3 Books Every Content Marketer Should Read

Developing content has many benefits for companies. It helps businesses to generate inbound leads, develop brand awareness, strengthen brand image, and improve SEO. Most companies have understood all of these benefits.This term has become popular amongst companies. On indeed, more than 7,000 job offers are available for content writing positions — and this is just in the United States. And if you want to read all the articles or blog posts about content marketing, it will take you more than a life.

While writing content is easy, writing good and engaging content is harder. Hence the thousands of articles on “how to write good content”. However, most of these articles give the same generic tips “create a call to action”, “get to know your target customer first”, “share your articles on social media”, and my favorite “develop valuable, relevant, and compelling content”.

When it comes to the last tip, we are often left with this broad term and no more information. What content marketers often forget is that content marketing is about writing. You cannot run unless you know how to walk first. It’s the same for content marketing. You cannot create great content unless you know how to write properly.

And before diving into any articles talking about call to actions, or developing valuable content, there are 3 books you should read.

3 Books Content Marketers Should Have On Their Night Stand

On Writing — Stephen King

On writing is part biographical, and part educational. More than the tips laid out by Stephen King, it’s King’s writing style that helps you learn the most.

In his book, King emphasizes the importance of building and strengthening your spelling, your grammar, and your vocabulary. He insists on the fact that, as a toolbox, you should carry these elements with you all the time. He also demystifies the art of composition by bringing us through his own creation process — sharing with us his own doubts while writing.

Life isn’t a support-system for art. It’s the other way around — Stephen King

This book has limited technical tips about writing. Yet, out of the 3 books, it is the most inspirational and empowering.

The Elements of Style — Strunk & White

The Elements of Style is a well-known book amongst writers. Written at the beginning of the 20th century, this book was first designed for academic purpose. Unlike other English textbook, the Elements of Style is 85 pages long and contains 21 basic English rules.

The authors have broken down the book into 4 parts: Elementary Rules of Usage, Elementary Principles of Composition, A Few Matter of Form, and Words And Expressions Commonly Misused.

Instead of announcing what you are about to tell is interesting, make it so — William Strunk Jr.

In addition to explaining how to best use commas, semicolons or colons, Strunk and White also advise the reader how to use paragraphs, or how to avoid loose sentences.

Unlike On Writing by Stephen King, Strunk and White have made a book full of technical tips. The size and the layout of The Elements of Style, make it a to go book whenever you have a stylistic or grammatical question.

Warriner’s English Grammar and Composition — John E. Warriner

Warriner’s English Grammar and Composition is a small and thick book. It is a classic for English grammar. If you have spent your high school years in the US you are certainly familiar with it.

The book focuses on grammar and structure. Unlike the previous 2 books, Warriner’s English Grammar and Composition is written as a textbook. It is thorough with a lot of details and comprehensive examples. With this book, you will go over basics (pronoun, noun, adverb, etc.), but also more advanced elements of composition (specifics of the English language, language and logic, etc.). It also provides great information for business writing.

This book is perfect for advanced and beginner content writer.

Wrap-up

Content writing is before everything else about content; content is about grammar, composition, and vocabulary. Before learning where to place call to actions content marketers should strengthen their composition skills. You only have 3 ways to develop the quality of your composition: refresh your English skills, write, write, write, and read.

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