The Best One Stop Content Marketing Guides

You are busy and you need a crash course in content marketing. I’ve looked all over the place and these 5 guides are the best places to turn if you need to learn terms, concepts, and plans for understanding content marketing and then creating a plan for your business.

Some are a series of posts, some are PDFs, and 1 is a video series. Most of them require an email opt-in. These are not simple posts on a single concept. Each of these guides attempts to cover content marketing in depth. Read just one of them and you should be able to explain content marketing with just about anybody.

Each of these articles has a slightly different focus and style. Have a look at the summary and notes for each guide and pick the one which best fits your time constraints and learning style.

Guide Links and Notes

Copyblogger

Copyblogger Content Marketing Guide

http://www.copyblogger.com/content-marketing/

You can access Copyblogger’s PDF guides from this page. Copyblogger is probably the most recognizable name in content marketing and these guides are well designed and very informative. There is a large library of information here and it is well organized.

  • Email opt-in Required
  • You will be added to a drip campaign
  • PDF format
  • Tons of other resources: videos, webinars, infographics
  • Good for those who learn by reading

Content Marketing Institute

Content Marketing Institute Guide

http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/education/original-cmi-ebooks/

This post has a summary, an introductory video and a list of a bunch of other articles which you can follow to dive deeper into content marketing and how to be successful at it. This guide is heavily visual and follows current content marketing strategies.

  • Email opt-in required
  • Lots of books on broader topics like social media and e-commerce
  • Mostly text based
  • Good for those who like to learn by reading

Quicksprout

Quicksprout Content Marketing Guide

http://www.quicksprout.com/the-advanced-guide-to-content-marketing/

Comes with a nice outline of what the guide covers. Really helps you set up a plan. The most in depth of the articles.

  • Website content (PDF download is available)
  • Step-by-step instructions for creating plans and content
  • Heavily visual
  • Good for visual learners

Koozai

Koozai Content Marketing Guide

http://www.koozai.com/resources/whitepapers/the-complete-guide-to-content-marketing/

Some of these guides require some basic level of knowledge about online marketing. This guide from Koozai starts from the very beginning and explains many of the terms and concepts that you will need to know if you are starting from scratch.

  • Email opt-in required
  • PDF format
  • Easy to read infographic design
  • Good for those who learn by reading

Shopify

Shopify Content Marketing Guide

https://www.shopify.com/videos/content-marketing
Video! Very easy to navigate around. Focused a little more on products and sales, shopping carts. Gets more in depth with specifics about technical aspects of content marketing.

  • No sign up needed
  • Video
  • Easy to follow navigation
  • Good for those who learn by audio and video

My Favorite Guide

My favorite of the bunch are the Copyblogger guides. Copyblogger just has the chops to be the most authoritative course available. They do add you to a drip campaign though so if you want to keep your inbox clear you might want to look at the Shopify guide.