Content Marketing For Dummies

The For Dummies brand is a global phenomenon and it may be able to teach you a thing or two about content marketing.

If you don’t own one of those yellow and black For Dummies books, you’ll know someone who does. Wander around a bookstore (remember those?) and you’ll see the distinctive branding dotted about every section.

There are almost 2,000 For Dummies titles covering everything from sex to string theory, from wine to content marketing. Best sellers include Excel For Dummies, Ukulele For Dummies and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy For Dummies. Over 250 million books have been sold in the brand’s 25-year history. Ten are sold every minute in the US.

What you may not be aware of is the success For Dummies has had in the world of content marketing. Clients include Google, IBM, Coca-Cola as well as a host of smaller organisations. The standard content marketing product is a small book (print or digital) that explains a concept, product or service and is co-branded. These books can be handed out at exhibitions or used to drive data collection via online downloads.

For Dummies has built its reputation by providing accessible, informally presented information that allows you to get the job done with the minimum of fuss. As content marketers we can learn a lot from their example.

Be honest and objective

The For Dummies custom publishing team is friendly but firm. The rules they set down about the objectivity of content are non-negotiable. That means that anything that goes in a ‘custom pub’ must be true and supported by evidence. The content may relate to a new IBM product and how to use it, but it can’t start making claims for it to be ‘market leading’ or ‘revolutionary’.

As soon as the integrity of the Dummies brand is diminished, the material loses its effectiveness. Not only would Dummies be killing the golden goose, their client would have a less effective piece of marketing collateral.

Don’t crowd the brand

Using the Dummies brand allows organisations to reach broader audiences. I’m more likely to pick up a free Dummies book at a trade show than a standard company brochure or leaflet. Dummies allow one logo and a sentence of text on the front cover. No more. Clients have the inside covers for marketing messages and there’s room for another two sentences on the back. That’s it. In every other way the books look and feel like the standard product. A wise marketer won’t fight these restrictions but understand that they are they to drive engagement.

Editorial standards For Dummies

A staggering amount of work goes into every Dummies book. The structure is planned in fine detail before the first word is written. This is done to ensure that the reader gets the information they require to meet their needs in the most effective way. Once the writing starts there are numerous rules about vocabulary, use of verbs and complexity of language. This attention to detail is what makes the standard books such effective learning tools and the same high editorial standards apply to every co-branded custom publication.

For Dummies may not be the right match for your business but the concept of using a partner brand to gain credibility is one worth considering. Being measured in your branding of content marketing materials is sensible and having high editorial standards is a must. You’d be a dummy not to.

Editor's pick

Most popular