Some pig. Terrific. Radiant. Humble.
In the classic E.B. White novel, Charlotte’s Web, these simple yet impactful words save a life and make another better. And for prolific writer, marketer and speaker Ann Handley, these words also make the title character the best content marketer in the world.
“In just four [phrases] she had to make her case. Wilbur was her product.” Handley passionately told Content Marketing World attendees last Thursday. “I mean she was looking to save this pig’s life people. … And Zuckerman was her audience.”
Handley’s passion for Charlotte’s marketing abilities stems from her “literary crush” on author E.B. White. She even attempted to purchase his Maine estate where we wrote 12 of his 14 novels, including Charlotte’s Web.
As a result of her extreme fandom, in her presentation, she revealed five insightful content marketing writing “secrets” from the pages of Charlotte’s Web.
#1 – Be a writer first and a marketer second.
According to Handley, the worst content strategies usually start with “We need a piece of content for X.” Instead, we all should begin by asking ourselves: “What does my audience need?”
“Charlotte figured out what would make [Farmer] Zuckerman feel better about himself,” Handley said. “[And her words] made him feel like he had something special. It made his life better. It elevated his status in the community. It made him feel like he was a better vision of himself.”
#2 – Hoard ideas like a fat rat.
Charlotte’s marketing initiatives were so successful because she had help from her research assistant, Templeton the rat….
