Whether you’re embarking on a creative career for the first time or are in need of some quick inspiration, finding a way to get the creative juices flowing is paramount.
Yet for all the webinars, online tutorials and video walk-throughs out there, few things can rival a thought-provoking book.
From improving your relationship with clients to avoiding the dreaded creative block, here are some books that double as valuable resources for anyone active in marketing their content.
How To Win Friends & Influence People, Dale Carnegie
Getting right back to basics is often the best way forward. Even in today’s digital landscape, Dale Carnegie’s 1936 work, How To Win Friends and Influence People, is still inspiring discussions and has proven itself to have evergreen appeal. Carnegie outlines the basics of connecting with people and bringing them around to your way of thinking. Carnegie covers everything from dealing with tricky characters to defining your own leadership style.
Over 30 million copies have been sold to date, and the book’s basic premise arguably inspired every self-improvement guide going. What’s more, in an age where people are facing the paradox of often feeling less connected, despite the technology that surrounds us, the human touch can be the differentiating factor. The human touch can make your pitch, copy or project the one that sticks in the mind.
Epic Content Marketing, Joe Pulizzi
Joe Pulizzi’s seminal 2013 hit remains popular for a reason. The root of its success lies in its ability to train the reader to produce content that is indispensable to their clients’ lives. The key principles of Epic Content Marketing take some cues from Dale Carnegie’s book in many respects and focus on putting people first. Yet Pulizzi’s twist on that formula encourages the development of a unique voice, and this is what makes the book so valued.
For that reason, nobody could argue that Epic Content Marketing is teaching everyone the same thing. Likewise, it won’t make everyone who reads it march to the same tune, with the end result that all the web’s content starts to look derivative. That’s because Pulizzi brings out your unique voice. He tells you how to market it, and makes you the one clients turn to for dependable results.
The Accidental Creative, Todd Henry
Todd Henry is as much a speaker on the creative process as he is an author on it. That all began with his breakout book, The Accidental Creative. Henry suggests that the creative spark, the muse, the feeling of inspiration, or however else you want to characterise it, is a distinct place in the mind that can be triggered at will.
The Accidental Creative breaks down how the burst of creative energy works. Henry provides examples of how to produce that state of inspiration without waiting for it to happen by chance. He focuses on training readers to better manage their time and form productive habits. Perhaps most interestingly, is Henry’s suggestion that it’s the content that we consume that shapes the content that we produce. He likens it to a healthy diet versus one of junk food. By shifting our focus from vapid media to more thought-provoking content, The Accidental Creative encourages a frame of mind where producing strong, inspiring copy feels almost like second nature.
Making Ideas Happen, Scott Belsky
Scott Belsky is the creator of Behance, the online networking platform where creatives gather to share advice and inspiration. Belsky soon identified that many creatives were struggling to balance the excitement of an initial idea with the intimidating prospect of making it a reality.
Making Ideas Happen breaks down workflow, identifying the relationships with colleagues and the internal processes required to make ideas happen. The process is then streamlined in a way that’s adaptable to just about every business.
A key takeaway is his advice on urgent versus important tasks. He suggests that while the two might seem the same thing, they can often be separated once you know which aspects to identify. Making Ideas Happen also emphasises The Action Method. This cuts out downtime spent tossing ideas back and forth in meetings and huddles. Instead, inspiring readers to focus on the steps needed to make concrete progress.
At WooContent, the philosophies and principles behind these great books and more, are part of our DNA. If you want to fast track your big ideas into results that speak volumes, we can help you, no matter how crowded the market.
To find out how our copywriting agency can help you unlock your eureka moment, get in touch with us today.