Everybody Writes

Finally a go-to guide to creating and publishing the kind ofcontent that will make your business thrive. Everybody Writes is a go-to guide to attracting andretaining customers through stellar online communication, becausein our content-driven world, every one of us is, in fact, awriter. If you have a web site, you are a publisher. If you are onsocial media, you are in marketing. And that means that we are allrelying on our words to carry our marketing messages. We are allwriters. Yeah, but who cares about writing anymore? In a time-challengedworld dominated by short and snappy, by click-bait headlines andTwitter streams and Instagram feeds and gifs and video and Snapchatand YOLO and LOL and #tbt. . . does the idea of focusing on writingseem pedantic and ordinary? Actually, writing matters more now, not less. Our online wordsare our currency; they tell our customers who we are. Our writing can make us look smart or it can make us lookstupid. It can make us seem fun, or warm, or competent, ortrustworthy. But it can also make us seem humdrum ordiscombobulated or flat-out boring. That means you've got to choose words well, and write witheconomy and the style and honest empathy for your customers. And itmeans you put a new value on an often-overlooked skill in contentmarketing: How to write, and how to tell a true story really,really well. That's true whether you're writing a listicle or thewords on a Slideshare deck or the words you're reading right here,right now... And so being able to communicate well in writing isn't justnice; it's necessity. And it's also the oft-overlooked cornerstoneof nearly all our content marketing. In Everybody Writes, top marketing veteran Ann Handleygives expert guidance and insight into the process and strategy ofcontent creation, production and publishing, with actionable how-toadvice designed to get results. These lessons and rules apply across all of your online assets-- like web pages, home page, landing pages, blogs, email,marketing offers, and on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and othersocial media. Ann deconstructs the strategy and delivers apractical approach to create ridiculously compelling and competentcontent. It's designed to be the go-to guide for anyone creating orpublishing any kind of online content -- whether you're a bigbrand or you're small and solo. Sections include: * How to write better. (Or, for "adult-onset writers": How tohate writing less.) * Easy grammar and usage rules tailored for business in a fun,memorable way. (Enough to keep you looking sharp, but not too muchto overwhelm you.) * Giving your audience the gift of your true story, told well.Empathy and humanity and inspiration are key here, so the bookcovers that, too. * Best practices for creating credible, trustworthy contentsteeped in some time-honored rules of solid journalism. Becausepublishing content and talking directly to your customers is, atits heart, a privilege. * "Things Marketers Write": The fundamentals of 17 specific kindsof content that marketers are often tasked with crafting. * Content Tools: The sharpest tools you need to get the jobdone. Traditional marketing techniques are no longer enough.Everybody Writes is a field guide for the smartestbusinesses who know that great content is the key to thriving inthis digital world.