Content ideas - books

Yes, books. Real books. Books that can be touched, carried, read without a screen or pixels. A corporate book is more than a marketing piece; it conveys the experience of a company, its tradition, beliefs, philosophy and history. It adds credibility to the company and gives provides an alternative, yet supporting, perspective to the sales mission. In a highly competitive industry it can raise a company profile and support other elements of your marketing mix. It is also a gift that is valued by clients, and definitely has a retention value. And these days of print-on-demand, the investment need not be high.

So what content do these corporate books contain? The key elements are to do with building on the company's reputation, emphasizing its experience and providing a client with confidence that placing an order for a product or service is the right thing to do. The Guide booklet advice given last time can also be included in a full book content if appropriate.

The route to deciding content divides between an established business and a new one. For companies with a history, some background is a good start with archive photos, and an explanation of a client-friendly business philosophy that has continued through to the present. A timeline of development and, ‘pushing the envelope’ inventions provides a solid foundation for implicit claims that your company and services/products have a strong legacy, based on knowledge and experience. Tracing current designs, business models back to the origins all helps to provide a complete story that can be illustrated with case studies woven into an illustrated portfolio. Finish up with the here and now. Investment in people, the business, current benefits for clients and conclude with looking to the future.

A corporate book is slightly different for a new company making its way into a potentially crowded market. Here, you would look at setting out why you are entering the market, what you can offer clients that they don’t have already (yes, this means that if you don’t have a USP, then maybe a book isn’t the way to go). But if you are bringing new thought to the market, then let’s look at a similar plan to the established company route with a beginning, middle and end: where you experience has come from, what you are doing now, and where you are going in the future. And don’t forget the photos! A picture replaces a thousand words, and the best book content is based on the quality and interest value of the images.