I discovered Master Content Marketing because I read her other book, Master Content Strategy. That book is also highly informative. It referenced this book. I had to have it.
Wilson purpose for writing the book is to show others how to go from a blank page to a consistent, informative presence on the internet. She shares her “lazy” approach to content marketing.
Master Content Marketing is 224 pages long. The content is spread over three parts, 15 chapters, and five appendices. The major parts include:
- Setting Yourself Up for Content Marketing Success
- The “Lazy” (Efficient) Approach to Content Creation
- Taking Your Content to the Next Level
The appendices include A Website Content Action Plan; Content Marketing Checklists; How to Edit Your Content Like a Master; Content Marketers Share Their Secrets; and Content Marketing Tools, Websites, Software, and Templates.
Wilson wrote the book in a very informal conversational style. She shared humor and stories throughout the book. Many of the stories highlighted her journey as she developed her skill as a content marketer.
While writing the Master Content Marketing, Wilson employed the techniques that she wrote about.
Setting Yourself Up for Content Marketing Success
“I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” ― Bill Gates
I believe in this principle. I will work very hard to find the easy way to do something. Wilson also seemed to believe in this principle. She set out to find an efficient way to develop content. She has shared it in this book.
In this first section of the book, she provided ideas for creating an ideal writing environment. This included the physical set up and well as the time to write.
One section that I thought was fascinating was her Picasso School of Content Creation. Wilson highlighted Picasso’s career. Picasso apparently created 57,000 pieces of art over his 79-year career. The important point was that not all the pieces were masterpieces. Some were junk. But he kept at it. He is known for what he accomplished over his career. It is a matter of “Keep on going!” This reminds me of Michael Jordan’s quote,
“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” ― Michael Jordan
In this first section, Wilson gave ideas for queuing up a list of content to create. It begins by knowing what categories that you want to focus on. She stressed that you need to continue to add ideas to this library. She also suggested some tools to help manage this idea list. Finally, she showed how to align the content with your customer’s journey.
The “lazy” (efficient) Approach to Content Creation
The key part of Master Content Marketing was the “lazy” approach to content creation. This approach consists of seven steps:
- Write a compelling headline
- Write the first sentence
- Write the introduction
- Create subheads
- Write the main copy
- Write the summary
- Add a call to action
Wilson devotes an entire chapter to each step. She encouraged readers to mark the chapters so that you could reference them easily. At the end of each chapter, she pulled together each tip that she shared in the chapter into a summary checklist. She pulled together all the summary checklists into one appendix.
In Scrivener, my writing program, I have developed a writing template based on what Wilson has shared.
I will be keeping this guide close at hand as I write my content. Until I internalize her lesson, I will be referencing each section as I write.
Taking Your Content to the Next Level
In the section “Taking Your Content to the Next Level,” Wilson outlined her 4-day content creation strategy. In this strategy, she first outlined her content. Next, she created a rough draft. She then fine-tuned the content. Finally, she published and promoted the content.
I have not yet worked myself into this strategy, but it is something I am striving towards.
Wilson also addressed the use of images in content creation as well as developing a sustaining practice.
Final Thoughts
I have started to use the techniques that Wilson shared in her book, Master Content Marketing, and it has made writing more fun and interesting for me and hopefully my readers. In addition to the actual product you are selling, your copy and content are the lifeblood to your business. You will have a more challenging time selling your product if you can not tell your story. I definitely recommend small business owners pick up a copy of Master Content Marketing. It will help you improve your message.
Additional Reading
- Books Review: Master Content Strategy: How to Maximize Your Reach and Boost Your Bottom Line Every Time You Hit Publish
- #SMMW18: 9 Content Marketing Tools to Drive More Traffic to Your Website
- #SMMW18: Sexy Content: Understand What Truly Moves the Sales Needle
- Book Review: They Ask You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today’s Digital Consumer
- Book Review: Content Chemistry: The Illustrated Handbook for Content Marketing
Photo by Campaign Creators on Unsplash
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