Content Marketing eBooks: The Ultimate List

Sasha Laferte — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 21:49:58 +0000

With more and more marketers increasing their spend on content marketing, (75 percent in 2016!) it’s clear that content is making its way to the top of the priority list for many organizations. If you’re working on building up your content framework, you already know content marketing eBooks are an excellent way to give your readers a deeper look into any topic. (Creating your first content marketing eBook? Check out the Content Marketing Pyramid to see how to get the most mileage from large pieces of content.)

Curata has created a list of marketing eBooks that take a closer look at various content marketing topics. These top-notch content marketing eBooks will help your organization create, maintain, and improve your content strategy. Don’t know where to start with creating infographics? There’s an eBook for that!
(Click here for the full-size image.)

Know any other great content marketing eBooks that have helped your company succeed? Let us know in the comments below.

CONTENT STRATEGY

The 4 Steps to Content Marketing Enlightenment by Curata
Even with over 70 percent of marketers increasing their content spend this year, few will find success in overcoming content shock. This eBook provides best-in-class tactics and advice on how to become an enlightened content marketer.

Arnie Kuen,
CEO Vertical Measures, @ArnieKI am thrilled to see a new book from my friend Marcus Sheridan. Marcus and I have presented to thousands of people all around the world with the core theme of creating content that answers your prospects’ or clients’ questions. Research shows that when we go to buy something (B2B or B2C) we turn to a search engine 93% of the time. What do we do? We start asking questions. His new book is called “They Ask, You Answer,” and it will be a must have book for those of you rolling out content marketing at your organization.

The Essentials of a Documented Content Marketing Strategy: 36 Questions to Answer by Content Marketing Institute
A great content marketing strategy is what sets one organization above another. This eBook helps marketers establish a documented content strategy to boost the effectiveness of their tactics as well as their budget.

PAM DIDNER
CM Strategist, Speaker, Author, @PamDidnerI suggest A practical guide to killer marketing content from HubSpot. A very simple and easy-to-follow process with tips from knowing your audience to creating your editorial. It’s a nice way to get started. However, you need to test which content formats will work for your verticals, since every vertical’s customer journeys are different.

Interactive Content Across the Buyer’s Journey by Ion Interactive
This eBook drills down into how to use interactive content. It addresses how interactive content can help you create better-educated prospects, and gives an overview of types of interactive content, their uses, and statistics supporting the effectiveness of interactive content.
Inspiring Customers to Create Content for You: A Marketer’s Guide by Influitive
Learn how to engage customers to create content for you. This eBook helps you save time and resources by getting customers to create content, increase the reach of content through customer’s social networks, and inspire customers to create valuable user generated content (UGC) on third-party websites.

ANN HANDLEY
Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs, @MarketingProfsThis Big Fat B2B Content Marketing Checklist from Velocity UK (shoutout to Doug Kessler!) is like 3,000 years old in Content Marketing Years (because each Content Marketing Year is like 825 years in the Gregorian calendar). But it’s nonetheless relevant and ridiculously useful today, and it’s timeless in the way that most classics are.

DOUG KESSLER
Creative Director & Co-founder of Velocity, @dougkesslerI’m going to have to be a shameless self-promoting click-slut here: I think every content marketer should have a strategy, so I’m recommending Velocity’s own Big Fat Content Marketing Strategy Checklist. It’s a simple, step-by-step guide that’s been used thousands of times by marketers who need to whip up a quick plan. (What? We’re proud of it! Sue me.)

Post Production Game Plan: How to Distribute, Promote and Repurpose your Content for the Win by MarketingProfs
Your content strategy success depends on the readers it reaches. Extend the reach of content by distributing it through the right channels, promoting it to the right audience, and repurposing to get the most mileage out of it.

CARLA JOHNSON Author of Experiences 7^th Era of Marketing, Type A Communications, @CarlaJohnson

Every B2B marketer should read Account Based Marketing: Fundamentals Every B2B Marketer Must Know from Demandbase. This eBook covers why it’s getting harder to engage customers during the increasingly complex B2B buying process, and forces you to be honest about why you’re not already making progress. They drive the point home that this isn’t just a marketing, or even sales, struggle. This is something that impacts the overall performance of the business. With a checklist and examples, it gives specific things that readers can learn and do right away.

Picture This: The Marketer’s Guide to Visual Content by MarketingProfs
Images are a large part of storytelling. Learn how to use visuals to enhance your brand, drive engagement and connect with more customers in this eBook.
The Plan to Grow Your Business with Effective Online Marketing by Barry Feldman
Get pointers on how to create an effective, engaging website and best-in-class online presence. Learn how to attract customers with compelling site content in this quick read.
Lean Content Marketing: How to Create Content on a Budget by Marketo
Low on resources? No worries. This eBook will help you build a content team, reward content creation, get the most mileage out of awesome pieces and come up with winning ideas, all while on a budget.
How To Deliver Content Your Employees Will Love To Share by Dynamic Signals
There are a lot of content marketing eBooks out there on distribution. This book takes a different angle by focusing specifically on getting your employees to distribute. It covers how to choose topics your employees will want to share, how to distribute content to your employees, and how to make it easy for your employees to share your content.
Optimize: How to Attract and Engage More Customers by Integrating SEO, Social Media and Content Marketing by Lee Odden
Customers educate themselves with content throughout the buyer journey. Odden provides marketers with a customer-centric, top to bottom look at developing an integrated content marketing strategy, tactics for implementation, and insights on how to scale across the organization.

MARCUS SHERIDAN
Keynote Speaker & Author on Sales, Marketing, and Digital Business, @TheSalesLionI’d recommend “Content Marketing Works.” The company that produced it is an incredible agency with a tremendous amount of successful case studies of businesses that have dramatically increased their digital sales and marketing ROI by following the 8 steps in the book. If a company wants a step-by-step guide to content marketing success, then this is absolutely the place to start.

Digital Relevance by Ardath Albee
Digital Relevance teaches readers the knowledge, strategies, and skills needed to create content, instantly engage customers, and compel them to take action by sharing ideas so seamlessly matched to each audience’s context that they can’t help but take next steps toward purchase.
A Content Marketing Strategy that Works by Copyblogger
Authority can make or break a content strategy. Find out how to attain thought leadership and provide the highest quality content for your readers with this guide.

ARDATH ALBEE
CEO & B2B Marketing Strategist, @ardath421Here’s my pick: Easy as Pie Guide to Content Planning – from Top Rank Marketing and DivvyHQ. The Easy as Pie Guide to Content Planning contains the components I find compelling in an educational eBook. It establishes the problem faced by its intended audience. It gives examples of what not to do. Then it shows you what to do with examples of how to do it. The eBook also includes insights from a few experts on each subject discussed for content planning. And the metaphor chosen is used well (recipes and cooking) with great visuals and white space to reduce the effort to read it. This is a recipe for a successful eBook that delivers on its promise.

51 Things Your Mother Taught You About Inbound Marketing by Chad Pollitt of Digital Relevance
How does Content Marketing fit into your overall marketing strategy? Find out in this eBook which dives deep into social media marketing, marketing automation, SEO and more.
Everything You Need to Build a Video Marketing Strategy by Vidyard
This video marketing strategy eBook gives a thorough breakdown of why video marketing is integral to your marketing strategy today. Topics covered include: types of videos you’ll want to produce throughout the funnel (and their strategic purpose), what a typical video marketing budget looks like (for in-house or outsourced assets), goals, strategy, analytics, and more.

BLOGGING

Grow your Traffic, Build your Blog by The Daily Post (WordPress)
Struggling to build an audience? This guide provides advice and steps to make your content more visible, get more shares, and analyze the effectiveness of posts.
An Introduction to Business Blogging by HubSpot
If you’re a blogging novice this is a great asset. Find out how to pick your topic, which content to blog about, optimize posts, promote content, and measure its effectiveness in this eBook.

LEE ODDEN
CEO at TopRank Marketing, @LeeOddenI’d have to recommend: Everybody Writes (Ann Handley). Quality, not quantity is what drives great customer experiences and marketing performance with content. In her own smart and clever way, Ann takes readers on a journey to become the kind of content creator that people will actually care about. Everybody Writes is a go-to guide for creating effective content whether you’re a big business or small, experienced writer or a newbie. I can’t recommend it enough.

52 Headline Hacks by Jon Morrow of Boost Blog Traffic
Anyone can write a blog, but what makes one more popular than another? Headlines, for one thing, have a huge impact on whether or not a reader will pay attention to what you’ve written. Check out this eBook for advice on creating viral content.
Who’s There by Seth Godin
Not in love with the idea of blogging or maybe just don’t see the value? This eBook aims to convince you otherwise. Check it out to find out how a blog can be a great asset for you and your business.
What Every Blogger Needs to Know: 101 Actionable Tips by Heidi Cohen
Whether you’re new to blogging or not, this eBook is sure to have some new and inspiring tips and tactics you can put into action right away. Check it out if you want to give your blog a leg up.

GINI DIETRICH
CEO Arment Dietrich. Author of Spin Sucks, @ginidietrichI recommend “On Writing” by Stephen King. This was the first content marketing book written to help all of us become better writers. Though it’s written by a fiction author (and a great one at that), the things you glean from it will help your business storytelling at a deeper level. It’s so good, I’m having the communications firm side of my business read it for our January book club. Read it, mark it up, practice it, and read it again.

Making Your Case by Jonathan Kranz of Kranz Communications
Want to write a compelling case study? This guide tells you how to highlight your successes and generate leads.
Business Blogging Secrets Revealed by Curata
Dive deep into the tactics of 425+ best-in-class business bloggers to see how they plan, execute, and promote their blog posts.

SOCIAL MEDIA

HEIDI COHEN
Actionable Marketer, Professor, Speaker, @heidicohenAs a content marketing eBook creator, contributor and consumer, I believe it’s crucial to evaluate the following eBook elements:

Author/Source: Who wrote the book? What makes them an authority on the specific topic discussed? Who’s sponsoring the book?
Reader value: Is this information worth my attention? Is the content worth an information exchange?
Content: Does the eBook provided offer information that’s not readily available elsewhere? Or is it just promotional content parading as an eBook.
Presentation: Is the content optimized to be reader-friendly? Can the reader consume it when, where, and on the device or app of their choice?

While I’m a huge fan of LinkedIn’s Sophisticated Marketer series of eBooks (especially The Sophisticated Marketer’s Guide to Content Marketing) and most of Rebecca Lieb’s research (especially Contently’s Content Methodology), the eBook that blew me away was Aaron Orendorff’s “50 Best Social Media Tools From 50 Most Influential Marketers Online.”

It’s not an eBook in the conventional sense. Or a PDF or Slideshare. It’s not gated. And it’s hiding in plain site on the Content Marketing Institute’s blog. BUT, it leaves even top quality content in the dust. Here’s why:

It’s easy-to-consume information complete with visuals (hat tip: Venngage) and links to every tool, not just pushing a company agenda in return for reader data.
This is quality content that shows readers how the experts use their tools. Every reader learns something from this content (I’m using it to expand my social media toolkit!) It’s no surprise that it’s a hot piece of content.
It is inclusive. It’s not just the same influencers you see on every list. Further, it surfaces lesser-known social media tools.

25 Actionable Social Media Strategies You Can Implement Today By Buffer
25 social media strategies in one place, this eBook includes strategies for Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and more—all of which you can implement right away.

PAM DIDNER
GCM Strategist, Speaker, Author, @PamDidnerRethinking the B2B Buyer’s Journey from Linkedin Marketing Solutions. I really like the chart on page 17. It shows the top three preferred content channels by buyers in each stage of the funnel. You can see how the importance of online search and social usage changes over the purchasing stage. It also compares the types of effective sales content among buyers, sales, and marketing. Although the information is not a complete surprise, it’s a great reminder to take into account the buyers’ journey when you create content.

Reaching, Engaging and Influencing Marketing Executives: Actionable Social Marketing Insights by Leadtail
Having a hard time understanding which social networks you should be investing your time in? Check out how to reach the right people and improve your strategy with this eBook.

CURATION

Beginner

5 Simple Steps to Becoming a Content Curation Rockstar by Curata
Content curation is an excellent way to publish consistent and relevant high quality content for readers. This eBook is your guide for how to curate content effectively in under 20 minutes a day.

Intermediate and Advanced

How to Feed the Content Beast by Curata
As a content marketer, you know that having, fresh, relevant content is the key to your success. But good content takes time. In this eBook, you learn how to balance and blend the two halves of content marketing—creation and curation.
Stop Egocentric Marketing by Curata
Readers want information on a variety of topics from diverse sources, but most marketers publish information in their voice only. This eBook provides insight into how to stop egocentric marketing and publish higher value content for readers.
The Ultimate Guide to Content Curation by Curata
This 80+ page guide, featuring over 30 marketing experts, teaches you how to create and analyze a content curation program.

ANALYTICS

The Definite Guide to Marketing Metrics and Marketing Analytics by Marketo
This guide gives step-by-step information on how to measure the marketing metrics that matter using examples of Marketo’s own strategy. Check it out for help understanding which metrics to look at and how to interpret them.
The Marketing Landscape: Where Data and Content Merge by DiscoverOrg
This eBook includes information on the importance of market intelligence data, an optimized content creation process, and using account-based data. Use this eBook for a clear idea of why intelligent data is valuable and important to content marketing.
Social Media Analytics—Making Customer Insights Actionable by IBM
This report aims to help readers interpret social data so they can improve their strategies through consumer insights. Need help understanding consumer trends and your social impact? Give this one a read.
How to Measure and Fix your “Leaky” Marketing Funnel by KISSmetrics
Stuck on the marketing funnel? The best way to start improving your funnel is to measure it—then make the necessary adjustments. Download this eBook for advice on where to start.
Customer Analytics by KISSmetrics
People are the key to discovering what will improve your business. Find out how to cut through the noise surrounding your data and discover actionable insights about customers in this eBook.
A Field Guide to the 4 types of Content Marketing Metrics by Jay Baer of Convince and Convert
This eBook outlines 4 key categories of metrics that marketers can use to measure the success of their content.
The Comprehensive Guide to Content Marketing Analytics & Metrics by Curata
This eBook offers a comprehensive guide to the metrics that ensure your content marketing initiatives are effective and driving key business outcomes. As part of the journey, hear from over 20 of today’s top marketing experts on what they believe to be the most important content marketing metric.
The ROI of Great Content by Acrolinx
This guide promises to teach you how to double the impact of your content strategy. Acrolinx conducted a global survey to address the impact of quality on content marketing. It looks at how quality content impacts all aspects of marketing from brand to search traffic and beyond.

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

ANNA HRACH
Strategist at Convince and Convert, @annabananahrachMicro-Moments: Your Guide to Winning the Shift to Mobile. You can never go wrong with anything Google publishes, but this guide is absolutely amazing. It really shows just how much mobile devices have changed our lives and shaped the types of interactions consumers want and need from brands. Any marketer who wants to deliver truly helpful, meaningful and relevant content should read this guide today.

The Content Marketing Software Landscape: Marketer Needs & Vendor Solutions by Rebecca Lieb of Altimeter
This eBook goes into detail on the use and effectiveness of various content marketing technologies and what tasks marketers need help with. Read this report if you need assistance finding your bottleneck or choosing the right tools.
Content Marketing Tools: The Ultimate List by Curata
Looking for a tool to help streamline your content marketing process? Although not in eBook format, this extensive list provides information on tools that help with everything from sourcing to measuring.
A New Brand of Marketing: The 7 Meta-Trends of Modern Marketing as a Technology-Powered Discipline by Chief Marketing Technologist
Technology is a large part of content marketing, and in order to succeed in the industry, it’s important to understand how technology and marketing intertwine. Check out this eBook for an understanding of the impact technology has on modern marketing.

ETHICS

Content Marketing Done Right by Curata
Curated content means increased value for readers, improved thought leadership, and consistent, relevant content. If not done ethically it could do your business harm. Find out how to curate ethically in this eBook.

EMAIL

An Introduction to Email Marketing by HubSpot
Great for beginners to create an email marketing foundation. This eBook includes the best practices for email as a roadmap to your email marketing success, and covers top challenges email marketers face and how to solve them
The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing by Zapier
The eBook includes tips on the apps you should use to send every type of business email, along with ways you can integrate your email apps with other tools you’re already using, guidelines to make your emails great, and more.
The Smart Guide to Email Marketing Conversion by Unbounce
This eBook guides marketers on how they can amp up their email campaigns with targeted landing pages to increase conversions, grow subscriber lists and improve effectiveness.

SEO

The Beginners Guide to SEO by Moz
If you’re new to SEO or maybe just need a refresher, this is the perfect eBook for you. Read this eBook to get started with creating high quality optimized content.
How to Create Compelling Content that Ranks Well in Search by Copyblogger
Looking for new tips, insights, and tactics for creating content that stands out above the rest? Check out this eBook for a step-by-step guide to writing compelling content for search.
10 SEO Mistakes to Avoid During your Next Website Redesign by HubSpot
Redesigning an effective website isn’t always an easy task and takes a lot of thought and consideration. If you’re currently remodeling, check out this eBook to make sure you’re not making these SEO mistakes.
Beginner’s AdWords for Dummies: Keyword Research for SEO EBook by WordStream
Need help determining successful keywords? This eBook offers a bird’s eye view of keyword research, plus many more SEO tips and tricks.
The ABC’s of SEO by MarketingProfs
Most online activity begins with search, so you better make sure your content is hitting its SEO marks. Read this eBook if you need to create or update an SEO strategy with new tactics.
The Advanced Guide to SEO by Neil Patel and Sujan Patel
If you’re looking for advanced and extensive SEO detail, this is the perfect eBook for you. Check it out for the most up to date SEO information to employ in your content strategy.

Know of any other content marketing eBooks that provide valuable content marketing insights? Let us know in the comments!

For more ways to bolster your content strategy and benchmark your own content marketing efforts, download Curata’s 2016 Content Marketing Staffing & Tactics Study eBook.

content marketing ebook – Curata Blog