I think this book is amazing: Because Joe translates the importance of content marketing into business terms. Epic Content Marketing is all about how a business can find and convert new customers through effective storytelling that breaks through all the noise in the market today. Joe says "Publishing is the new marketing" and I couldn't agree more. To be effective, businesses have to stop trying to convince you that they are great and start trying to show you that they can be valuable, helpful, useful.

I consider myself a relatively experienced content marketer and yet I found a ton of amazing tips in this book and suggestions I am looking to implement right away.

So if your a brand marketer who sees the ineffectiveness of the overly-promotional and self-serving "campaign-brain", then this book is for you. If you are a small business owner and you don't have the time or money for big budget marketing programs, then this book is for you. And if you are a consultant in the content industry, this book should become your new playbook for how to help your clients achieve business success by thinking and acting like a publisher.

Everything you want to know about content marketing is in this book and then some. Here's what I loved:
+ Joe sets up the why of content marketing with great case studies and stories about how it works
+ The epic resources at the end of each section is incredibly helpful if you want to know more
+ The practical guidance is fantastic
+ The quotes at the beginning of each chapter set the tone and kept me thinking
+ the personal nature--loved the family mission statement and stories about Joe and his CMI work

What I didn't like:
It's almost too much, but that's not really Joe's fault--content is EPIC and BIG. And I think that's where this book has to be consumed in smaller chunks so you can put into practice as you learn more about more about it. I left it on my desk and read a chapter or two everyday just to get through it all and I tagged certain pages so I could go back and use them as a reference.

The other thing about this book is that even though social media channels will come into popularity and fade the foundational aspects of content marketing are all here. So if you're looking for a deep dive (why, how, resources and case studies) into content marketing, this is the book for you.

The idea of using content to market your business isn't a new one, but Joe Pulizzi presents the components of this strategy in a way that makes sense. The only thing I would have added is more about the importance of blogging as a fundamental part of content marketing. Lots of great info here.

Joe Pulizzi is THE expert on content marketing, but he has an approachable and easy to read demeanor that makes him very engaging.

This book is highly recommended for any company that wants to sell more while marketing less.

I also see three key lessons on content marketing from the book, which I share here.

1) Mission Statement - Before starting content marketing, figure out what you want it to do for you.
2) Buyer Personas - You cannot help buyers if you do not really know them - deeply
3) Metrics - The only way to improve is measure your results and make changes.

All in all, this book on Epic Content Marketing is highly recommended for you.

Content marketing is a strategy under which you create great (or "epic") content to drive customers and prospects to your business by providing them with information that entertains, educates, and otherwise provides value. As Google and other search engines increasingly reward quality content over "traditional" SEO, content marketing is becoming more important every day.

This is a book for business owners looking for a primer on the topic and a way to get started.

Epic Content Marketing is a useful addition to the literature on how to do this stuff right. Joe Pulizzi does a great job of defining the topic and walks you through how to characterize your audience and your content marketing niche. He also offers six keys to great content marketing (including consistency, voice, point of view, and authenticity) that every organization would be smart to heed and provides a roadmap for thinking about and creating your own epic content. Plus, like all good business books, Epic Content Marketing contains case stories of companies that have embraced the strategy and found success by walking the walk.

3 Cheers for Epic Content Marketing: How to Tell a Different Story, Break through the Clutter, and Win More Customers by Marketing Less! Who wouldn't want to own a copy of this superbly written book?

Epic Content Marketing explains everything you ever wanted to know about content marketing from building the business case; developing a content strategy; the content process; and of course my favorite - defining your content niche (which by the way, is not something I've read anywhere else!)

But it's not just the valuable content marketing advice the book offers. It's also the style. Stories about the author's background, personal business challenges, and even family (I love the one about his mom, and how she influenced his content marketing strategy!) are sprinkled throughout the book, making it very human and easy to relate to.

I love that there's some good foundational information for the content marketing beginner in Part I. But even the veteran CM professional will be blown away by rest of it. In fact, the whole section about buyer personas (Chapter 10) is probably more suitable for seasoned professionals. Why? Because it actually highlights the most common mistakes that experienced marketers make when creating buyer personas. You'll have to pick up the book to find out how to fix problems such as 'making up stuff about buyers' or 'getting distracted by irrelevant buyer trivia' or 'developing too many buyer personas' and more! If you think you know about buyer personas, be sure to read that section first - I guarantee that you'll learn something new!

What more can I say, this book will fill your head with epic thoughts! You should totally buy it!

If you're looking for a book that explains content marketing -- but doesn't make your eyes glaze over -- then this is the book for you. Joe breaks down his ideas into fast, easy-to-read chapters. He also includes lots of practical real-world examples. I especially like Chapter 9, where he explains why marketing is an asset, not expense, and how to use a relatively simple idea, an e-newsletter subscription, to close more sales.

A great book for the content marketer in any organization who wants to take their campaigns to the next level.

(Full disclosure: I've contributed to the CMI blog but purchased this book on my own.)

Epic Content Marketing is where all beginners need to start. In this digital age, you simply can't ignore content marketing and Joe Pulizzi is the guy you want to teach you how it's done. He offers 6 keys to creating epic content marketing that every organization needs to know. He also provides ideas for creating your own epic content.

Got my copy at his speaking event Wednesday and as usual, his advice is clear, concise, tactical, practical and entertaining. Packed with fantastic case examples and real actionable information, this book stands above the "you should think about this and hire me for a fee to do it" chatter and actually helps you make the case and take the steps to ACTUALLY do it. I've been a proponent of content marketing for years and am always looking to innovate in the B2B space, stay on top of best practices and follow early trends. I read CMI content daily. This pulls it all together. Really enjoying the read, a great rally to reenergize my passion for my work. Love to learn from someone who gets it.

I always prefer to read books where the author has walked the talk (in Joe's case wearing his orange shoes:)). It is more credible and much more useful.

We live in abbreviated and fickle times. Joe is right when he says don't just create content for content's sake. This is a strategy that can backfire on you. The devil is in the details and that is why the book is a valuable reference guide on how to create bottom line impact.

From defining the engagement cycle to content types, leveraging a social influencer model to measuring impact, the book culls through wisdom gleaned through years of practice on the ground with valuable case studies.

Many reviews have already been written about this book but I wanted to add how much I love the human approach to this book. Much like Joe himself, it is an easy-going, friendly, and ultimately approachable book filled with wisdom.

Epic Content Marketing is nothing short of an epic read. My head is spinning with ideas. I'm convinced that any business or blog that masters just half of what Joe Pulizzi shares will find success. Don't just skim over this book- read it, study it, do it.

Epic Content Marketing is a book for all marketers. I consider myself pretty experienced in modern marketing practices and I learned several tips and strategies that make the price of this book a bargain. Joe packages his insights, as well as insights of others along with case studies into a valuable guide. All marketing professionals should read this book.

One of the best content marketing books you will ever read. Not only will you walk away with many takeaways on how to grow your business but you'll get real insight on how to break through the noise and be an expert in your industry. The Pulizzi as I like to refer to him, rolls out all the tools and resources you'll need to leave a lasting impression on any channel and how to measure success.

Whether you are just kicking off your content marketing initiataives or have been leading the content marketing efforts for your organization for some time, Epic Content Marketing should be a must read! Joe Pulizzi breaks down the important elements of setting up a solid plan that will drive your content marketing efforts and help them become Epic!

Joe wrote the book on content marketing, and now he's literally written the book on it. A must read for marketers, entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners, I give this solid book two giant likeable thumbs up.

Joe may be the godfather of content marketing, but the tips in this beefed-up pamphlet are pretty thin gruel. Mission statements? Voice-of-Customer? Focus on content quality? Measure results?! Sure, buy a book to learn about all this ... or save your $15 by attending an after-work Social Media Week mixer and listen to that event's guest speaker.

I have a pretty high tolerance for books that are used as business cards--published on the cheap, endorsed by other authors with books or private consultancies to flog, and sold in the back of the room at the author's events or presold as price of attending such events. But this one may be the straw that broke the camel's back. The only conceivable benefit to this book is to arm new arrivals to the content business with talking points that don't sound idiotic. And if that's your goal, to have an executive summary of content marketing, there's better information available free online.

Plenty of resources and examples but do not read this book if you are looking for something to make your decisions and strategy for you. There is incredible value in this book if you are willing to work for it.

Only complaint is that it tries to cater to newcomers and experts at the same time.

I'm at Content Marketing World today in Cleveland (Rocks).
Joe knows what the future holds for marketing - and he's brought the visionaries together at this epic event.
I've read Joe's other books and this will be eye opening, I'm sure!

By now it is the most useful content marketing book.
I love Joes’s ideas on being a publisher and seeing content as a product; I like his style and rhythm of narration as well.

If you are in CM, you should read it. If you’re not, you definitely must read it.