I can’t believe it’s been a year since my book came out!
I want to share with you about how the book came to be and share with you a lesson I learned in the process that you can use.
(I think you’ll be surprised at my old school Bing Crosby reference!)
How to Create a Book from Your Content
I can’t remember what blog I saw this on, but in 2014 I read about some top bloggers compiling their posts into a book and selling it.
I knew Seth Godin had done that and so I thought “Hmm.. I’ve created a lot of helpful content marketing content over the years. I should do that too!”
So I began gathering all of the content marketing posts I wrote here on RecessionSolution.com.
Next, I got permission from ContentMarketingInstitute.com and 12Most.com to use the posts I wrote for them in my book.
I then took all of those posts and I compiled them all into the book.
As I was thinking about a title for the book, I thought about how “hacks” is a popular, cultural concept right now, so decided I would write a “content marketing hack” at the end of each chapter that was based on the post.
I figured this would add to the content and make the book even more helpful to the readers.
The end result is 51 Content Marketing Hacks.
I liked it, and thought that the end product turned out pretty well, but I have been surprised and extremely pleased with the reception that it has received from top experts.
Some of the Reviews for 51 Content Marketing Hacks
Here are just a few of the great reviews this book has received…
Before writing a word for the web, read Scott Aughtmon’s new book. It will turbocharge your brain. Great book with great stories.
Al Ries
Author of the classic, best-selling book Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind (with Jack Trout) and many other books. (Positioning was voted by AdAge as one of the 75 most important advertising ideas of the past 75 years.)
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I was able to get a preview copy of this book, and I loved it. This is an excellent resource for marketers or business owners that are trying to build an engaged audience over time. I love the simple use of companies employing content marketing strategies, and how any-sized business can implement simple steps to build a loyal readership.
Joe Pulizzi
Joe Pulizzi, the founder of ContentMarketingInstitute.com. He is one of the leading thought leaders behind the content marketing and social media movement. Joe’s fourth book is great. It’s called Content, INC.
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Scott sent me an advance copy of the book when he saw my article on content marketing hacks.
But in this book, Scott takes it to a whole new level. He provides practical tips on how just about anybody in any business, large or small, and no matter what industry you are in, could start generating amazing results.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in reaching a new audience of potential customers with valuable content and without breaking the bank.
Micheal Brenner
Michael is a writer, speaker, Head of Strategy at NewsCred, co-founder of Business2Community.com and founder of MarketingInsiderGroup.com
Ranked #2 on Onalytica’s Top 50 Content Marketing Influencers
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There are authors and there are “craftsman” authors; authors who take the time to really think through their project and take the time to get every word right. That’s the type of author that Scott Aughtmon is.
As a result, 51 Content Marketing Hacks is destined for a long life demystifying content marketing by locating fresh examples, analyzing their lessons, and explaining how you can apply the principles to your projects.
You may be surprised at some of the examples that Scott has chosen. Scott goes beyond today’s (often familiar) best practices, and has located numerous unexpected examples of content marketing…from Disney and Franklin to Donald Trump.
Although you may initially be puzzled by some of Scott’s choices, after reading his comments, his choices always turn out to be logical and instructive. Scott is a concise, conversational writer, and he takes care to clearly draw lessons from his examples. There’s warmth to his writing, but no unnecessary words.
I hope Scott continues his content marketing explorations and explanations.
Roger C. Parker
Roger is an author, experienced book & marketing coach who helps others write successful books and create powerful promotional materials with great visual design & content at PublishedandProfitable.com
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There’s no mystery to the basic mechanics of creativity. Take one idea from one context… combine it with a different idea from another context… and poof! Presto-changeo, you’ve got a brand new idea.
Creativity, accomplished. Easily said. But when it comes to actually doing the above steps in the real world, most people hit a very thick brick wall. Why? Because the *how* of creativity remains an unfathomable mystery, to most people.
And this is where Scott Aughtmon’s book really shines. He takes the wraps off the little-understood details of the process, by showing you, in simple steps anyone can understand, what to do and how to do it. He does this once… not twice… but 51 times.
That’s important, because there is an epidemic of NON-creativity in most Web and print content that’s designed to move a prospect closer to becoming a customer. To use what Scott shows you how to do, in your own content, can make a big difference in how much your customers spend and how long they stay with you.
I’m REALLY impressed by 51 Content Marketing Hacks. I will be recommending it to my private mentoring clients and even borrowing a handful of examples (with full attribution to Scott) in some of my own forthcoming books. Well worth getting, studying, using… and profiting from yourself!
David Garfinkel
David has helped people in over 100 industries make millions of dollars for their businesses with his copy, strategic marketing advice, and by teaching them how to write their own copy. (One of the prominent clients he currently works with is the copywriting team at Agora Financial.) He is known by industry insiders as “The Marketer’s Marketer” because leaders in the field often call on David to help them solve their most thorny problems. He’s author of Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich, and co-author, with Jay Conrad Levinson, of Guerrilla Copywriting.
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Lesson I Learned From This: Change the Form, Change the Impact
The lesson I learned (or re-learned) from this is that the content form (or format) you choose can change the response people have to the content itself.
Because since I put my posts together in book form, they have been received in a way that they never were – even when some of them were on ContentMarketingInstitute.com!
What’s interesting is I came across this same lesson when I was flipping through channels on TV.
I came across Decades TV and they were talking about Bing Crosby.
Photo from Wikipedia
They said that Bing had been a huge music and movie star from the 30’s through the 50’s. (He was among the most popular and successful musical acts of the 20th century.)
But his musical career began to wane in the mid-50’s, so Bing made a bold move.
He decided to take his singing, acting and comedic skills and put them in a new form that was becoming very popular: TV.
So Bing put on a TV variety show.
From Amazon.com
And to his surprise it was a great success!
In fact, from 1954 to 1977, Bing starred in 30 television specials that showcased him in the company of the top stars of the day.
And every time these specials were run, they were eagerly anticipated and highly rated programs.
That shows you the power of moving from one form of content to the other.
YOUR CONTENT MARKETING LESSON:
If you want to see some new momentum in 2016, one thing you might consider doing is changing (or adding) a new form of content to your content marketing.
It worked for me. It worked for Bing. And it’s worked for many others.
Try it and let me know how it goes!
P.S. I know Christmas is over, but if you want to see an example of one of his shows, then check out this one with Frank Sinatra…
I’m a business strategist, consultant, content creation specialist, and speaker. I’ve been studying effective marketing and business methods (both online and offline) since 1999.
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